I am so {beyond} excited to be sharing my schedule with you today as part of the #2getherwearebetter monthly link up hosted by Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd & Lucky Little Learners. (Let’s just stop right here and talk about two of the most genuine, friendly, encouraging ladies on the face of the planet! …I may be biased; Ashley & Angie are amazing!) Scheduling is my thing. I love it. Could be my type A personality. Could be my colorful flair pens…but I love it. Wait! 🙂 My schedule is a bit confusing and very broken down into groups and rotations. I co-teach during reading only, so this is helpful to note: 8:00-10:10 – Classroom A with Ms. H, Reading 10:40-2:00 – Classroom B with Ms. N, Reading (No, I do not have my own classroom this year, however, I do have students registered under my name, if that makes sense…) —– Here’s a little peek into my day of co-teaching third grade! 8:00-8:15 (Classroom A) Welcome students, attendance, check homework, announcements, begin morning review. Homework usually consists of a reading comprehension passage and a math review page. We check homework for completion (Except if there are BIG noticeable mistakes…then we Continue Reading
Recently, I gave a professional development to the teachers who are new to my school as a requirement for the last semester practicum of my Master’s (yippee!). The PD was focused on how to teach in and through literacy centers. But, not just any literacy centers. Real, data driven, standards based literacy centers. RIGOR is an important word these days with our new Florida Standards (as with Common Core). The goal of this presentation was to give teachers a deeper look into providing center activities that required students to do more than move task cards, match cards together, or order magnetic letters. I am not against the former. Yes, there is a time and place for both. However, the teachers that were in this PD were interested in how to create activities that would promote the thinking and writing that we are pushing for with our new standards. After many requests, I’ve decided to share some of the slides with you below. Enjoy! Disclaimer: Before we start, I know many people cannot call daily academic activities “centers” anymore, because administration and some researchers associate centers with play. “Stations” is becoming the popular term because it seems more work-based. However, my school still Continue Reading
It’s been about a month since I began the leap from first to third grade, and I am loving it! Last year, I taught high achieving first graders who were almost (if not, just as high) as my third graders. So thankfully….the leap wasn’t too difficult. 🙂 My friend and now co-teacher last year in my first grade classroom. Co-teaching with one of my best friends and another energetic, hilarious, engaging teacher has been an amazing experience. We are each other’s physical, mental, and emotional help each day…which in the teacher world can be a wonderful thing! Today, I wanted to share a few of the things we have been doing… Schedule In our county, 18 is the maximum amount of students allowed in each classroom. Both third grade classes that I work in have about 25 students. Therefore, the school had to hire an extra teacher (me!) to work in both classrooms and provide support. I am teaching only reading. I begin each day with one teacher, and begin after lunch with the other. The three of us have synced our schedules. This way, I am teaching the same lessons when I am in both classrooms. It is SO Continue Reading