Academic Language
You may be thinking, "It's the week before break and I'm not about to do something collaborative, the kids are crazy right now." Although I might beg to differ, I completely understand! That's why this resource below is to help you plan and re-start the new year and support collaboration in your classroom.
Maybe you started the year with hopes of building and supporting collaborative groups, but it didn't go so well, or you didn't do enough to reinforce collaboration and group work throughout both first AND second quarters, or maybe you expected them to already know how to work together. Or perhaps, collaboration went well first semester and you want to continue that momentum!
Here are some suggestions for how to emphasize and build teamwork in your classroom when you get back from winter break:
Enjoy!
Maybe you started the year with hopes of building and supporting collaborative groups, but it didn't go so well, or you didn't do enough to reinforce collaboration and group work throughout both first AND second quarters, or maybe you expected them to already know how to work together. Or perhaps, collaboration went well first semester and you want to continue that momentum!
Here are some suggestions for how to emphasize and build teamwork in your classroom when you get back from winter break:
- Have both a content objective, and a teamwork objective every day.
- Put up the language scripts below and have each student in the group write down a different question or statement at the top of their paper to use in their discussions that day.
- Reflect on teamwork as a closure or exit slip. Have students rate themselves for their teamwork, or their team. Share out what went well, and what they need to work on the next day.
- Have your class do a fishbowl of a team that uses these language scripts frequently or more naturally and highlight these academic language scripts as students observe and hear them.
- Have each student pick their favorite academic language script after a chapter of using these, and make posters to put on the ceiling, or hang from the ceiling so that students can reference their own work.
- Cut the document below into 4 sections and tape them onto the desks of a group.
Enjoy!