Small group work is a staple in most classrooms, especially co-taught classes. Small groups might be differentiated by readiness level, activity or cooperative learning roles. No matter what the purpose, teachers want an easy, smooth way to have students transition.
This week I tried a new approach to small group organization and transition and it worked really well! I purchased a rubber band ball at the office supply store and then pulled off red, yellow, green and blue bands. We handed each student a rubber band, intentionally choosing who would receive each color. (The activity was color-coded by difficulty level, known only to the teachers.) Students were directed to wear the rubber band on their wrists.
It was so simple to then group and regroup by color band, to call on students with a specific color, ask students to go to a colored poster, etc. Students could easily remember their assignments – no more “Where am I supposed to be?” or “What am I supposed to do?”
This week I tried a new approach to small group organization and transition and it worked really well! I purchased a rubber band ball at the office supply store and then pulled off red, yellow, green and blue bands. We handed each student a rubber band, intentionally choosing who would receive each color. (The activity was color-coded by difficulty level, known only to the teachers.) Students were directed to wear the rubber band on their wrists.
It was so simple to then group and regroup by color band, to call on students with a specific color, ask students to go to a colored poster, etc. Students could easily remember their assignments – no more “Where am I supposed to be?” or “What am I supposed to do?”
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