Reteaching in the middle school social studies classroom doesn’t have to be complicated. I know most of us want to reteach skills or concepts our students haven’t quite mastered yet, but it can be difficult to find the time. I’ve got 3 strategies that you can use to reteach, even if you don’t have a ton of time! 

If you need a refresher on the “what” and “when” to reteach, read this blog post! This blog is the “how” of the series. 

Strategy 1: Small Groups/Stations (Differentiation)

Small groups are a great way to reteach and provide differentiation to your classroom. Small groups are frequently used in lower grades, but it seems like they’re not used as often in middle school classrooms. 

The key to successful small group instruction in middle school is classroom management. You’ll need to provide clear expectations and rewards (or consequences) for meeting those expectations. One strategy I liked for my 8th graders is called a “working level grade”. Students would rate their work ethic on a scale of 1 - 4. I had clear explanations of each level, and they graded themselves. Of course, I would take note during the class period. I could even say to a student, “You’ve dropped down to a 3, but if you get it together, you can redeem yourself.” This is a quick way to have accountability during stations when you can’t be everywhere. You’ll probably find that students grade themselves harsher than you might have. 

Another tip for simplifying stations in the middle school classroom is to have the stations move - not the students. I found that my 55-minute class period was not enough by the time we did our bell-ringer and got settled in our first station to transition every 15 minutes to a new station. It was easier for me to bring the station supplies to the group. Then, they’d pack it up and one student would bring it to the next group. Another option would be to have students only go to one station per class period. The next day, they’ll go to the next station. This would only work if you have the time built in. 

Now, back to small groups and stations for reteaching! Small groups allow you to work with fewer students at a time, but it also allows you to differentiate based on students’ needs. 

I recommend that the teacher lead the “reteaching” group, so you can quickly clear up any misconceptions and take note of students who may need even more support. 

The other station could be on a different topic or the same topic - depending on who needs the reteaching support. You’ll need this station to be as independent as possible. If you’re giving a worksheet, where will students go if they don’t know the answers? You know middle schoolers! If they don’t know the answer, and you don’t tell them to look it up somewhere, they’ll leave it blank and take a break! Make sure you have a reading passage, a video, notes, or a textbook for them to use to look up answers. You can also have them use this to check their answers or to check their group members’ answers. Another note - just because students are in this “group” doesn’t mean they have to work “together” as a group. I would tell my 7th grade students, “you are working independently, but you can ask a neighbor for help”, and then explain what that means. Ultimately, I don’t mind if they ask their neighbor a quick question, but we’re not copying or doing the whole thing together. 

For reteaching, stations are a great option. You can use your teacher-led station for reteaching and the other, independent station for extension learning or to introduce a new topic. 

Strategy 2: Visuals

Using visuals for reteaching is no secret. Visuals are a fantastic way to help students solidify their learning, especially if it’s something they are struggling with. You likely used visuals in your initial teaching strategies, so you can repeat this for reteaching or choose a new visual. This will depend on your students and your content. I’ll list a few that work great for history and social studies. 

Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are great in just about any circumstance! You can use different graphic organizers during different points of learning. For example, you can use a web organizer in the beginning of the learning and build up to a cause-and-effect graphic organizer or a Venn Diagram. 

In your history standards, you’ll find that cause-and-effect, timeline, and problem-solution are pretty easy to use. If you’re reteaching with a reading passage, though, you can also use a main idea/supporting details graphic organizer. This will help to achieve a similar result (if you choose the right reading passage) and will lead students into the cause-and-effect visuals. 

I liked to use graphic organizers as a support tool for differentiation. If we used a graphic organizer or a chart in class, I would give students a blank one to fill out just before I passed out an assessment. This helped them to “brain dump” what they remembered into the graphic organizer, which helped them with the higher-order thinking prompts on the assessment. This might be a great option if you’re allowing students to retake an assessment after reteaching. 

