Grouping by Chance

For your next session of group discussions of teamwork, try these fun methods for grouping your students by chance:

Deck of Cards
Randomly pass out playing cards or Uno cards and have students group according to number, colour, suit, or poker hand.

Photo Credit: ClipartMountain

Picture Puzzle Pieces
Cut photos or postcards into pieces and distribute. Students with the pieces from the same picture will form a group.

Appointment Book
Give students a page out of a daily planner/appointment book. Have students make and record “appointments” with their classmates. When you call out the times, students will “meet” the people for their appointment time.

Text Reconstruction
Take texts—stories, poems, diagrams, etc. and cut them into pieces before distributing them to students. Students who have pieces of the same text will form a group.

Cast of Characters
Write down the names of characters from well-known stories on individual cards and hand them out to students. Students with the same type of character (e.g. antagonist, protagonist, etc.) will group together.

Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms
Write down words on individual cards and hand them out to the class. Students will find a partner whose card is a synonym, antonym, or homonym, etc. of their word.

Grouping by Chance is taken from Surviving and Thinking: Making classroom management and organization work for you and your students by Maria Carty, published by Pembroke Publishers.

Seating in the Classroom

Photo Credit: Clipart Pal

There are a few different ways of setting up seating arrangements in your classroom. The physical spacing of a classroom impacts the way students learn, interact and focus.
Different desk arrangements encourage different types of interactions between teachers and students.

Start off the year wit desk arrangements that encourage individual or partner learning to help them gain focus and the ability to work by themselves.
A few weeks later, start placing the desks in small groups of three or four people, with the desks facing each other. Sitting in groups lets students develop working relationships with a few students. But, switch the groups of students every three to five weeks, so that no one gets frustrated.

For presentations or readings, make sure there is a designated seat, podium or space for the presenter. Having a designated space for presenters indicates that the presenter has the right to the class's attention and focus. Also, having a small library and reading area is a great way to encourage and interest students in independent reading.

This information about seating and set-up in the classroom is from a section of Maria Carty's text Surviving and Thriving: Making Classroom Management and Organization Work for You and Your Students, published by Pembroke Publishers.

Routine in the Classroom

Establishing a regular routine right from the beginning of the school year is very important.
A routine starts the moment students walk into class, from distributing materials and creating discussions to dealing with late students and late work.

Always start the day the same way. Have regular activities that are done in the same order each day.

Walk students through your routine on the first day of class. Show them where to sit, which materials to take out and how to start the day. Most importantly, lead by example. Stick to your schedule firmly so students know that your routine is the way the classroom is run.

Photo Credit: Clipart ETC

Another important step is planning instruction and lessons. To get ideas, talk to other teachers and meet with school staff at the beginning to each school year to review plans.

Lessons should be planned carefully so that every part of your instruction has a purpose. Establishing a regular order of classes and topics helps the students be more prepared. When introducing a new topic, bring up what the students learned the week or day before so that they have something to build off of.

If students have tasks to complete during or after the lesson, post them on the board so everyone can easily keep track of what needs to be done. At the end of a lesson or activity, remember to always leave room for group or individual discussion of lingering questions.

Another great idea is to plan each lesson so there is an opportunity for students to get up and move around, shift their focus or take a brief break every 20 minutes of half-hour. Mini breaks help students stay focused while they're working or taking notes.

This information about establishing routine is from a section of Maria Carty's text Surviving and Thriving: Making Classroom Management and Organization Work for You and Your Students published by Pembroke Publishers.