These students are truly amazing! They are hard working, kind and supportive of each other. I love seeing them work together and the classroom community we have created brings a smile to my face everyday.
This past year these students have gone through a LOT.
I teach at a Title 1 school where students are generally very sweet, parents are helpful, but money is tight. These kids had a very odd and rocky kindergarten experiences with hybrid learning, online only learning and then classroom learning. I am hoping that this year they will feel love, warmth and care like never before. Yay for 1st grade!
My Project
This year I have learned the teaching 1st grade is the BEST and also the most differentiated age group I have ever taught. There are some kids who have math skills equivalent to a 2nd or 3rd grader and then there are other kids who have math skills equivalent to a student in PreK. These is somewhat normal for this age group but Covid has really accentuated this problem.
With that said, I have learned that differentiated math groups is the only way to teach this age group effectively.
The best part is that the kids LOVE the groups and ask to have them so that helps a lot. I plan on using these games to allow students to play math at their level. Playing with a friend allows me to let them to challenged a little without it being overwhelming. For higher level kids I will use the sums to 20 game, for students who need more practice with lower numbers they will play the sums to 10 game. I cannot wait for the kids to see these games, they will be so excited!
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