If you are like me, by the end of the first week of school you will be asking yourself.... "Is that girl a third grader or a fourth grader?"
So, if you really want to know the answer to this question, put all the 3rd graders together in one section of your room and all the 4th Graders together in another section of your room.
Otherwise you might not know the difference...especially if you look at students through glasses that group students by their ability instead of their age.
Understanding your concern,
Deborah
I have taught a split classroom two different years. I decided both years to not group them by grade level because I didn't want my class to feel divided. I wanted to create a community in which we acted as one. It worked really well I think. I have seen it both ways though. One thing I did notice when I did a 4/5 split was that by the end of the year it felt like both my 4th and 5th graders where acting middle school bound. lol
ReplyDeleteGood luck this year! :)
Antoinette
Antoinette,
DeleteI totally agree with you. I believe that creating a sense of community is so important in a multi-grade classroom. One strategy that I've seen used to increase this sense of community was "Morning Meeting." What about a meeting that answered questions like:
"One of my strengths when working with a partner is..."
"When I work with a partner on a project, I always ____ so we both contribute to the final project."
"My partner knows that I am listening to their ideas about our project when I ..."
"Today, we are going to practice listening to a partner. I'll give an idea to you, and then you repeat it back to me. Here's a good sentence opener: "I heard you say ....."
Deborah