Group/Circle/Gathering Time
So Quickly...
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Group/Circle/Gathering Time: the When, the How, and the What on Earth to Do!
I thought that this routine was essential to cover because we primary Montessorians facilitate it daily! Teachers either love it or hate it! It was also a routine that took a school year or two for me to refine and you may like some of my suggestions. Dr. Montessori told us again and again in her writing how important the uninterrupted work cycle was for children developing the concentration that would carry them to normalization. So we begin with...
When to Start Group Time
Because the three hour work cycle is central to a Montessori primary classroom, group time should wait until the end of the third hour. At my school, we begin class at 8:45 and group starts at 11:45. My group sessions were usually about 20 minutes in length while my third year students, or Kinders, set the tables and served the lunch.
I have seen several different strategies used to start the transition time to group. One teacher whispered, "Its time for group" to a few students who then whispered it to some more until all that wanted to clean-up were doing so and coming to the rug. Another teacher turned on some classical music as a signal to come to the rug, while another teacher just pulled her stool to the rug and sat quietly with a book in her lap. Whatever you choose to signal the transition from work to group time should be an unobtrusive to the peace of the environment as possible. Quiet transitions set the tone for the behavior expected as the children gather together.
How to Facilitate Group
I have been in many classrooms to observe their gathering time, and although all are stylistically different, one thing remains the same-you can't do group if your children can't sit for it! This piece to the large group lesson puzzle makes ALL the difference!
It takes a few weeks to get your children to be able to sit through 20 minutes of group, especially those wiggly three year olds.
Over time, you will be able relax a little more in regard to correcting their behavior (mostly because the children will do it themselves), but in the beginning what you are asking of them must be very clear and you have to be very consistent.
What to Do for Group
I used to have a very free-formed gathering time. I just pulled a book or offered some fun songs. Now there is nothing wrong with this way, but I realized that I could get a "BIG bang for my buck" (because I had the whole class together) if I did some thoughtful planning. I started to use this template:
The month goes in the center and for each month I followed a theme.
August-The ocean and sea animals (coming back from summer, these desert kiddos love anything water)
September-Solar System and apples
October-Pumpkins, United Nations Day (diversity) and Halloween
November-Changing leaves and squash
December-Conifer trees, snow, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza
January-Ice, and polar animals
February- Arizona Statehood, desert animals, and Valentine's Day
March-St. Patrick's Day, insects, and metamorphosis
April-Flowers, plants, seeds, and rainbows
May-Cactus blossoms, desert flowers, and extra science experiments
I planned seasonal poetry, finger plays, and songs under language. I did my best to integrate a science concept (sound, light, senses, plants, water, air) each month-some months were easier than others. Botany and growth/life cycles were always a hit! Under math was something I saw another teacher do that I thought was so fabulous...word problems! She offered a word problem each day, Genius! She first did them only verbally, "If I had three cartons of milk and I gave you one carton, how many cartons of milk would I have left?" Then the group would talk about how to figure it out. Later in the year the problems were more complex, written down, discussed as a group, and left for the older children to solve in the afternoon. One a day was a bunch, but you could easily do a couple a week. The critical thinking skills are off the charts!
I was originally an artist, so art and art history was a must in the classroom. I featured one artist a month and spent one or two groups talking about their work, offered an aligned art activity on the shelf, and hung various examples on the artist's work on the walls. I also offered a composer as well. Their music would be the walking on the line music for the month.
Lastly, I did my best to rotate continents bimonthly. Study of the maps, flags, animals, and cultures is hard to do in one month, so give yourself two so you can really talk about it and explore the interests of the children!
Short on time.....practice Grace and Courtesy! How to introduce yourself, carry a chair, sit in a chair, carry a table, quietly interrupt with a hand on the shoulder, how to observe a working friend, how to ask for help, how to walk around a rug....whatever your class needs, group is a great vehicle to reinforce it!
Stay tuned for birthday celebrations, classroom management strategies, record keeping with templates, and tips for the instructional assistant! (have idea on what you would like to see, let me know by leaving a comment!
Please sign up to follow the blog!
Thank you for taking a look at what I have to offer! The feedback I have gotten is phenomenal and I am so thankful!! Please sign-up to follow the blog if it could help you on your Montessori journey and pass the address along to anyone you know who could use some inspiration!
Group/Circle/Gathering Time: the When, the How, and the What on Earth to Do!
I thought that this routine was essential to cover because we primary Montessorians facilitate it daily! Teachers either love it or hate it! It was also a routine that took a school year or two for me to refine and you may like some of my suggestions. Dr. Montessori told us again and again in her writing how important the uninterrupted work cycle was for children developing the concentration that would carry them to normalization. So we begin with...
When to Start Group Time
Because the three hour work cycle is central to a Montessori primary classroom, group time should wait until the end of the third hour. At my school, we begin class at 8:45 and group starts at 11:45. My group sessions were usually about 20 minutes in length while my third year students, or Kinders, set the tables and served the lunch.
