Small Group Teaching

Small group teaching means that I can get to know each child as an individual. It means that I can teach each child at their point of need.

I have used ability grouping before, for reading and math.

Currently I don't. Why?

The biggest reason is that the children learn from each other.

Another reason is that the activity we do in a small group is open enough for each child to do it at their own level.
An important reason is that I haven't been teaching reading. That's something I think I would teach in an ability or interest group.

There may be a time I ability group in the future but for now, it's mixed ability.

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Journals & Writing

We like to write about what interests us. It's the same for children. Journal writing time is an invitation for the children to draw something of interest to them. They tell me something about their pictures and I write it on the page. They see how writing happens by starting with an idea then seeing it get written down.

Yarn Trap

The yarn was used to make a trap. It was tied to a picture frame and a basket. Each was positioned on shelves across from one another. The children had to go "under" the trap to get to the carpet for whole class time. There was a lot of sharing of ideas, problem solving, and use of the positional language "over" and "under" and "around".

Stones in the Classroom

The stones have been used for balancing, as coffee and now for placing on the holes in the letters. The foam letters have holes for pegs to be fitted into. Stones work just as well. Creativity, counting, letters, arranging, decision making.

NZ Teacher

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