Small Group Activities for Upper Elementary and Middle School

Cooperative learning is one of those concepts that resurfaces every couple of years during professional development. Although it is an amazing teaching tool, upper-elementary and middle-school teachers are often left scratching their heads. Many of the strategies, language, and even graphics are geared toward the younger grades; I assure you, cooperative learning has its place in the upper-elementary and middle-school classroom, and with my teacher tips, you can’t go wrong! Cooperative games for the classroom can also be beneficial for our older students. I have realistic solutions to help you implement cooperative learning in your classroom tomorrow, and these learning strategies will not disappoint.

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What is Cooperative Learning?

Essentially, the root of this learning style is to get students to interact and engage with one another. The idea is that students work together to solve problems, discuss topics, and learn from each other. It fosters discussion, debate, and collaboration; needless to say, it is not a silent approach to learning. But if you follow my no-fail approach to cooperative learning, your classroom management will be on par.

This learning style requires students to talk through things and discuss. Often, a student’s desk is labeled so students can pair up easily; the corners of the room might also be labeled as students move around the room to pair up or join groups based on their thinking. By labeling desks and areas of your room, you set yourself up for easy pairings and quick jumps into cooperative learning games.

In this tech-driven, social media society, cooperative learning is essential for your classroom. I have used it in upper elementary and middle school classrooms, and although students can be a little awkward at first, it quickly becomes one of the most vital learning and support tools in the classroom. Not convinced? Don’t worry, I have a realistic approach that will take little to no prep, and you can get started tomorrow!

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Why do we need cooperative learning in the upper grades?

Students need to learn how to communicate! A huge benefit of using these communication and learning strategies is that they help students learn how to talk to one another. Being tech-savvy is amazing! Technology drives most aspects of our lives to the point that students don’t need to talk to anyone! Most of the time, they communicate via text or social media post; no need to call a store, bank, or restaurant; it is all done online via chat or simply by clicking a button. We can’t forget the thing that makes us human, and that is our ability to communicate using language. As cheesy as it may sound, it is so important to teach our students how to communicate with each other and to allow them to relay their thoughts and perspectives in real life.

Sometimes it feels as though we have forgotten that people learn in different ways, and because of class sizes, a focus on technology, and assessment data, it can be easy to lose sight of this fact. Some people learn best by talking through things, teaching others, relaying information, hearing someone else’s perspective, or seeing things from a fresh point of view. Cooperative learning can meet the needs of a lot of learners, and it can help to solidify the topic at hand and create a lasting memory. Not everyone learns from a slide presentation, by watching a video, or reading a book; as a teacher, you can create learning opportunities in as many forms as possible.

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How am I supposed to get my students to buy in?

As we know, our upper elementary and middle school students can exhibit a bit of a negative attitude when it comes to these types of interactive activities, so I have tried out many of them and have found that there are a few that work best and get you the most bang for your buck. The simplest way to get your students to buy in is the verbiage that you use, the graphics/labels that you use, and the directions that you give. Here is a little more explanation to clear things up:

• Explain the Definition of Cooperative to Students
  • A willingness or ability to work with others.
  • Synonyms
    • Collaborative
    • Joint
    • Mutual
    • Combined
• Cooperative Learning
  • Working with others in class to learn and/or come to a common conclusion.
  • A sharing of ideas and academics to grow and learn from others.
• Graphics and Labels
  • Avoid the “cutesy” kid clip art that is typically associated with cooperative learning (check out my Teacher Resources for free printables)
  • When labeling student seats, use more “grown-up” vocabulary
  • North/East/South/West
  • A/B
  • 1/2/3/4
• Label each student’s seat and the four corners of your classroom.
  • Student Directions
    • Explicitly state which students will collaborate (utilize the label names listed above).
    • Tell students what to discuss.
    • Place sentence starters on the board (yes, many students will need this guidance).
  • Tell students the reason for collaborating and what outcome they are trying to reach.
  • If needed, model the discussion in front of the class before pairing/grouping students.
• Time Limits and Clear Signals
  • Use a timer.
  • Display the timer for all students.
  • This will help students to manage time (another life skill).
  • Don’t give too much time, as this will help prevent students from getting off topic.
• Use a Clear Signal
  • Bell, or a distinct sound that can be heard over talking.
  • Utilize the signal when students are to switch partners or head back to their seats.
  • Only use this signal when attention is needed, and when engaging in cooperative learning groups.

