Expert Groups

Part of the GLAD training strategies I took this summer included a section of expert groups. At first, I was a little nervous to introduce this part of learning about South America. The way this is done is first, you model the learning with the whole group. I use direct instruction to teach about a specific "portion" of the lesson. For South America, I taugth about the Andes region. We have it split up into five sections. Geography, Plants/Animals, Culture, Interesting Facts and Major Products. The key content fits into those areas.

Again, the first time I use direct instruction to teach the facts. THEN at the table groups, each student is assigned a number. Each of them meets with me with the other table groups of the same number. While I meet with them, the other students are doing independent work about South America or revisiting some of the lessons independently to secure the learning that we have already shared in class. (examples will be making their "own" maps of the one I used for the direct instruction). I also use this time for other independent practice.

I meet with each group and we read a "text" together. I met with the "Pampas Region" yesterday. We read the text and filtered out the important information that fits into our five sections for key content. I will do this with all four numbers at the table. THEN I will let the students teach each other the content in their groups.

We then use ALL the information to create a process grid to again, filter out the key content and make correlations to the content for each of the regions. This process grid is large and we will use it in class when we  build on these concepts for other ideas. Students will also synthesize the information when they make their own process grids to solidify the content that was learned.

Again and again, we will come back to this content when we write sentences, tell stories, make connections for South America and when we shift gears to delve deeper into one aspect (such as culture). Students are focused, excited, and become teachers/leaders as well as students.

Two groups left and on to the process grid! Our goal is to have it up at the Celebration of Learning this week!