Last week I wrote about teaching math through small group instruction. A few people expressed an interest in learning more about the things we do in our classroom. As I worked with my groups this past week, I decided to describe some of the details of how I manage the small groups. I hope you’ll find this helpful. I would be very interested in learning about the things you are doing.

Pacing is one of the big issues when you are trying to teach math groups through small groups instruction. How do you challenge the students who need it, support the students who are having trouble, and make sure everyone meets all your district criteria? That is a big challenge. It has become an even bigger issue now that my school district is having us administer pre and post tests to all students every six weeks. For this reason, I usually present a minilesson with the day’s focus to everyone. Then I meet with small groups to help students achieve mastery.

Last week we were working with long division. One group was working just to master the steps, two of my groups were working with dividing 3 digits by 1, my strongest math students quickly mastered the skill, so we moved to larger numbers and problem solving strategies. Next week I will start out the week with whole group instruction. We will talk about deciding where to begin on division problems and dividing money, before we move back into small groups.

Our district uses Houghton Mifflin Expressions in math. This book includes lesson plans for differentiation, but since our district requires us to teach the book out of sequence, that doesn’t always work. I use them sometimes, but most of the time I come up with my own materials. I have an old text that I pull ideas from, and I make up a lot of things as I go along. Sometimes I turn to websites like EdHelper.com just to gather ideas for problems.

Keeping the rest of the class occupied in a productive way is very important. That job is easier now that I have technology available to me through laptops and iPads. I also rely on math games that reinforce basic math skills. I look for something that is fun to play, otherwise the kids won’t be fully engaged. I also look for something that does not need to be remade or replenished each time that it is used. You can find some great ideas in the following books:

1. Mega-Fun Math Games by Dr. Michael Schiro

2. 25 Super Cool Math Board Games by Lorraine Hopping Egan ( scholastic.

3. Mega-Fun Card-Game Math by Karol L Yeatts (scholastic)

4. Mega-Fun Math Games and Puzzles for the Elementary Grades by Michael S. Schiro (Jossey-Bass Teacher)

In order to meet student needs, it is very important to use  frequent formative assessment.  My math groups change every week.  I usually do something quick and informal.  I may look at a seatwork assignment, or I might just put 5 to 8 problems on the board.  It is important to be sure that students are working independently.  I have some very helpful students who will try to help others complete the assignment.  This can result in students being placed in the wrong group.  I don’t really see this as a big problem.  It quickly becomes apparent if someone is misplaced.  I just try to give them additional support for the week, and then I place them in a different group the following week.

I’ve tried a lot of different planning forms.  This is my current one.  I’m very visual and I liked making those little stars.  I can keep track of who is in which group, which centers they have been through, and the general lesson plan for the day.  I usually complete the rotation over two days, meeting with two groups each day.

Teaching math through small groups is a work in progress.  I have changed my approach a lot since I first tried it six years ago.  I would be very interested in learning how you meet the differentiation needs of your students.

Whiteboards are great for practice. The kids enjoy using them, and it makes it easy to see their work.

Last week I experienced another one of those precious moments of true teacher satisfaction.  I was sitting at the front of the classroom with a group of seven students, while the rest of class was scattered across the room engaged in a variety of activities.  We started learning long division this week.  Long division can be traumatic for fourth graders.  As usual there was a small group that caught on immediately and were eager to move to more challenging problems, while others were lost and overwhelmed by the multi-step process.  In order to reduce their stress and mine, we moved into small group instruction.  It’s very satisfying to witness the light bulb turning on, as I guide students through the process.

I have been using small group instruction in math for about six years now.  I don’t use it every day, and I don’t use it for every skill, but it is definitely one of the best changes I have made to my math instruction.  I was first introduced to the idea when I volunteered to represent our school by taking additional district math training.  I volunteered because I knew that my math instruction was my weakest area.   Ironically, I ended up presenting professional development in math for the next several years.  Lots of good things came out of that training.  I learned how to make math more fun with skill building games and activities, and I learned a lot about how to differentiate.  It improved my own understanding of math, and best of all, I actually like teaching math now.

Small group instruction lets me give guidance to those who are struggling.  It allows me to identify where and how their mistakes are occurring.  It provides me with opportunities to reassure students that they will get this and that they are growing in their skills.  It enables me to correct misperceptions in a non-threatening and non-embarrassing way.  It frees the kids up to ask more questions and ask for help as they need it.  Recently, I was reminded of all these great advantages, when I read a blog post by Nancy Hniedziejko on her blog Nancy Teaches.  (She is @nancyteaches on Twitter.)

I usually introduce a new skill to the whole group.  We work for a day or two before I transition to small group instruction.  I usually do a mini lesson to start, and then set a focus for the day.  After several years of doing small group instruction in math, there are a few things I have learned.

Students who finish their seatwork early can use flashcards for additional fact practice.

1.  Keeping the rest of the class busy and engaged is key.  Since students are with me for only 20-25 minutes, it’s imperative that selected activities support math skills.  I teach my students to play games that reinforce math facts.  We have a math page on our class Read the Web wiki with links to math games.  Following their small group time they are responsible for a seatwork assignment.  This week, I also had students using the iPads to write a blog post.

2.  Use frequent formative assessment to determine student needs. For me that may take the form of an assignment or a quiz.  I find that math groups change more often than my reading groups do.  I mix up my math groups on a weekly basis.

3.  Give yourself permission to not meet with every student every day. It took me a while to come to this conclusion.  Since I have 28 students I usually rotate my groups over two days.  I work with every student in a small group setting, but it is done over the course of two days and I do spend longer with some groups than others.

Students have fun with math concepts by playing games on websites like CoolMath.com.

4.  Adapt your small group approach to meet the needs of the students you have. There’s no doubt about it, success with small groups depends a lot on the make-up of your particular class.  With the kids I have this year, it’s easy.  These kids work well on their own, and they get along with each other.  I have had some years where my materials were destroyed, and kids did not use the time productively.  In those years, I still did small group instruction, but I had to do so for a shorter length of time each day.

The best part of all is teaching in small group lets me connect more with my kids.  It creates a more relaxing atmosphere, and kids soon realize that math is fun.