I have seen several different strategies used to start the transition time to group. One teacher whispered, "Its time for group" to a few students who then whispered it to some more until all that wanted to clean-up were doing so and coming to the rug. Another teacher turned on some classical music as a signal to come to the rug, while another teacher just pulled her stool to the rug and sat quietly with a book in her lap. Whatever you choose to signal the transition from work to group time should be an unobtrusive to the peace of the environment as possible. Quiet transitions set the tone for the behavior expected as the children gather together.
How to Facilitate Group
I have been in many classrooms to observe their gathering time, and although all are stylistically different, one thing remains the same-you can't do group if your children can't sit for it! This piece to the large group lesson puzzle makes ALL the difference!
It takes a few weeks to get your children to be able to sit through 20 minutes of group, especially those wiggly three year olds.
- Start from your first group explaining why you are together (to sing, listen to stories, have fun..) and that we all have to practice how to sit so everyone can see the book and hear the stories.
- Model from standing to sitting with the legs crossed, hands in the lap.
- Talk about touching their neighbors, talking during a story, raising their hand if they want to talk.
- Let them practice all of these things at the circle! You may only have time for a short story for the first few days. Reinforcing and allowing the children to practice makes a world of difference.
Over time, you will be able relax a little more in regard to correcting their behavior (mostly because the children will do it themselves), but in the beginning what you are asking of them must be very clear and you have to be very consistent.
What to Do for Group
I used to have a very free-formed gathering time. I just pulled a book or offered some fun songs. Now there is nothing wrong with this way, but I realized that I could get a "BIG bang for my buck" (because I had the whole class together) if I did some thoughtful planning. I started to use this template:
The month goes in the center and for each month I followed a theme.
August-The ocean and sea animals (coming back from summer, these desert kiddos love anything water)
September-Solar System and apples
October-Pumpkins, United Nations Day (diversity) and Halloween
November-Changing leaves and squash
December-Conifer trees, snow, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza
January-Ice, and polar animals
February- Arizona Statehood, desert animals, and Valentine's Day
March-St. Patrick's Day, insects, and metamorphosis
April-Flowers, plants, seeds, and rainbows
May-Cactus blossoms, desert flowers, and extra science experiments
I planned seasonal poetry, finger plays, and songs under language. I did my best to integrate a science concept (sound, light, senses, plants, water, air) each month-some months were easier than others. Botany and growth/life cycles were always a hit! Under math was something I saw another teacher do that I thought was so fabulous...word problems! She offered a word problem each day, Genius! She first did them only verbally, "If I had three cartons of milk and I gave you one carton, how many cartons of milk would I have left?" Then the group would talk about how to figure it out. Later in the year the problems were more complex, written down, discussed as a group, and left for the older children to solve in the afternoon. One a day was a bunch, but you could easily do a couple a week. The critical thinking skills are off the charts!
I was originally an artist, so art and art history was a must in the classroom. I featured one artist a month and spent one or two groups talking about their work, offered an aligned art activity on the shelf, and hung various examples on the artist's work on the walls. I also offered a composer as well. Their music would be the walking on the line music for the month.
Lastly, I did my best to rotate continents bimonthly. Study of the maps, flags, animals, and cultures is hard to do in one month, so give yourself two so you can really talk about it and explore the interests of the children!
Short on time.....practice Grace and Courtesy! How to introduce yourself, carry a chair, sit in a chair, carry a table, quietly interrupt with a hand on the shoulder, how to observe a working friend, how to ask for help, how to walk around a rug....whatever your class needs, group is a great vehicle to reinforce it!
Stay tuned for birthday celebrations, classroom management strategies, record keeping with templates, and tips for the instructional assistant! (have idea on what you would like to see, let me know by leaving a comment!
Please sign up to follow the blog!
We are in the same city!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you stopped to look at my blog! Please pass it along to any teachers who may find it useful! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! There are some great ideas and things to think about as I get ready to plan our schedule for fall.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad! Thanks for reading!
DeleteI LOVE the name of your blog! And, the topic you covered in this post is very well-done. Lots of helpful ways to have a successful group time!
ReplyDeleteI love the way your template.. Gives us want we need in the classroom. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love the way your template.. Gives us want we need in the classroom. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love the way your template.. Gives us want we need in the classroom. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA lovely set of ideas put forth by you. I have also done my AMI Pimary Course after completion of BA (English and Psychology)and L.L.B. Apart from the above which we also incorporate into our school time table....we make provisions for classical music, show-and-tell, yoga and other activities which the children just love to do. Just a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such wonderful suggestions. I find group time particularly difficult. I have tried waiting for everybody to settle down if few children started talking in between and i said ill wait until ur quite but that got everybody worked up and they started acting out ( giggling/ pushing/talking) need help wat do I do then?
ReplyDeleteI would have everyone stand up to get "the wiggles out". Play a round of Simon Says, or have them jump in place five times, clap their hands five times, do five squats (then make the movement smaller) nod their head five times, shrug their shoulders five times, touch their nose five times, and then quietly sit. If all else fails, stop group and go for a walk with them :-)
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