I'm working on my schedule...thought I would show everyone to see if it was OK. A little information...The kids can arrive at school anytime between 8:05 and 8:30. The tardy bell rings at 8:30. We have music once a week on Mondays from 10:35-11:10 and PE every day. Snack time is optional. Dismissal is at 3:00. 8:05-8:30 Morning Work (skill sheet on desk or writing journals) 8:30-9:00 A.R. (with parent volunteers), Silent or Buddy Read 9:00-9:15 Calendar 9:15-10:00 Guided Reading groups/Work Stations 10:00-10:10 Strategy meeting/discussion 10:10-10:45 Language Arts/Read aloud 10:45-11:10 Making Words (Spelling) 11:15-11:40 Lunch 11:45-12:25 Writing/Shared Pen 12:25-1:00 Math Lesson followed by practice with math stations 1:05-1:50 PE 1:50-2:10 Snack/water/Bathroom break 2:10-2:50 Science or Social Studies/Theme 2:50-3:00 Clean up and Pack up 3:00 Dismissal
It looks like you do centers before whole group reading. Generally I do my whole group reading before centers. This way I model for them first so they when the students are at centers they all know what to do. I've heard its effective to use this strategy: I do (whole group reading), We Do, (Small groups/guided reading), You do (independent center work).
LOL! I usually do that too. I guess I hadn't realized I put it in that way. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hmm, does your district mandate a certain amount of time for reading and math? Your math time is only 35 minutes. In my district we have 60 minutes for math and 90 uninterrupted minutes for reading. However, I don't have to teach Science, Social Studies or Health as a separate subject so I just incorporate it into my reading time. My day is like yours only I have an extra half-hour. We start at 9:00 and end at 3:30. I'm just concerned about the length of math time. Everything else looks really good. I had another thought, do your kids not get recess? Maybe that is where the other half-hour difference is. I have a 30 minute recess right after lunch.
I know I am sticking my head in your first grade forums , but I do a 20-minute mini-lesson, centers, and then whole group... and it follows. If you want, you can probably split it up a little so you can have your time for demonstration first.
1stferg, I'm pretty sure our district allows our math time to be broken up throughout the day (so I would have 50 minutes including calendar math time). Also, I think I can count my block from 9:15-11:10 as part of my reading block. I'm gonna check on that though....thanks for your help!
Yes, that block from 9:15-11:10 would count. As long as you are working on reading skills, than you should be fine.
Having 20 minutes for a snack seems long. Most kids eat a snack in less than 5! And if they don't want to go to the bathroom or get a drink, what will they do for the rest of the time? It's nice to see a first grade teacher who actually teaches social studies and science!
Yeah, I was thinking about taking snack out alltogether? It's optional anyway...we might just have a water break after PE.
I got my schedule this week. Specials, lunch, and recesses were "assigned", and I got to fill in the blanks on my own. Tardy bell rings at 8:15. Input??? 7:45-8:30 MORNING WORK 8:30-9:00 SPELLING 9:00-9:50 READING (INCLUDES CENTERS AND GUIDED READING) 9:50-10:10 RECESS 10:15-11:00 MATH 11:00-11:20 LUNCH 11:20-11:45 RECESS 12:00-1:00 LANGUAGE ARTS 1:00-1:30 SS/SCIENCE/SPECIALS 1:30-2:00 SS/SCIENCE/SPECIALS 2:00-2:30 SS/SCIENCE/SPECIALS 2:30-3:00 SS/SCIENCE/SPECIALS 3:00-3:15 PREPARE FOR DISMISSAL
Does first grade have a designated handwriting time? Or are we supposed to incorporate it throughout the day?
My school has a Zaner-Bloser handwriting curriculum, it is up to me when I teach it. So I will teach it formally once a week in one of my 1/2 hr. specials blocks, and also incorporate it throughout the day.
i teach handwriting everyday first semester and then just do little handwriting exercises second semester.... i would not take out snack time but maybe do it while you are doing something else. my snack is optional as well but many of my first graders take advantage....i think some of them really need it. i usually continue to do an activity but say that snack time is starting and give the kids 10 minutes to work and eat. after 10 minutes snack is over but we may continue the activity. i also do snack in the morning....seems my kids are always more hungry before lunch because not all of them get a big breakfast at home.
That's true. I think I will move it to the morning. In kindergarten we had a rotating snack schedule where it would be a student's day to bring a snack (box of cheez-its, etc) for the whole class. None of the first grade teachers at my school do that. How do you deal with the kids who don't ever bring a snack or can't afford one? I know I could have extras just in case, but I'm afriad it would get expensive and some parents might take advantage....
we serve breakfast at our school and some of the kids that can't afford snack or don't bring one just save something from their breakfast since they get their breakfast for free. the kids that didn't have snack never seemed bothered. sometimes as a teacher you can tell the kids that are really struggling and you might give the whole class a snack that day. but since it was just an extra and i did not have a desinated just snack time, they were not singled out in any way because they didn't have snack.
I had a few families that never contributed and by the end of the year I was buying snack about 2 to 3 days a week. It got expensive. So, during the last month I sent a note home telling the parents if they wanted their child to have a snack then they could bring an individual snack. On those days I might have had only 4/16 actually bring a snack. Then the kids who didn't bring anything asked we if I brought snack. I had to tell them no, but I couldn't afford it any longer.
Ok, I changed it a little. What do you think? 8:05-8:30 Arrivals, morning work on desks 8:30-9:00 AR, Journaling, library AR book checkout 9:00-9:10 Calendar, morning meeting, Chicken Soup with Rice Poem 9:10-9:40 Language Arts 9:40- 10:20 Guided Reading/Literacy work stations 10:20-10:40 Making Words/Spelling 10:40-11:10 Whole Group Math 11:15-11:40 Lunch 11:45-12:00 Chapter Book Read Aloud/Bathroom Break 12:00-12:20 Math work stations 12:20-1:00 Writing 1:05-1:50 PE 1:55-2:05 Water/snack 2:05-2:50 Science or Social Studies /theme activity 2:50-3:00 Clean up and Pack up 3:00 Dismissal Do I need to include a time for handwriting practice?
I think that looks good! you have 40 minutes in your writing time. Couldn't you just use the first 5 to 10 minutes for handwriting then continue with your writing workshop?
Its so interesting to see everyone's schedule! I work in a French Immersion program, so I have a lot less ELA time than all of you. I have to fit all my English Language Instruction into 1 hour each day! All other subjects need to be taught in French. We have another hour for French Language Instruction, about 45 minutes to an hour for Math, and a half hour for each Science and Social Studies. So different! :3)
