Working with Small Groups

I have had the opportunity to work with small groups in first grade.  I help those students who are struggling in math or reading.  I have noticed the attention span of the first graders are limited!  Using flashcards to help with site words does not work so well.  I think appealing to the kinesthtic aspect of learning would be better.  I found a neat website that teaches site words by singing and doing actions.  I shared my findings with the teacher and they ordered the DVD!  I also think my afternoon the kids are tired and can't sit still for very long.  I found when I worked with the kids one-on-one, their attention span was better and I could make the lesson a little more fun.

I got to use some plastic 10-frames for math help.  I think the kids liked this because they could touch and see what they were doing to make 10.  I found it helpful to use different manipulatives when practicing with counting.  The students got bored with just one set of something to count. I also found students to be more competitive with the other students in the group.  One-on-one teaching is so effective.  I think it is important for the lower grades to have grown-up volunteers or paid teacher's aids to help in the classroom so if one student isn't understanding a concept, they can have one-on-one help and attention.