My goal every day is to harness my students’ energy in a way that allows them to actively learn. One of the unique things about our classroom is an emphasis on cooperative learning. At least twice a week, a large portion of our day is devoted to completing literacy centers in small peer groups. Within their cooperative groups, students complete literacy tasks that pertain to the target phonics, literary, and grammar skills of the week. The activities to be completed in students’ peer groups are structured as games or “challenges” that are appropriate for the specific learning needs of the individual members of each group.
Some student favorites include: “Beat the Clock,” a timed word sort that that relates to our phonics pattern of the week, “Sight Word Concentration,” played much like the card game, Memory, and “I Have, Who Has” a game where students match up the answers on their cards with questions on the other students’ cards. While the list of cooperative learning games and challenges could go on and on, what is most important to note are the academic and social skills that the students are developing as they participate.
There is nothing more rewarding than watching my students work together to discuss and think critically about the learning tasks at hand. Well, take that back, watching them learn how to interact with one another with respect and appreciation for each other’s unique, God-given talents is as equally rewarding as witnessing their academic gains being made.