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Taking the Next Step
Using Guided Oral Language to Expand RGRS
Last week we explored RGRS as a classroom management strategy for group focused community-thinking skills. One way to build on the strength of RGRS is to expand it in two fundamental ways.
1. Extend the talk time from 10 seconds to one or two minutes.
2. Increase the group size from pairs to 4-5 students.
After reading a story, the staff asks each group an open-ended thinking question that relates to the story. The instructor encourages the group to discuss the question and prepare a one-minute response. At the end of the discussion period, the staff person invites each group to present their response. Most effective after school programs use up to 10 guided discussions a day—give it a try!
