Another change this rotation has been what I do during what we call connections time. This is the last 20 minutes of the school day where we are supposed to do some type of remediation. I have grouped my students into groups based on what they need the most help with. There is a group for vocabulary, comprehending non-fiction, comprehending fiction and even a phonics group. I have advanced students helping in each group and I work with the lowest group. Everyday they know where to sit and what to get out, they begin working and usually do pretty well on their own. I've found this to be a great way to utilize the mere 20 minutes we get for remediation. Before I was just playing the news, so I find this much more beneficial.
In one of my language arts classes we are reading the novel, Tuck Everlasting. We read most of it together and then have an activity to do with what we read. During the activity students have a group to sit with and discuss questions or a mini-project with. This has been working great because when I say move students know exactly where to sit and what to begin working on. At first I thought the book would be too hard for class but now it almost seems too easy. It is a great book to use to review fictional story elements.
Overall what I've learned lately is the importance of structure. When my students know where to sit, what to get out before I say go they get so much more work done. Even in language arts I've made sure to give students something to look forward while they are doing independent reading. Just having a consistent routine helps them stay much more focused. It seems so simple but it's something I wasn't doing as well before now.
What has been working well for you lately? It's spring let's think positive!
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