Top 10 Small Group Time Questions Answered - What They Are, Why They're Important, and More!

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How can you make small group time work for you?
I answer this question in today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood.
When it comes to small group time, many preschool professionals find themselves scratching their heads.
What is it? How does it work? And is it really that important?
Well, let me tell you one thing: If done right, small group time can be highly effective and allow you to target the needs of each student!
So really, what's not to love?
If you're curious about small group time and how you can implement it in your preschool classroom, this episode is for you!
In it, I'll be answering a few questions about small group time, such as how long they should last, how you can manage them, and more!
Are you ready?
Let's dive in!
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Key Takeaways:
- Make small group time work for you (00:00)
- Question #1: What are small groups? (00:24)
- Question #2: Why are small groups so important? (00:42)
- Question #3: How long should small groups last? (02:08)
- Question #4: How many students should you have in each small group? (03:19)
- Question #5: How many groups should you have? (03:45)
- Question #6: How do you know which children to put in which group? (04:17)
- Question #7: Where should you have your small group lessons? (06:25)
- Question #8: When should you have small group time? (07:48)
- Question #9: How do you manage small groups? (08:35)
- Question #10: What types of activities should you do during small groups? (10:50)
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💠 Check out small group activities ideas here: www.pre-kpages.com/small-grou...
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#vanessalevin #prekpages #smallgroups

Пікірлер: 16

  • @sabrinagoodman582
    @sabrinagoodman582 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for breaking this all way down, this business of small groups😊

  • @passionforchildrenchildcar6861
    @passionforchildrenchildcar68612 жыл бұрын

    Great Video Vanessa!!!!! We lovvve everything about your tips for small groups learning❤️

  • @jackzolinejordaan5681
    @jackzolinejordaan56812 жыл бұрын

    Great video thank you so much .much appreciated.

  • @dahinnino1618
    @dahinnino16182 жыл бұрын

    What a great, wonderful, smart video, wow! Really great timing! I have 21 children, i can see the differences. That's just great advices, so accurate. Thank you soooooo much Vanessa . Great hair colour 🌷⚘🌺

  • @cherylellis9033
    @cherylellis90332 жыл бұрын

    I would love to see a video of a small group in action and what the other students are doing if they are not at blocks, home living and the sensory table. My class will only do a learning activity if they are with a teacher. They are walking around the room watching what am doing with other students and have a hard time choosing and staying on task for a short time. This year is especially difficult since many students haven’t interacted with others because of COVID.

  • @vanessalevin7467

    @vanessalevin7467

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's why I recommend in the video doing small groups separate from the traditional learning centers like blocks, home living etc. It takes a long time at the beginning of the year to get solid routines and procedures in place to make small groups work.

  • @JJbooga

    @JJbooga

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@vanessalevin7467 I came to the same discovery! I teach in a full-day program. While I am doing small groups, students always have the option to draw/write in their journal, look at a book, or do a puzzle--something they can do without help. It has worked really well for me! Kids are excited for their turn at small group. I do a morning small group for about 15-20 min and small groups after rest time for about 15-20 min.

  • @nancylee147
    @nancylee147 Жыл бұрын

    Hello! I don't know if you're still checking comments for this video. I was wondering what other children are doing while you're working with your small group. Do you assign students to work on a specific activity at other tables and have a second adult in the classroom monitor the independent workers? Or, do you place an activity at each table and allow students to choose and activity they'd like to do while you're working with a small group and have a second adult in the classroom monitor the independent workers? In this second scenario, do you let children change activities? Or do you do something completely different. Thank you for your time!

  • @PreKPagesvideos

    @PreKPagesvideos

    Жыл бұрын

    I have this blog post all about small groups here: www.pre-kpages.com/small-group-activities-for-preschool/ and another about what the other kids are doing while I'm working with one group: www.pre-kpages.com/literacy-manage/ This works best if there's a second adult in the classroom, but I only had a second adult sometimes - so it is possible.

  • @abbywoody-chicoineau4961
    @abbywoody-chicoineau4961 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Vanessa! I was re-watching this video yesterday because I really need to whip my small group teaching into shape, but I'm still not sure I totally understand how this process is carried out. You advise not to have center play going on at the same time as small groups but that is currently our setup--my coteacher and I call our groups to "pause" their center choice and come join us at small group for a short playtime, then they can go back to their center. If you advise against this, can you talk a little bit more about what the children NOT currently in small group with a teacher are doing? Are they at "table choices" (geoboards, pop beads, Magnatiles, etc) while waiting for their turn in small group? Or how else would you conduct this? I have no problem carving out a dedicated small group time in our day but just am not 100% sure about how you suggest it looks. Thank you for your help!

  • @PreKPagesvideos

    @PreKPagesvideos

    Жыл бұрын

    You may find these two blog posts helpful: www.pre-kpages.com/literacy-manage/ and www.pre-kpages.com/small-group-activities-for-preschool/

  • @abbywoody-chicoineau4961

    @abbywoody-chicoineau4961

    Жыл бұрын

    @@PreKPagesvideos Awesome, thank you for the additional resources!

  • @branzfactor81
    @branzfactor8110 ай бұрын

    I’m confused. If you don’t recommend having small group during center time, then what do the other children who are not in small group do? I find that the only time I have to do small group is during centers.

  • @PreKPagesvideos

    @PreKPagesvideos

    10 ай бұрын

    it depends if you're a full-day or half-day program. Here's how I did small literacy groups in my full-day program: www.pre-kpages.com/literacy-manage/ same for math, just with a math focus. If you're in a half-day program then you're going to have to do what you have to do, which in some cases means doing small group during centers.

  • @bikymougiou3565
    @bikymougiou35652 жыл бұрын

    I appreciate everything you do and the knowledge you share with us. But what happens when you don’t have assistance? I am a kindergarten teacher in Greece. We usually have 20-25 kids in smaller classes than you in America and of course without assistance…

  • @PreKPagesvideos

    @PreKPagesvideos

    2 жыл бұрын

    Most kindergarten classrooms in the US don't have teacher assistants. In this case it is super important to spend plenty of time in the beginning of the school year establishing rock-solid rules, routines, and procedures. Then you practice, practice, practice those things until you're able to have small groups.