Teacher Table Instruction
When beginning ELA Rotations, I will begin the organization with who needs to get grouped together for the reading and writing teacher table instruction. A good time to get to know the students’ reading and writing abilities is while they are learning rotations and before you begin the teacher table groups.
The first set of activities I prefer to complete at the teacher table is to introduce any new independent rotations. I will have the students practice, multiple times, at the teacher table, so they understand the expectations. I want to make sure they understand and practice the expectations of the rotation with me, especially if it’s word work, before working independently.
Teacher Table – Reading
Typically, at the teacher table, this is where students will receive direct instruction in a reading program or focus on a specific skill. Reading programs that I have used with my special education reading groups are: SIPPS, Wilson Reading Program, and REWARDS. All are wonderful for different reasons and different levels of support, but there are also so many other reading curriculums that are fantastic as well. If you would like more information or questions about the various programs, contact me or comment below. I have a whole blog series on the Wilson Reading Program
Teacher Table – Writing
For direct instruction in writing at the teacher table, you can divide by skill level, or have several skill levels at the table at one time. For example, you could teach opinion writing and each student(s) will have different expectations. Some students could work on a 3 sentence paragraph. Another group of students could work on paragraph writing, while others will work on multi-paragraph essays. Everyone is still working on opinion writing. Check out my blog series on the writing process. I also have several writing units, check them out, Writing Units. When beginning a writing unit, I like to begin with something fun like Designing Your Own Classroom or Designing Your Own Playground.
