Teaching small groups can be tricky, however, teaching small groups through distance learning can pose a whole new set of challenges. On today’s episode, I am chatting with a 3rd grade teacher from New Jersey who went into distance learning at the start of the pandemic (March 2020) and still has not returned to teaching in-person (now January 2021). Raffaella De Martinis will share her strategies and tips for keeping reading and writing small groups going, especially in a virtual setting. Her methods, words of encouragement, and simplicity are golden! I will also share my fangirl moment here by adding that Raffaella taught Jennifer Serravallo’s daughter and has a mention in one of her books! So cool! I hope you enjoy this informative chat with my literacy friend!
Here are the questions asked in this interview:
- What one word describes your school year so far?
- How do you create small groups?
- How do you know what you are going to teach in your small groups each day?
- How do you check in with your small groups?
- How do you track data?
- Are there any other tips to share regarding small groups?
- Do you have any words of encouragement for teachers to find confidence and success with finishing the school year strong?
Ways to get connected with Raffaella:
- TpT Store: Thinking About Third
- Instagram: @thinking_about_third
Resources mentioned in this episode by Raffaella:
- Reading Goal Bookmarks
- Reading and Writing Strategies Post-Its
- Reading (Lower & Higher) Toolkits and Writing Toolkit
- Small Group Editable Sheets
- Data Keeping Google Sheets Document
- Reading Strategies book by Jennifer Serravallo Amazon affiliate link
- Writing Strategies book by Jennifer Serravallo Amazon affiliate link
- Jennifer Serravallo books and resources
Connect with Megan on social media:
- TpT Store
- Blog
- Facebook Page
- The Literacy Dive Facebook Group
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