Often, my role as a reading specialist in the early grades is to work with small groups of students who need an additional boost or support in early reading skills. Differentiated, teacher-led instruction in a small group setting greatly benefits students. Reading groups are generally comprised of students who are on the same level and need further work in similar reading areas. We are also using this approach in first grade, as we are seeing that both strong and struggling readers can benefit.

Reading groups is an educational strategy in which the teacher mentors a small group of students through the reading of texts by exploring their content and words. Helping our students understand the meaning of the material they are reading is crucial! Our goal is to assist students in developing an understanding of what they are reading, as well as to encourage our students to apply reading strategies they will need to become independent readers. In these groups, students learn strategies such as word structure, looking for context clues, and understanding story content. All of these strategies help them read material that may be unfamiliar. Students are always encouraged to use their prior knowledge and experience and apply it to the text. Reading groups provide the perfect opportunity to observe and offer guidance to our students as they read aloud in a small group setting. In my groups, we are working on more basic early reading skills such as understanding how sounds work in words (phonological awareness), phonics skills, and learning sight words. We are more effectively able to attend to the individual needs of our students and make sure that each child has an opportunity to participate. In the small group, students are more likely to be engaged and motivated to participate. They are always happy to learn from and support each other as well!

Parents often ask me how one should study for a math test. There are several strategies that may be used to improve the students' study skills in math. The first step would be to redo the exercises in the warm-ups and notes. The students should circle the problems they struggle with, and ask for help in class the next day. They should also complete homework assignments regularly and use these homework problems as a study guide.It is also important for students to be self-aware about which problems they are able to solve, and which concepts and specific skills they need to review and master. By redoing the previous assessments, the students will be able to master the challenging concepts and close their gaps.

Another strategy is to study with a peer. Studies show that it is more efficient to think and to work in a group. Working collaboratively allows students to use a variety of thinking strategies to approach math problems. While working together, the students are exposed to different perspectives and ideas. They will get their peer support by explaining the problems to each other and by looking for solutions together. They can also make up more problems to understand the concepts deeply. By practicing the math problems regularly, the students can achieve high scores on tests. Practice makes perfect when it comes to math!

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