Classroom Set-up
Because the students are working in pairs, how the classroom is arranged becomes important. Please consider the following concerns when setting up your classroom for the year.
Students must be able to see the teacher during the I DO and WE DO, and they must be able to see what the template looks like- whether the teacher uses the Smart Board, a poster template, or an overhead. Additionally, partners should be seated next to one another, elbow to elbow, so that exchanging papers is easy. Some teachers have students move to special PAWS seats for the PAWS lessons, and other seats during the remainder of the day.
The writing space should be free of clutter and other work materials from other classes. Be careful when seating students that no student has his/her back to the board where the template will be used. It is difficult for kindergarten students to look at things one way, then turn around and do it from a different angle or view. Some teachers move their students to a carpet in front of the template and then back to their PAWS seats for the WE and YOU DO portions of the lesson.
When decorating the room with the alphabet, be sure to place it where most students will be able to view it. It is there to support learning.
Sample Classrooms
Passing Out Materials
Each Student will need
- PAWS student card
- Yellow writer’s pencil with no eraser
- Blue coach’s pencil
- Daily papers to complete
An important thing to consider is how you will pass out PAWS materials to your students. Decide what is the most efficient and takes the least amount of time for your class. Use the first few weeks of school to practice passing out and returning materials with your class. Give lots of practice and praise when it is done correctly.
Here are just a few ideas from experienced PAWS teachers:
- Use a plastic bin for each table. Place enough pencils for that table in the bin. Then place the papers that will be used that day in the bin. On top of the papers, place the student cards.
- One teacher collects the papers in numerical order at the end of the lesson. She calls out numbers, three at a time, and kids bring their papers up to her. That way, she can record ABSENT on the top of absent students’ papers as she collects them. Then, they are already in order to return to the researchers.
- Another teacher has a folder for each pair. Each day, she stuffs the folder with that day’s papers.
Develop a method for taking turns to pass out and collect materials each day. You need to decide what will work best for you and your students.
Identifying Pairs
Once initial assessments are complete, the DIBELS LNF scores are used to identify partner pairs. In each room, students are ranked from highest LNF score to lowest. Then the class is split in half, and the bottom half is paired with the top half. So, the highest scoring student is paired with the student at the middle.
Teachers are then asked to look at these lists and make adjustments as needed. For example, personalities, special needs, and other concerns might come into play. The adjusted pairings are shared with the researchers so that we know which children are working together. Throughout the year, partners might need to be switched due to gain/loss of students. Also, a teacher might wish to change pairs that do not work well together. These changes should be shared with the researchers.
For classrooms with an odd number of children, one group can be a trio or the extra child can be a floater that moves around to substitute for absent students. This student can also coach himself. Teachers should consider what will work best in each room. Be sure to share your plan with the PAWS staff.
