Showing posts with label check for understanding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label check for understanding. Show all posts

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Quick Check!

I am obsessed with Checking for Understanding during any and every lesson. I do a ton of thumbs up/down and I definitely use student white boards.... now here is where I ran into issues. I started with plain individual whiteboards and a class set of dry erase markers. Unfortunately, I ran into the same issue I did last year - I have seriously spent SOOO much money on dry erase markers UGGGGHHHH - some of my kids write SO HARD and some leave the cap off etc...etc...etc I finally decided to assign markers so that they are now responsible for THEIR own. NEXT issue - I don't let my students keep whiteboards in their desks - that is just too tempting, if you know what I mean, besides - literally every single lesson (focus lesson) that I do, the kids are on the carpet - they only go to their desks for independent practice. I needed a way for them to have their own NUMBERED whiteboard on the carpet.

Dollar Tree to the rescue! First off, they have 4 packs of dry erase markers! EXPO brand (in my own opinion) don't work because they are too good, does that make sense? I feel like they are meant to write very clearly and bright - not necessarily what I need them for. If I use EXPOs they will last me all year - when my kids use them, they only last about a week! and they are not cheap :(



IDEA! I was already using tupperware from the Dollar Tree for the kids book boxes, I thought if they had the same type of box - but half the size I could number the box itself and the markers and erasers could be stored inside AND since they are plastic they can be written on with the dry erase markers!

Also organized by team color - so it's easier for them to find and return quickly.



Here's the first attempt: you can see them in the top left hand corner:

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Routines and my daily schedule


Ok, when I first started last year I HAD NO IDEA wasn't sure where to start planning my day. I blog stalked my life away and while I found a TON of awesome lesson ideas and materials what I was really looking for was an actual schedule - like a touch of OCD detailed type schedule. I never found one, so I thought I would share, also this might be sneaky quick way to prepare for a sub if I need to :)

One more thing! I need to share that once I had a routine - and a procedure for EVERYTHING, literally even for cutting and gluing - my day went by so much more quickly and smoothly!
 

Rather than write the time down next to each activity - I move the star down, it really helps as a visual reminder and organizational tool for my kids :)
 
8:30-8:45              Calendar Time

8:45 – 8:50           Morning Work – Students work independently while I take roll. The backpack helper does not have to do morning work he or she collects all the backpacks and hangs them up. I have had a lot of issues with toys and such, putting the backpacks away really takes care of that – also, they are not allowed to go into their backpacks at all once they are hung up – they can choose to move their clip down if it is absolutely necessary to go into their backpack.

8:50 - 8:55            I help with morning work for 5 min

8:55 – 9:00           Finish up morning work independently – students glue their work into their notebooks (ONE DROP OF GLUE! – Seriously I had to teach them this explicitly, also teach to open their notebooks to the FIRST OPEN PAGE) Early Finishers can READ TO SELF or WORK ON WRITING

9:00 – 9:30           Monday: Art, Tuesday and Wednesday: Science or Social Studies (6 week units), Thursday: Reader’s Theater, Friday: Enrichment (We play the same game every week)

9:30 – 9:45           Recess

9:45 – 10:15        PE (my prep period)

10:15 – 10:30      Sight Words and Sounds (Phonics song while the class gets a water break, Snap Spell the week’s sight words, use the document camera and sound spelling cards students come up for 30 second race we say all the sound together)

10:30 – 11:00      Lunch

11:00-11:30         Students come inside in number order, they grab THEIR whiteboard and find THEIR spot on the carpet. They work on either flash cards or Mental Math problems while the rest of the class finds their boards and sits down.
Math focus lesson: ON THE CARPET

11:30 – 11:45      Math Independent Practice – students cut and glue work into their MATH journals, they wait for a stamp from me.
Students ALL go to their seats, they put their whiteboards on the CAPTAIN’S NEIGHBOR’S DESK – because the captain has to come get the independent practice work from me. The captain’s neighbor is the student who will be captain tomorrow… they put all the whiteboards away TOGETHER by their colored star.


11:45-12:00         BUILD – Math centers  (the first student to finish in each group goes and gets the BUILD basket with their group’s colored star on it – I rotate these daily)

12:00-1:15           Language Arts: ON THE CARPET
                               
Vocabulary focus lesson: ON THE CARPET

DAILY 5
                       
Comprehension focus lesson: ON THE CARPET

DAILY 5

1:15- 1:30             Recess (this is when I give them the extra recess if SMILEY points are winning)

1:30 – 2:20           Students come inside in number order, they grab THEIR whiteboard and find THEIR spot on the carpet. They work on the week’s spelling sound – which I display on with the document camera while the rest of the class finds their boards and sits down.

Word Work: ON THE CARPET

Stretch and READ whiteboards are FROZEN on the ground in front of them. I point to each sound, at this point in the year I only have to segment, they blend then tell me the word, how many sounds, and how many syllables.

Stretch and SPELL: Students pick up their white boards, I segment each word and then we check together. I usually ask what letter they had and where, “Did you say T?” “Did you say R?” Did you say UE?” I say “When I erase” they say “we erase” ….. repeat J

GRAMMAR –I play a grammar song while the kids put their whiteboards away – the song gives the rest of the class something to do: no time to misbehave! They go row by row and have to put their whiteboard with the rest of their teams – again matching their colored star. The rest of the lesson takes place…. you guessed it : ON THE CARPET

WORK ON WRITING: Either an interactive writing lesson – if I am introducing a new concept or independent writing time at their seats.

2:20 – 2:30           CLEAN UP AND CHECK OUT

                I say “1 Minute” they say “Clean up” They come to the carpet and snap spell while every one else sits. I pass out the homework, then the teacher’s helper and supply manager pass out homework folders. Getting you folder is your ticket off the carpet. We had to talk about the procedure like 3 days ago – and it’s FEBRUARY L but hey, I am not about to let craziness ensue.
1. Stack your chair
2. Go get your backpack
3. Get in line- in your spot
4. THEN put your folder into your backpack – we had a problem with friends wanting to put their folders away right in front of all the backpacks and causing a traffic jam.