I worked with such a great group of teachers last week! We studied the power of small groups. If we can remember why we teach in small groups, it’s easier to carve out time for this important part of the day. Teachers in 4th-6th grade brainstormed these as their top reasons for using small groups: [...]
Posts Tagged ‘small groups’
Why teach in small groups?
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged small groups on March 21, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Working with teachers at Briar Gate Elementary
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged bubble maps, small groups on March 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Recently, I worked with teachers at Briar Gate Elementary in FBISD (Houston area). It was a delight to visit classrooms and watch literacy work stations and small group instruction in action in their classrooms. We worked together to plan guided reading lessons, too. One of the lessons I taught in 2nd grade focused on helping [...]
Some tips for forming reading groups
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged Making the Most of Small Groups, small groups on January 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I thought it would be fun from time to time to share portions of my books with you here on the blog. This way you will get to read some great classroom tips and also get a flavor for a book. This one is from Making the Most of Small Groups and it deals with [...]
Working with teachers in Red Lion, PA
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged decoding, phonics, small groups on January 4, 2011 | 3 Comments »
What a joy it was to work with K-2 teachers at Pleasant View Elementary in Red Lion, PA right around Thanksgiving. We spent two days together planning and teaching small group reading lessons. We worked with the same groups two days in a row, so teachers could experience how to plan for connected lessons. The kindergarten group read a little book [...]
New letter ID kit from RGS
Posted in Classroom materials, tagged Really Good Stuff, small groups on September 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
My new letter ID kit (for small group instruction) is finally being released by Really Good Stuff. This kit includes severals sets of magnetic letters (in soft, touchable foam) with blue consonants and red vowels, so students who are having trouble learning letters can touch and feel how letters are made. Also included are letter [...]
Looking at schema in Dyersburg, TN
Posted in My travels, tagged schema, small groups on July 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Really enjoyed meeting new and old friends in Dyersburg, TN recently. While there, we examined small group instruction in depth. We discussed choosing books based upon students’ interests. Here’s a chart of what we came up with for topics kids have schema on (that we could find books to match). Hope you’ll make your own [...]
Fabulous Fayetteville, Arkansas
Posted in My travels, tagged small groups, small groups reading folder on June 29, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Last week I worked with K-1 teachers in Fayetteville, Arkansas. What a great time we had together. We examined small group instruction and literacy work stations. Many confirmations of things folks were already doing well, and some slight tweaks, too. One teacher exclaimed on day two, “I get it! Organization is everything. If I can [...]
Rhyme time in small group
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged rhyming, small groups on March 13, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Recently I worked with teachers to plan and teach small group lessons in K-5 in Pennsylvania. One of the kindergarten lessons centered on rhyming. We began with what children were familiar with and could connect to. The teacher chose a rhyming song from Jack Hartmann that she’d taught it in whole group instruction (and the [...]
Flexible Small Groups Reading Folder Has Finally Arrived!
Posted in Books and videos, Classroom materials, tagged Really Good Stuff, small groups, small groups reading folder on February 28, 2010 | 5 Comments »
If you have read my book, Making the Most of Small Groups, you might already know about the flexible small groups folder I recommend making to keep track of your reading groups. It helps you organize and keep track of who is in each group and what you might focus on in teaching. There are [...]
Dedicated in Denver
Posted in Classroom tips, Great classroom spaces, My travels, Work stations, tagged I Can list, literacy work stations, My travels, small groups on February 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
My recent travels have taken me to Denver Public Schools where I’m working with CORE Matters teams. Educators there are so dedicated to improving instruction for their students. It is a delight to be a part of this project! Teachers have used my book, Spaces & Places, to set up their classrooms and are using [...]
