A typical whole group lesson in my classroom lasts for approximately 15 minutes. I use the first 2-3 minutes to review a previously taught skill. Before going into the lesson, I like to begin with about 5 minutes to hook students’ attention to the new skill with a video, song, or game. Then I use about 2-3 minutes of teacher modeling. I use strategies such as think a-louds and my personal favorite-the Urkel, to keep students engaged in the modeling part of the lesson.

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• Think a-louds consist of the teacher talking to themselves as they are modeling how students should complete the problem. The teacher can ask themselves questions that students may have while independently practicing the skill.

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• “The Urkel” is name given to the practice of the teacher completing the problem and purposefully makes a mistake. When a student identifies the mistake made, they can say, “Urkel” and explain the mistake. When the student can correctly direct the teacher to the proper way to complete the skill, we all say, “Did I do that?” in our best Urkel voice. This skill also reinforces the understanding that it is okay to make mistakes. One must be willing to make a mistake, take correction, and learn from it.

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The whole group lesson ends with 5 minutes of informal assessments. During this time I call on students, from each differentiated group, to demonstrate the skill for the class. By calling on students from each learning level, I am able to get a better understanding of what type of enrichment/extension or remediation/reteaching I need to offer students during small group instruction.