A 15-Minute Small Group Intervention Template

In Algebra 1, integer errors are often the "silent killers" of student success. A student might understand the complex logic of a multi-step equation, but if they think $-5-8=-3$, the entire problem collapses. When your Diagnostic Checklist reveals a cluster of students struggling with these foundations, it’s time for a surgical strike: the Small Group Intervention.

This 15-minute template is designed to move students from confusion to "Aha!" by focusing on conceptual visualization rather than just memorizing "rules" that they often scramble.

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📋 The "Integer Power Hour" (15-Minute Session)

Phase	Time	Activity
1. The Visual Hook	3 Mins	Use Positive/Negative Counters or a Number Line to model one "addition" and one "subtraction" problem.
2. Guided Discourse	5 Mins	The "Think-Aloud": Students explain where they are moving on the number line and why.
3. The "Conflict" Zone	5 Mins	Tackle the "Double Negative" specifically: $x-(-y)$.
4. Quick Check	2 Mins	Three rapid-fire problems on a mini-whiteboard to check for immediate mastery.

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🛠️ Step-by-Step Strategy

Step 1: The "Battle" Model (Concrete)

For students who struggle with abstract rules, use the Counter Method.

• Positive counters are "heroes," and negative counters are "villains."

• When they meet, they "cancel each other out" (Zero Pairs).

• The Task: "Model $-5+3$. Who wins the battle? By how many?"

Step 2: The Vertical Number Line (Pictorial)

Traditional horizontal number lines can be confusing (left/right vs. less/more). A vertical number line (like a thermometer) is often more intuitive.

• Up is adding; Down is subtracting.

• The Task: "Start at −2. If you subtract 6, are you getting colder (down) or warmer (up)?"

Step 3: Explaining the "Double Negative"

This is the most common error in Algebra. Use the "Opposition" logic:

"If subtraction means 'move down,' then subtracting a negative must mean 'do the opposite of moving down.' So, we move up."

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📝 The Mini-Intervention Script

Teacher: "Let's look at $-4-(-6)$. Most people want to make this −10 or −2. Let's use our 'Opposite' rule. If I'm at −4 and I'm told to subtract, I usually go down. But I'm subtracting a 'negative.' What is the opposite of down?" Student: "Up?"Teacher: "Exactly. So, $-4-(-6)$ becomes $-4+6$. Start at −4 on your vertical line and move up 6 spaces. Where do you land?"

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✅ Success Criteria (The Exit Ticket)

Before the group returns to the main activity, they must solve these three problems correctly on their mini-whiteboards:

1. $-9+4$

2. $-3-7$

3. $5-(-2)$

Why This Works

Small group intervention works because it lowers the affective filter. Students who are too intimidated to admit they don't know "middle school math" in front of the whole class feel safe to ask "Wait, why?" in a group of three. By focusing on the visual "why" instead of "Keep-Change-Change," you are building a mental map that sticks.  

This concludes spiral reviews from how to create them, to a sample, to creating a diagnostic sheet, to small group intervention. Coming next, we'll look at how to create a diagnostic sheet for any activity in Math and how to create the small group interventions.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.