Effective Small Group Instruction
When I first started teaching, I had no idea what differentiated instruction is. I used to struggle when my students couldn’t complete a task. I would give a single assignment and hope each student would complete it in the same way. If they didn’t I would sit and model and the student would copy. This worked, kind of. Then, I… Read More
5 Creative Ways to Use Valentine’s Day Worksheets Valentine’s Day worksheets are your ticket to engage students in reading during the sweet-filled, friendship-focused (albeit card company-created) holiday. Valentine’s Day is a day of excitement, card giving, and chocolate eating. Everything kids love all smushed together. How can teachers possibly engage students in academic work on this wonderful holiday? Well, it’s… Read More
Successful K-2 Math Small Group Lesson Plans Creating guided math small group lesson plans can be so overwhelming. Math is filled with discreet skills, how do you know which skill to start with? While your curriculum provides a general guideline, students tend to live in an area of grey. To add more confusion while math is filled with discreet skills… Read More
11 Exhilarating Ways to Use Nonsense Word Activities Nonsense words are key to reading success. We read nonsense words every day without even realizing it! These words often are syllables hidden within larger words. Think of the word “picnic”. This features two nonsense words: pic and nic. In order to successfully read the word, “picnic” students need to be able… Read More
How to Consistently & Easily Teach Small Group Instruction Elementary Are you wondering how to consistently and easily teach small group instruction in elementary? As a K-2 teacher, you are juggling so many plates. Many of your students are still learning how to be a student! How could you possibly add small group instruction into your elementary classroom? Let me… Read More
Successful Classroom Management Strategies For Small Group Instruction Are you struggling to find successful classroom management strategies for small group instruction? During my first few years of teaching, I sure was! There is no course on classroom management on the path to becoming a teacher. So much of it is learning by trial and error. Managing 18 young children on… Read More
5 Easy Steps for How to Manage Small Groups in the Classroom It can be hard to learn how to manage small groups in the classroom! As a teacher, you can feel pulled in all different directions when leading small group instruction. This may include a center time or strategic intervention where you only meet with 3-4 students at a… Read More
9 Easy Strategies for a Simple Special Education Classroom Setup It can be stressful to think of a special education classroom setup, especially as a new (or new to special education) teacher! After 5 years in a traditional classroom, I moved into a special education role and had to re-imagine how I could set up my space to support my… Read More
Easy and Fun Activities that Teach What Are The Glued Sounds Stuck wondering “what are the glued sounds”? Talk about things they don’t teach you in teacher college! When I got into the K/1 classroom phonics baffled me, especially higher-level phonics skills. Letter sounds, I got. Vowels making two sounds? A little tricky, but I’ll get there. Now, you’re telling… Read More
special education inclusive classroom Creating a special education inclusive classroom can be challenging. There are many different layouts for special education classrooms. Some are more isolated than others. The more isolated you are in your setting, the more you may be overwhelmed when creating an inclusive environment. How can you support your students’ access to others of different abilities and… Read More
