My students need an area where we can meet in small groups. This kidney bean table will be the perfect place to have small group instruction to meet their differentiated learning needs.
I teach third grade in rural, southwest Iowa. Living and teaching in a town where hometown values are still alive, I couldn't be happier. However, resources are limited. I have 27 students in my class and socioeconomic status has a significant percentage of them on free/reduced lunch. My students are genuine, sincere, and hardworking. They like to collaborate and create, and are passionate and grateful.
There is not a lot of cultural diversity in my classroom, but we love each other and have established a strong sense of classroom community where the students feel safe.
My students love to read and to be read to. They thrive on positive attention and wanting to do well. I give lots of high-fives and we laugh a lot. Laughter sometimes really is the best medicine. At the end of the day, all I care about is that they know they are loved and appreciated in my classroom.
My Project
For my small group instruction, we currently have a small, rectangular table. It is not big enough to comfortably hold 4 students and their materials. We cram ourselves around this table for Language Arts groups (called Daily 5) and also for Math group rotations. Small group instruction has totally transformed the way I teach. I can teach a small number of students (3-7 at a time) to their learning needs and differentiate accordingly based on the learning level of the group I am working with. I know the success that this kind of grouping has in the world of education, I can only imagine how much better it can be when we have the proper learning space!
I'm dreaming of a place where students will not need to hold their materials on their laps or have to sit on the floor for small group instruction.
I have one little guy in particular who will benefit from this form of seating. He is in a wheelchair due to spina bifida and having more room to access his materials will be a game-changer for him. Right now we make the best of it and do the best we can with what we have. This seating option will help make a difference for ALL 27 of my students by giving them plenty of space to sit comfortably during differentiated small group instruction for both Language Arts and Mathematics.
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