Problem 3: What system should I use for organizing students in the room?![]() During student teaching the only system I saw for organizing kids in the room during small groups was rotation station style. I grew increasingly frustrated with this model during my first two years of teaching, and sought out alternatives. I found the Must Do/May Do model on Pinterest, tried it, and loved it. Oddly enough I still liked the rotation station method for math centers, as I was able to quickly see all my students and keep the room and energy moving. In today's post I am going to share with you the pros and cons of each method! Rotation Station Style: Students are assigned stations around the classroom and must stay with their group and station for a set time period. When the teacher signals (or slides change, or timer goes off) students rotate with their group to the next station. This repeats until all students have gone to every station. Pros:
Must Do/May Do: Students have groups and two lists of assignments: a must do list, and once those are complete there is another list of activities they may complete. Students do not need to stay with their group, and there are no stations. The teacher is free to pull whomever they choose. Pros:
I hope that this post has given you some good information about the two methods. Be sure to check out the Recommended Readings to see the original sources for these two ideas, and download the Must Do/May Do freebie offered by 1st Grade Pandamania! Next Week: Assessing students in small groups. |
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AuthorI'm Mae and I am an Educational Technology Coach who supports Kinder through 8th grade teachers; I am Thinking Maps trained, with a Master's Degree in Elementary Education! Archives
January 2021
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