teaching squabbling 6th grade in the fall

sim ↓

Mon, May 25 2009, 8:53 pm

I will be teaching 6th grade girls english studies next year for the first time. I've previously taught younger and older, and I'm wondering how to handle this class, as it is very small (8 girls) and doesn't have a good dynamic. I'm more concerned about that than the academic facet. They simply don't get along very well. Any ideas on how to start out on the right foot? Oh, and I am personally acquainted or am good friends with every single mother in the class.

ShakleeMom ↓

Mon, May 25 2009, 9:15 pm

My dd’s teacher made the girls into groups, and every week, 1 girl of each group has to make an Oneg Shabbos at her house. Even if they’re not friends they had to meet each Shabbos. The first week they all grumbled but it’s the fifth week now going strong. My suggestion, group them in constantly changing groups (or partners because it’s a small class) for every thing, from sitting together at lunch, to doing homework.

↑ sim ↓

Mon, May 25 2009, 9:44 pm

the Oneg shabbos would only work in a limited way because one girl doesn't live in town, and she is definitely one of the flashpoints. Grouping them has been tried over and over again, to tears and whining and fighting and even going home! They had a shabbaton this week which was very difficult, according to the host mother, which is why I'm starting to get nervous about teaching them.

nicole81

Mon, May 25 2009, 10:04 pm

perhaps devote the first week to various team building activities (google for some good ones.) it's good that the class is so small; the whole class can easily participate in activities without grouping them in the beginning. get them used to working together towards a common goal as a class (with rewards, of course!) and it might make the rest of the year go by much easier.

↑ sim ↓

Tue, May 26 2009, 8:05 am

Does anyone have ideas for group activities that aren't corny? so many of the ones I've googled are the kind that make kids roll their eyes. I would be willing to use one that is fun but meaningful, maybe even a jewishly oriented-midos type thing, but if they don't take it seriously (and they're very jaded) it could ruin my credibility with them.

↑ ShakleeMom

Tue, May 26 2009, 8:53 am

The 39 Shabbos Malachos can be tied into a theme. Every school week is another malacha. They get to have a 'lunch' on Mondays with that theme, then on Tuesday they play a game at recess time, Wednesdays they have a contest in class, Thursday there's an art fair.

Annie ↓

Tue, May 26 2009, 10:04 am

There's a great exercise I do at the beginning of every year with my 6th graders. It's all about pointing out how everyone has strenghts and weaknesses. I'm running out of the house right now, but bli neder I'll post the whole thing later. It was part of a differentiated learning curriculum that I have used. . . .

↑ sim

Tue, May 26 2009, 11:26 am

A differentiated learning curriculum would be helpful too! I have heard that there are a couple of levels even within those eight girls; I've done differentiation but not on a middle school level.

↑ Annie

Wed, May 27 2009, 12:12 am

Okay, here's how the exercise goes:

You take numbers 1-4 and tape them in different corners of the room, you then pick a couple of areas of expertise (non-academic), like swimming, baking, singing, dancing, etc. and you come up with what a 1, 2, 3 and 4 would be for each area. For example, for swimming, a "4" would be someone who knows how to do most major swim strokes and is comfortable diving off a board, whereas a "1" would be someone who doesn't want to get out of the shallow end. "2"s and "3"s would fall in between. It's important to layout the catagories clearly. Before you start the "game," you need to tell the girls that honesty is the most important thing to make the game work. Usually (and I don't know in a class that small) there is quite a difference between who is a "4" in one area versus another area. Also, if you pick non-academic subjects, it gives the girls who are always on top academically a way to feel how the other girls feel. As girls switch, based on the area, it's important to ask the girls how it feels to be a "1" or a "2" and not a "4." Point out (this works very well for swimming and biking or skating) that someone who is a 1, put in a class full of 4s would be terrified. Imagine if you're not comfortable even in shallow water, and you get to the pool and the teacher says "okay, today we're going to practice dives from the 5m board." Point out that in class sometimes, girls feel differently and have different skills and it's no one's business what anyone else is doing. It's possible that in one lesson most of the girls are 4s, so the lesson will be taught for 4s, but if there is a girl who is a 1 or a 2, they might have different work, and that's okay, because we wouldn't want them to have to dive off the high dive if they couldn't even tread water. It's all about the classroom being a safe place.

There are two things that really helped me differentiate more this year. One, was always having "anchoring activities." This is a folder for each girl that she can do when she's waiting for help, finished with an assignment, or needs a break. The second thing I did was "exit cards," where I'd ask a question about something I'd taught and the girls would have to answer it on an index card on their way to recess. Not a difficult question, but something that would show me whether or not they learned what I was trying to get across. Seeing which girls "got it" and which ones didn't, helped me better tailor my approach for the next class.

Additionally, I set up 'buddies' at the beginning of the year. Each girl had 8 buddies, 1 assigned per number, so all I had to do was say "okay, we're doing the next project with your #3 buddy" and every one would just pair up. As long as you alternate the groups so you're not always doing the #3 buddies, this seems to work very well.

Good luck.

manhattanmom

Wed, May 27 2009, 6:25 pm

If you're worried about the class taking away from learning time and being disruptive because of their own mishegasim then you should have some great lessons for all of the time where they have NO time to do anything but follow your instructions. Put them into groups and send them around the building measuring things with cuisinair rods, for example. Don't waste a second--give them assignments if you have to take a formal role call--which you shouldn't have to--if there are 8 kids, just glance around the room. Be very tough!