Illustrations

Add some illustration activities to your reteaching lessons! This is a great way to force students to visualize a concept - they may even be required to think symbolically. 

Here are some examples for social studies: 

• Draw 1 illustration that represents the people’s opinions when Castro took over Cuba, and draw 1 illustration that represents the people’s opinions after years of Castro’s regime. 

• Illustrate a poster to support the Anti-Apartheid Movement

• Illustrate a political cartoon that represents Europe Partitioning and explain why it’s the root of many conflicts. 

• Illustrate the Berlin Airlift and write a brief summary of its importance 

Gallery Walks

Gallery Walks are one of my favorite activities! I love that it gets students up and moving! You can insert a Gallery Walk into almost any lesson or topic. It’s great to do with primary and/or secondary sources, but the possibilities don’t stop there. 

There are a variety of ways to implement a Gallery Walk, so know that it’s super flexible. I’m sharing a brief run-down, but you do you! 

The jist of a Gallery Walk is that you post images (or documents) around the room and/or into the hallway. Students will answer prompts as they walk around the “gallery” of items. I recommend setting this up in a way that does NOT require students to go in order. For my middle school students, it was easier for me to say, “If there is more than 1 person at the spot, move on and come back”. 

A fun twist on your traditional ‘Gallery Walk’

I have a twist on your Gallery Walk that I loved to use with my 7th grade students! You’re going to love this because it’s great for reteaching and supporting your lower-performing students. 

Instead of posting images as your “gallery”, post vocabulary or phrases. Use this as a word bank on your walls! I call this a Word Bank Wall Activity. The paper will be folded with the word on the outside (so students can see it from their desks), and on the inside will be the question. They’ll have a worksheet at their desk with the questions, and they’ll use the “gallery” as their word bank. When they’re ready to check, they’ll raise their hand for you to give permission. I usually checked for completion and handed them a highlighter. Then, they go to the gallery word, unfold, and check their paper. 

Primary/Secondary Sources

Using primary and secondary sources is a great way for students to connect with history. You’ll probably want to use these in your first set of lessons, rather than during your reteaching lessons. However, you might be in a situation where you want to do a second analysis on a primary or secondary source. 

Here are some strategies you can use: 

• Black Out

• Zoomed In

• Timeline

• Matching

• Compare/Contrast

• Gallery Walk

Strategy 3: Games or Competiton

Games are always a fun way to review, but you can also use games to help reteach! 

You can easily turn any worksheet or study guide into a game if you have the right supplies handy! 

• Gameboards (you can easily draw one out on paper)

• Game pieces (colored erasers work great)

• List of questions with answers (study guide/worksheet/notes)

• Prize for winners (optional; it could just be “bragging rights” with their name on the board)

Group students into 2 or 3 and give them one copy of the questions. Let them do rock, paper, scissors and the winner goes first. The other player will ask a question from the sheet, and if the students answers correctly, he moves forward one space. Then the next student answers a question, and so on. 

Keep this super simple, and it will help you stick to what’s important - the content, not the production of the game

If you have the time to put it together, you can always use a classic Jeopardy-style game. I have a video tutorial on how to make one here.

Stimulation Games are also fun for review or reteaching. If you’re creative, you’ll have a lot of fun creating your own. If you’re not into that, there are plenty for sale! In Stimulation Games, students are “in” the game. It’s kind of like a “choose your own adventure”. The results change based on the players’ decisions. 

Bonus Strategy

If you’ve made it this far into the blog post, YAY! You deserve a bonus tip! My bonus tip might sound obvious, but I want you to really think about it. 

Focus on small chunks of information at a time

Really think about what this means when you’re developing a reteaching strategy. Really consider what your students “must know” versus what “it’d be nice for them to know”. Once you can narrow that down, it’ll help you focus on the smaller chunks at a time. 

Use these three strategies for your reteaching lessons: small groups, visuals, and games. 

If you need a refresher on the “what” and “when” to reteach, read this blog post! This blog is the “how” of the series.