Tagged: small groups

Boost Students’ Skills and Passion for Reading

To teach students to master standards while also cultivating a love of reading, Laura Robb offers new ideas and resources and a new outlook on old practices in Increase Reading Volume. It is exactly what teachers need for their reading blocks, says literacy leader Sarah Valter.

Help Your Students Avoid Collaboration’s Downside

While there are times when consensus makes sense, collaborative experiences are often most beneficial when they center on open-ended questions that invite students’ thinking. Teaching coach Gravity Goldberg shares ways to encourage exploration and creative expression in groups.

Building a Foundation for In-Class Writing Clubs

Lisa Eickholdt and Patty Vitale-Reilly’s favorite student collaboration is the Writing Club – an opportunity for kids to write in authentic, engaging, and creative ways. They prepare a foundation for this work with read-alouds, feedback structures, partnering activities, and more.

All You Need to Teach Writing in Small Groups

After making a strong case for small group instruction during the writing process, Jennifer Serravallo shares how to implement and develop six types. Teacher Jennifer Wirtz loves the access to videos of groups in action and the printables for students. Highly recommended.

Kids Teaching Kids Leads to Healthy Lessons

Students’ teaching and learning recently came together in Allison Fink’s health classes. Working in groups to decide lesson goal, content and presentation, her students also helped develop rubrics and reflected on their work. A project for your classroom?

An Activity to Help Kids Learn Civil Discourse

Middle schoolers are “notorious sponges” who soak up the emotional energy around them, says teacher Elyse Scott. In the wake of a divisive election, she recommends an activity that can help kids build collaborative skills, empathy and acceptance of other viewpoints.

Don’t Break the Ice, Build Your Community

After years of using the same “icebreaker” activities to get tweens and teens talking to each other and the teacher, ESL educator Walton Burns had an epiphany – icebreakers needed to give way to community building events, tailored specifically for adolescents.

How to Build a Tight-Knit Classroom Community

Students who feel a strong connection to their classmates and teachers are much more likely to persist and achieve shared goals, learn respect, and develop communication skills. Teaching expert Julia Thompson offers strategies to help build positive communities.