What a week filled with blessings! We were invited to be guests on the 8/23/18 #G2great Twitter chat. The chat focused on ideas captured in our new book, What Are You Grouping For? How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers – Not the Book (grades 3-8) Corwin 2018 where we re-imagine small group reading instruction that goes beyond grouping by students' reading levels. Tucked inside our book, we outline five teacher moves that position students as the center of decision-making in different, dynamic ways. We also position students as decision-makers for their own reading lives. One way we do this is by considering flexible groupings for students based on their:
- interests
- passions
- curiosities
- needs
- wonderings
- worries
- newly found connection with another classmate
- something going on in the world now or in the past
- author
- and...so many more!
Maybe you are thinking back to your own childhood and how you were grouped for reading instruction? Our reasons for grouping will challenge what you knew as an intermediate learner. Yes, that's right...that means NO more squirrel, seahorse, or blue bird reading groups for the purpose of trying to get the next "level". As Mary Howard referenced in a twitter post (to which I have added on): Let's make sure that we don't raise another generation of readers who associate their literacy journeys to letters, numbers, colors, animals, or percentiles. Instead, let's fuel students' reading lives with texts they want to read, alongside peers who are going to nudge them to question, build inquiries, make meaning, and grow.
The #G2great learning community deepened our thinking about small group learning opportunities for students. If you are interested in learning more from this great chat, check out the WAKE. Thank you to Mary Howard, Fran McVeigh, Jennifer Made Hayhurst, and Amy Kruger Brennan for their kindness and support in helping champion our work!
An extra thank you to Mary Howard for an amazing gift. Her blog post combines the best of gifts--a synthesis of the #G2great Twitter chat and highlights from our book. Thank you, Mary, for your time, energy, compassion, and passion in keeping students at the center of our collective work and for supporting us as we re-imagine small group learning opportunities for the kiddos near and dear to our hearts. You've helped bring the JOY of our work into the world and we are grateful!