Core Content Review in Small Group/Resource Setting

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Core Content Review in Small Group/Resource Setting

There are MANY ways to structure a small group resource setting. Service minutes may vary, student needs may vary, and IEP goals may vary.

For my own elementary small group resource setting, in addition to providing explicit instruction on IEP goals, I feel very strongly that core content should also be reviewed.

There are a few factors to consider when providing core content instruction in small group:

1- We obviously can't cover every grade level standard. 

I prioritize based on what is most important, what is a foundational skill, or what may align easier to students' IEP goals.

2- As a special educator, my specialty is accommodations and modifications; I can find ways for students to access grade level content!

Visuals, graphic organizers, manipulatives...these are all ways I can help students access grade level content. I love the challenge of finding effective strategies.

3- I don't expect mastery with this content. My goal is exposure.

If there is one skill that other skills build on, I spend more time on the foundational skill than making sure I expose them to ALL grade level instruction or skills. As with all instruction in small group, repetition is key! It is never my intent to ensure students master content, but I am thankful for the flexibility in small group to spend more time on one skill so that there is more likelihood for mastery.

Here are the reasons why I value core content instruction in small group (and why I think it's so important!):

1- Building confidence

Often, my students feel more safe, comfortable, and confident (and willing to try and make mistakes) in a small group setting. If we practice a skill they'll see when they get back to the gen ed setting, they feel good! I've heard stories from teachers that with pre-teaching or re-teaching in small group, students go back and say, "Hey! I know this! I did this in group!" For students who have to work harder to access grade level content, confidence is SO important! 
I also wrote about this a little bit in my Math Intervention Resources post recently.

2- Building background knowledge

Core content is difficult for many students to access. If they don't have background knowledge, there is nothing in their brains to make the new learning "sticky." They aren't able to make connections.

In small group, there are strategies I use to make learning sticky, including many GLAD strategies. What's cool about that is that GLAD strategies are specifically designed to enhance learning of ELs/ELLs (which I also have on my caseload!), but I also think GLAD strategies are good for students with disabilities too. 

Some of my favorite GLAD strategies to use in small group are picture file cards for core content units, inquiry charts, t-graphs for social skills instruction, mind maps, observation charts, and expert groups. I also really love the idea of cognitive content dictionaries.

Here's a link to some GLAD-inspired graphic organizers I created after attending the training and realizing that GO templates didn't exist.

Ultimately, all of these visual supports, though designed for EL instruction, are also excellent ways for students in small group to make content sticky or build background knowledge.

3- Doing novel studies that align to core content

As I wrote in a previous post, novel studies serve many purposes, including modeling fluent reading, being good examples of how writers incorporate sneaky facts into fiction/narrative writing, and giving students an opportunity to read a novel! BUT we can also incorporate core content instruction in novel studies. 

Magic Tree House books are my FAVORITE novel studies to do that align to our core content. They are high interest, relatively short, and are also a great tool for teaching students how to incorporate "sneaky facts" into their own narrative writing. We currently use CKLA curriculum, so there are lots of Magic Tree House books that my students can access that also align to grade level units.
There are other novel studies we do that align to grade level standards, but below are MTH CKLA core content-aligned specifically:

3rd grade:
Magic Tree House - Warriors in Winter (aligns to Ancient Rome unit)
Magic Tree House - Viking Ships at Sunrise (aligns to Viking unit)
Magic Tree House - Midnight on the Moon (Solar System unit)

4th grade:
Magic Tree House - The Knight at Dawn (Middle Ages unit)
Magic Tree House - Monday with a Mad Genius (Inventors unit)
Magic Tree House - To the Future, Ben Franklin (Inventors unit or Revolutionary War unit)
Magic Tree House - Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Revolutionary War unit)

5th grade:
Magic Tree House - Late Lunch with Llamas (Early American Civilizations unit)

Again, there are many perspectives of how resource instruction should happen, and there isn't one right way! It could even change from year to year based on student need.

But, in my opinion, core content instruction (in addition to IEP goal-related instruction!) is a non-negotiable for resource small groups.

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