The start of the school year is such an odd thing. You start with 3-4 days, you get the long weekend, and then you have another 4 days. By the end of this second week you start to get into a groove, which is good considering you go another 4+ weeks before you get a day off for professional development.
While our 5th grade rotates students through content areas (math, science, social studies/literacy), we won't be starting that quite yet. Instead we'll continue to build community and routine in our homeroom groups. We have some math pre-assessments that need to be completed. We'll also do some reading comprehension through some short passages on maps, with the culmination being a completed map (off a blank world map) including major lines of latitude and longitude, continents, and oceans (I might be missing something as I'm not looking at it). We'll continue reading Rules by Cynthia Lord too. I need to be far better about my read alouds during the year, making a conscious effort to continue pushing through them even when we appear strapped for time. City of Ember will likely be next, as the trio of books in the series are really well written. We're just going to keep pushing.
Showing posts with label first week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first week. Show all posts
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
First Week Reflections
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. I had two professional development days, and got a chance to re-bond with the school staff. I took two flights, one red eye and one at 6:00 AM (ouch is right!). I went to one rehearsal dinner, and one wedding, standing as a groomsman. I lost a temporary crown, and had it replaced (don't ask). Lastly, I finished my first day and first week of school.
The difference between year one and year two of having your own classroom is exponential. My overall comfort is well beyond last year's, which is funny considering how comfortable I felt last year. My nerves were there, as I hope they will be for each and every year until I retire. My planning running up to this school year has also been more efficient as well. While I knew what was coming last year, I always felt a step or two behind where I wanted to be. This year I might be behind where I am scheduled to be, but I am right where I should be (pacing/instruction-wise).
There are some great things coming. We're already reading Rules by Cynthia Lord for our read aloud. I felt like that would be a great way to bring out acceptance of different people (as the book surrounds an autistic boy and one who is mute). I'm also hoping to get the blog rolling this year, a new wrinkle or tool to use in my instruction. I also have some more specific work that the kids are going to be doing with our wiki, as opposed to creating pages to document the topics/subjects we are/were studying.
Good things in the works. Buckle your seat belts!
The difference between year one and year two of having your own classroom is exponential. My overall comfort is well beyond last year's, which is funny considering how comfortable I felt last year. My nerves were there, as I hope they will be for each and every year until I retire. My planning running up to this school year has also been more efficient as well. While I knew what was coming last year, I always felt a step or two behind where I wanted to be. This year I might be behind where I am scheduled to be, but I am right where I should be (pacing/instruction-wise).
There are some great things coming. We're already reading Rules by Cynthia Lord for our read aloud. I felt like that would be a great way to bring out acceptance of different people (as the book surrounds an autistic boy and one who is mute). I'm also hoping to get the blog rolling this year, a new wrinkle or tool to use in my instruction. I also have some more specific work that the kids are going to be doing with our wiki, as opposed to creating pages to document the topics/subjects we are/were studying.
Good things in the works. Buckle your seat belts!
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