In the end, if you keep your directions clear, organized, and grade-appropriate, your students will have no choice but to cooperate. They will become comfortable with speaking to their peers and collaborating; they will begin to enjoy it!

What Cooperative Learning Strategies Work in the Upper Grades???

There are two main ways that you can have your class participate in cooperative learning: whole group and pairs. When utilizing whole-group cooperative learning, the entire class is participating as one. This means that the class will work together or come back together to collaborate and share. Paired cooperative learning means that students will be working one-on-one with another student. They will typically collaborate for a longer time, and might even be completing an assignment together. I have tried almost every cooperative learning strategy there is; many of them flopped with my older students, but there were a few that were very effective and worked in the real-world classroom.

Whole Group

• Four Corners
  • This works best for taking surveys or answering a specific question.
  • Label the four corners of your classroom (most teachers go with the compass directions)
  • Students travel to the corner of the room that corresponds to the answer that they agree with.
    • “Who won the French and Indian War?”
      • North-French
      • East-Native Americans
      • South-U.S.A.
      • West-England
    • “Which fraction is larger?”
      • North-7/16
      • West-18/32
• Stand Up, Pair Up
  • This is a great way to get students to speak to peers outside of their group/table.
  • Students walk the room until you signal them (I use a bell) to stop. Once stopped, they pair up with whoever they are closest to.
  • Once students are paired, they discuss the question or topic that the teacher has posed.
  • Students can bring a notebook or personal whiteboard while moving throughout the classroom.
  • Students must choose a different partner each time.
  • Students can normally get through 3-5 transitions of this before things start to get a little rowdy.

Pairs

Working with a partner from their group allows students to interact with other students without having to move around the classroom.

Label student desks (check out my Teacher Resources for free printables); your students are likely already seated according to their ability level within a group, so this should work out great!

• Have students pair up once you have given directions.
  • “Today, odds will pair up, and evens will pair up.”
  • “Today A’s will work together and B’s will work together.”
  • “We will have 1 and 2 work together and 3 and 4 work together.”

• Paired Reading
  • Students take turns reading aloud to each other.
  • Be sure to assign how long each student should read.
  • Allow students to move to different spots in the classroom for this activity.
• Paired Writing
  • Students are constructing a writing piece together, and do take turns physically writing or planning a writing piece.
  • Be sure to give parameters of when students should switch (I typically tell them that I should see 50% of each handwriting on the page).
  • Utilizing chart paper can make this activity fun, and it allows students to easily share with the class.
• Paired Math
  • Students are completing a math problem together and will take turns writing for each step.
  • This works great for algorithms, algebra, and word problems. Students work to follow the systems and strategies that you have taught them.
  • I suggest students use two different colors to indicate who completed what, but again, it should be a 50/50 task.

Start with the strategy that feels the most comfortable to you. No need to try all of them in one day or even one week. If you want cooperative learning to be a success in your classroom, take it slow and stay consistent.

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Feeling Overwhelmed???

I know that cooperative learning can feel daunting and unrealistic in the real-world classroom–but I promise, it can be done! If you are feeling like this can’t possibly work for you, but your school or administration is requiring it, choose just one strategy to implement. Check out my free printable PDF resource: Cooperative Learning…Step by Step, to get some real-world support and strategies. In the end, the hardest part is actually starting, and there is nothing wrong with starting small. Here are some ways you can slowly ease into cooperative learning in the upper elementary and middle school classroom.

1. Place your desks/students into groups of 4 and label the desks.
2. Start with just having students talk with one another. This can be as simple as answering a question posed to the class.
3. “Okay, we are paired up, odds will talk to odds, and evens will talk to evens. Take a look at number 6, tell your partner what you think the answer is and why.”
4. When you want students to come back as a whole group, ring your bell, and keep the lesson flowing.
5. Paired reading is a super-easy spot to start with, too.
6. This can be done in any subject, yes, even math counts (word problems).
7. This tool is super useful for Close Reading (check out my FREE Resource)
8. It can be done for something as simple as reading through directions, making sure that all students understand what they are to complete.

If you can get your older students to talk to one another, it is a win. If you can get them to collaborate, then you have been successful in your cooperative learning goals.

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Cooperative learning is for everyone, and it benefits all ages, even adults. Our students deserve the opportunity to talk, move, and interact with others. This chance will help to solidify their learning and give them space to think beyond the requirement. You can do this!