Small Group…..
My two most hated words my first 3 years of teaching… the sound of these words together made my stomach turn! Everyone from coworkers to specialists had the ideas, but the countless hours I spent trying to make these “ideas” and this time engaging for the ENTIRE class was disgusting. I gave up many nights and weekends trying to find something that worked and kept the littles attention for longer than 2 minutes! I spent hours laminating and cutting – trying to make hands on activities that not only kept them engaged but was also growing those little brains! Everything I tried just didn’t seem to keep them at their desks working independently, so I could work with the kiddos at my small group table. I was defeated. I felt like I was failing my students. I knew my low babies needed this time more than any part of the day, but I just couldn’t find a way to make it successful.
Fast forward out of my self-pity to a Christmas craft fair in my hometown. I sew things as a side gig and my sister, and I had a booth together. The best thing to come from this (yes, I was also a failure at craft shows, lol) was a booth that sold sock puppets. I know who would have thought? So I’m standing here looking at these ridiculous sock puppets thinking I could make these, but what could I use it for. I bought one and brought it home to show my 1st grader, he immediately fell in love with it and named it Gerald, yes Gerald, I don’t know why?? The more I watched my own kids laugh and play with Gerald the more I wanted to incorporate puppets into my classroom, but how?
Word Work Puppet Shows!
I fell in love with the idea! Students could work on phonics word work through puppet shows! Thus, Shelia and Joe were born!! My class was absolutely in awe the first puppet show I had them complete! It was a game changer! No more what am I supposed to do at this center, no more pretending to read, no more talking to their neighbor, and most importantly no more, “I’m done! Now what?” (after 3.5 seconds of independent work). They were all engaged and most importantly ALL students were learning NOT just my small group students! Now came the hard part how to make this something they can do every day. Now I’m a mom of 4 and time is hard to come by, but I really believe in this idea. I tried several different ways and activities to do with the puppets and word work, but in the end, I felt like a “routine” was the best way to go. I will have a second post explaining the “puppet shows” for now let’s talk about the centers.
Centers!
I didn’t want my kiddos just staring at an ipad all day and not actually get to use their imaginations and hands, so I came up with low prep word work bins. I have 20 in total, and I don’t change them all year! Students get a Word Work Ticket every 20 days. I do this so each student uses each Word Work bin within the 20 days. This keeps students from “hogging” the sand bin, lol. Plus, it keeps them from getting bored.
Another thing I added to my bins is a QR code. So, last year, I struggled with teaching the word work bins. It was easy to pull the class to the rug and show them how to use it, but each student needed time to practice the bin after I explained it, and who has time to make 20 of the same activity so they can practice with you? So, I decided to make videos to explain how to use the word work bins. We have 15 days of school before we start our first unit in Benchmark Advance. I use these 15 days to teach students how to use the word work bins. Students will get a new word bin every day and watch Word Work Wanda. Wanda and friends teach the students how to properly use each Word Work bin. I am super excited about this! No more I don’t know what to do! If they forget they no longer have to interrupt small group, they simply scan the QR on the bin and Wanda teaches the center again! These are the centers I will use as centers all year.
I have linked each bin to the correct bin on TPT. I also have the bundle linked at the end of this post! Bin #1 is free on TPT! Give it a try!
Grab A Drink This Is A Long Post!
There you have it!
I started these bins at the beginning of the school year 2023. It is now Feb 2024 and they are still going strong! The best part is when they forget how to use them, I no longer have to stop small groups to instruct them. The QR codes stay on the bin all year. You can try it out for free! Bin 1 is free on TPT. My next blog will explain the puppet shows that we use daily for small group independent work!
