Setting up differentiated reading groups was one of my goals last school year. I loved the idea of being able to work with a small group of students each day, but with 32 students in my class I was not sure how to make that happen.
With my existing schedule, I had the first 45 minutes of each day available for differentiated reading instruction. My vision was to have one small group working on computers, one doing independent desk work, a third group meeting in a book club, and a fourth small group working with me. I wanted to have reading group rotations four mornings a week. My small groups would work at a different location each day; ideally Monday - Thursday, and use Friday as a catch up day. If there was an assembly, a holiday, or some other inevitable disruption to the schedule, I would still be able to fit in my four rotations. Once I knew what I wanted to do it was time to make it happen.
STEP 1: reach out to others
My first step was to work with the school resource team. I arranged the schedule so that my students with IEP's would get their pull outs during this morning block (speech, learning center, OT). This was important because I now had fewer bodies to divide into small groups. ALL my student would be getting differentiated instruction at the same time, and my students with pullouts would not be missing important, whole class lessons later in the day.
STEP 2: find out what you have
With my existing schedule, I had the first 45 minutes of each day available for differentiated reading instruction. My vision was to have one small group working on computers, one doing independent desk work, a third group meeting in a book club, and a fourth small group working with me. I wanted to have reading group rotations four mornings a week. My small groups would work at a different location each day; ideally Monday - Thursday, and use Friday as a catch up day. If there was an assembly, a holiday, or some other inevitable disruption to the schedule, I would still be able to fit in my four rotations. Once I knew what I wanted to do it was time to make it happen.
STEP 1: reach out to others
My first step was to work with the school resource team. I arranged the schedule so that my students with IEP's would get their pull outs during this morning block (speech, learning center, OT). This was important because I now had fewer bodies to divide into small groups. ALL my student would be getting differentiated instruction at the same time, and my students with pullouts would not be missing important, whole class lessons later in the day.
STEP 2: find out what you have
I set to work organizing the dusty supply room / closet with one of my grade level teachers. We found sets of chapter books that could be used for book clubs. We also uncovered a set of Time for Kids readers that covered a variety of Science and Social Studies topics that would be perfect to integrate into teacher led group.
STEP 3: get what you don't have
I needed computers in my classroom so that I could have technology as one of my rotations. Our school recently upgraded our computer lab, so I talked to the principal about getting some of the old desktops in my classroom. I also got busy writing project grants on donorschoose.org to get Chromebooks. It didn't happen overnight, but thanks to donations, I have acquired 6 Chromebooks for my classroom! Now with enough devices for a small group another obstacle was gone. I also used my Scholastic Book Club points to purchase 6-7 copies of a few different chapter books for my book club groups.
STEP 3: get what you don't have
I needed computers in my classroom so that I could have technology as one of my rotations. Our school recently upgraded our computer lab, so I talked to the principal about getting some of the old desktops in my classroom. I also got busy writing project grants on donorschoose.org to get Chromebooks. It didn't happen overnight, but thanks to donations, I have acquired 6 Chromebooks for my classroom! Now with enough devices for a small group another obstacle was gone. I also used my Scholastic Book Club points to purchase 6-7 copies of a few different chapter books for my book club groups.
One group will be doing independent work at their desks. I will provide this group with some type of vocabulary or grammar activity to reinforce a skill that we are working on in Language Arts. There are plenty of places to find these resources. I have a selection of practice books that I have acquired, and I often turn to superteachworksheets.com. Even though you have to pay for a membership, the annual fee is very nominal. I love the organization of the site and how easy it is for me to find what I need.
Check back for my next post on how I got my room set up, and to see what my reading groups look like in action!
Do you have experience with setting up groups and rotations for reading or math? I would love to hear your stories!
Check back for my next post on how I got my room set up, and to see what my reading groups look like in action!
Do you have experience with setting up groups and rotations for reading or math? I would love to hear your stories!
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