![]() Older students can be reading or writing independently, working on research, problem solving, experimenting, or more! These can be described as short and interesting learning activities that students move through tied to previously learned skills. ![]() In primary grades, some teachers implement “centers” or “rotations” while gathering small groups. Keep in mind that while you work with small groups, the rest of the class can be working on various learning tasks. show examples and nonexamples of end products if applicable.write out the goals on chart paper or under a document camera and keep them visible during the lesson.Tips for teaching students what to do independently: Be as explicit as possible with instructions before sending students off to work on their own. To avoid this, clarity in goals and expectations for the end result is a must. It’s possible that one of the biggest reasons why some teachers abandon small groups is because they become frustrated when they feel they’ve lost control of the classroom. when it’s acceptable to interrupt the small groupĢ.Clarity is key!Ī few things to teach students about the routine are: On the other hand, if you don’t teach the routine, don’t be disappointed if while you are working with your small group the remainder of the class is off task. ![]() By teaching the routine, you set students up for success. If possible, model for the class what a small group will look like AND what the rest of the class will be doing. Before you begin implementing small groups, hold a lesson with students telling them what small groups are and why you are doing them. If students understand what small-group time is going to look and sound like, they will be more successful with it. Based on their answers, I quickly formed three groups for our next lesson one for Enrichment, one for Guidance, and one for Reteach. I asked students to write a ticket out or gave them five questions to answer on a sticky note. After teaching a whole-group lesson and formatively assessing, I divided the class. It wasn’t long before small-group instruction organically formed in my classroom. And most of the time I felt like students did not understand their role in learning. Some students breezed through what I taught because they already knew it. It quickly became clear that teaching in a whole-group setting wasn’t meeting the needs of all my students. We all taught the same thing and mostly the same way. Planning went very quickly because the more experienced teachers would bring their lesson plans from previous years and tell us “newbies” what we would be teaching. ![]() When I taught mainstream language arts (reading and writing in elementary school), we planned together as a team. I didn’t learn overnight how to make small-group instruction work for my students and for me. You can reach her through her website or on Twitter : Her work can be found on Seidlitz Education and on MiddleWeb. She is the co-author of Reading & Writing with English Learners and works with teachers of ELs to support language and literacy instruction. Valentina Gonzalez is a former classroom teacher with over 20 years in education serving also as a district facilitator for English-learners, a professional-development specialist for ELs, and as an educational consultant. You might also be interested in a previous series on small-group instruction, as well as Best Posts On The Basics Of Small Groups In The Classroom. Today, Valentina Gonzalez, Olivia Montero Petraglia, Jenny Vo, and Jennifer Mitchell provide their suggestions. This four-part series will share “tried-and-true” strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of this kind of instruction. It’s the “well-organized” part that can trip many of us up, though. Many teachers find that well-organized student small-group work facilitates learning and effective classroom management. What are your recommendations for how best to set up and organize small groups in classroom instruction? (This is the first post in a four-part series.) ![]()
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