Core Grouping

This year I decided to use core groups in my classroom to help differentiate instruction for students and to assist students in learning 21st Century work skills.  There have been some bumps along the way.  I stepped back and assessed what the problems were and once I had defined them came up with possible solutions.  At this point in the year I feel that the groups are working quite well with little guidance from me.  This past week I decided to use core grouping to help students write better essays.  The first essays these students wrote were lacking thesis statements.  Students also found it difficult to analyze the documents.  Through core grouping students were able to write the introduction together.  I noticed as I circulated that groups discussed how to start the essay (question or a quote), then worked together well to figure out what the thesis should be.  I could tell immediately that the end product was much better.  I definitely would use this strategy to write essays again.

Differentiated Instruction

I went to a fantastic workshop presented by Kathleen Kryza regarding differentiated instruction this past week.  All I can say is Wow!  If you haven't had the opportunity to attend her professional development, make it a priority.  Luckily our group was very small, so the workshop was quite interactive.  I am planning to implement a number of the strategies she taught us in my classroom this Fall.  I'm especially excited about core grouping.  For more information about Kathleen and free resources go to http://www.kathleenkryza.com/.