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The CIM includes individual and small-group interventions, including Reading Recovery in first grade. The small-group interventions can be delivered as either pullout or push-in interventions with the exception of the writing process group, which is generally implemented during writing workshop in the classroom. The small group interventions are described below (information on Reading Recovery can be found under the Reading Recovery link).

1. Emergent Language and Literacy Groups are for children who are in kindergarten or first grade and are at the emergent level of reading and writing. The intervention emphasizes oral language development, phonemic awareness and phonics, and the important concepts about print that are essential to learning to read. The components include shared reading, interactive writing, and opportunities to engage in language experiences around books that have been read aloud. The groups are 30 minutes daily.

2. Guided Reading Plus Groups are for children in grades one to three who are reading at the early to transitional levels of reading and writing, but are lagging behind their classmates. The lesson format spans two days with 30 minutes of instruction per day. Day 1 includes four components: pre-planned word study activity, orientation to the new book, independent reading with teacher observations and follow-up teaching points, including discussion of the message. On Day 2, the lesson format begins with assessment: the teacher takes a running record on two children while the other students read easy or familiar texts. Then the focus shifts to the writing component, which includes four predictable parts: responding to yesterday’s guided reading text, composing individual messages, writing independently, and holding one-to-one writing conferences with the teacher.

3. Assisted Writing Groups are designed to support first grade children at the early stage of writing development who are lagging behind their classmates. During interactive writing and, later, writing-aloud, the students learn about the writing process: composing, revising and editing strategies, and the link between reading and writing.

4. Writing Process Groups are designed for first to fourth grade children who are struggling with the writing process in their writing workshop classrooms. The Intervention Specialist provides tailored instruction that focuses on the writing process, including drafting, revising, crafting, editing, and publishing processes.

5. Comprehension Focus Groups are for children who are reading at the transitional level and beyond in grades two to six, and who are having difficulty comprehending the wide range of text genres as they move up the grades. The interventions are designed to help students develop reading and writing knowledge for three major text types: literary, informational, and persuasive. The intervention includes two major components: 1) students participate in a comprehension focus unit around a specific text type or genre for a minimum of 3 weeks, and 2) students participate in the writing process by developing an original piece of writing within the genre of the focus unit. The lessons are 30 minutes daily.

6. Comprehension Focus Groups in Content Area are designed for upper grade readers who are struggling with reading their content texts. The intervention utilizes the same format as the Comprehension Focus Group (described above); however, the students use their context textbooks, as well as other informational texts in the content unit of study. The intervention occurs during the content workshop in the classroom, or as a pullout intervention.