Friday, March 9, 2012

Hey! Now There Are Words In Those Boxes!

It's Friday! It's Friday! {Happy Dance, Happy Dance}
(Not sure about the capitals, capitals...)

Yesterday I shared the template I use to structure my day.
Looking at it in BlogContext made it as clear as... I bet you thought I was going to say MUD, but I was thinking more along the lines of chocolate pudding--because I like pudding and mud... well, I've never been a fan.

Can you tell that Friday giddiness is already taking hold and it is not yet 6 am?!

When I write my lesson plans, I just fill in the boxes with a scrawling shorthand that makes sense to me.  If you've seen my handwriting, you would note that "shorthand" is a very generous adjective!

In order to share a legible copy, I typed the lessons in the boxes (and having such limited skills in the tech department... well, let's just say it almost took me longer to type it than to to teach it!)



I think that's how it went. It's already a bit of a fog--and I was there teaching it. Of course we didn't get through some of it (I like left-overs) and I had to make a few switcheroos, but we survived.

Our "Vivid Vocabulary" word today was cacophony.  There's usually a story or drawing or hint to help them remember the words and definitions we study. After today's ramblings, I'm guessing a few kids went home confused enough to say that a cacophony is "the loud noise made by a bunch of people coughing."  At least they understood the "noise" part!

One more note: I try to arrange the groups a bit randomly on the page so that it doesn't look quite like "high to low" or "low to high" to a parent or a child who sneaks a peek.  Each small group has six or seven kids and I post the rotations on the Promethean Board so they know which tables to sit at... but that's the subject for another post!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend...  with an extra hour of sunlight (or at least daylight) to enjoy!

9 comments :

  1. Ohhh, I like that you have a bit more random grouping.

    I have an award for you too! (If you do not have it already...) Come and check it out xx
    Daydreams of a Student Teacher

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  2. LOVE a little peek into your day! I am WOWED by the amount of time you have to spend on language arts ... I think I could be making so much more progress with more time ... more time ....
    Just happy it's Friday ... and THE Friday before March Break!!! YAY!

    Have a GREAT weekend, Kim!

    Jen
    Runde's Room

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  3. I nominated you for two awards! Check them out-and thanks for being an amazing teacher! :)

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  4. Your schedule leads me to believe that I just might enjoy teaching upper grade.
    Maybe.
    I would definitely want you for my teacher. :)
    A Teeny Tiny Teacher

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  5. ok.... I'm really overwhelmed by the amount of choices you have. You clearly do a better job then me differentiating. I rarely follow my readers' workshop schedule. I go with the flow with every class. You are very structured and that's wonderful!!! But I can totally see why you are overwhelmed. You're doing so much at the same time it's a lot to oversee. Is this lesson plan format required by your school?

    You're doing a fantastic job!!!

    xoxo

    ❤ Mor Zrihen from...
    A Teacher's Treasure
    Teaching Treasures Shop

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  6. Kim, what are the other kids doing while you are working with small groups? Are some of the boxes independent work boxes or is that what you will do with them when they are with you?

    ~Stephanie
    Teaching in Room 6

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  7. I love peeking into another teacher's world. Thanks. I have racked my brain and I cannot figure out what B=P(r+t) means. I saw that you are working on discounts/tax/tip and all that... What is it?

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  8. Hi Mrs. Piper:
    Our book has me teaching:
    Balance = principal (time + rate)
    B = p(t + r)
    To try and remember this, we say "Be Peter"
    Before this, I have taught:
    I = prt--and then taught them to add back in to get the balance.
    As if it working with decimals wasn't hard enough--especially for kids who have no "real" concept of money.
    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I'm so excited that you were here!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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  9. Girl that schedule is insane! A few thoughts: I can't believe what a short school day your students have. Do you not get a prep period during the school day or is it just after school (I saw you have recess and lunch, but it seems like the kids do not go to any encore classes). I may need to pick your brain about math because we are choosing to use a personalized learning model with our kids next year and it is a HUGE shift compared to how we deliver instruction now.

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