During our staff meetings, the P complains that too many teachers allow the students to use this time as a "social hour" to chat and play with their friends. The P also says the children should be "learning up until they walk out the door" and that teachers should spend the final minutes of school doing math drills, reviewing phonics skills, etc. I don't do either of those things. I usually do a read-a-loud on the carpet, then I tell the kids to borrow a library book and either read independently or buddy read. Sometimes the kids get a little loud (especially 3 boys who I've started calling "the Dino Dudes" b/c they sit in a little circle with about 10 dino books each afternoon and read/discuss), BUT it's the end of the day and they need to blow off some steam and socialize with their friends. How about you all? What do you do with your kiddos during dismissal? (btw we have A LOT of buses and they only call about 3 at a time, so dismissal takes about 20 minutes)
I don't see the problem with what you're doing. The kids are reading and by discussing the subject with other kids, those boys are getting more out of their reading. When I was a classroom teacher in lower grades, the kids read in my class.
I agree--sounds like your kiddos are learning right up to dismissal. Reading and interacting/discussing with others books and ideas, in my opinion, very appropriate! Frustrating if your P doesn't feel the same way!
I'm glad you all feel the same way, but to play the Devil's Advocate (and if I'm completely honest) every child is not discussing a story at every moment. They do get sidetracked sometimes. Like the Dino Dudes talk about T-Rex's and one might say something like, "I had a dinosaur cake at my birthday" and another might say, "I have dinosaur pajamas." Then the third one starts pretending to be a T-rex snoring and they laugh and chitchat a bit more then go back to the story. Personally I think it's fine because again, everyone needs to let off a bit of steam at the end of the day, but I do wonder what the P would think if she happened to stop by one afternoon and caught a group talking about birthdays and not the book directly.
Our dismissal starts at 3:45, and goes until about 4. Frankly, I feel that my kids deserve a few minutes to be social... I let them pull out the indoor recess games, as long as the room is completely spotless by 3:45, and as long as they clean up the games before they leave. Your principal and I would definitely butt heads on this.
Would something like a ticket out the door make your principal happy? Those can be very easy to implement.
Depending on the day, we might be doing DEAR, studying science flashcards with a partner, or working on the cursive handwriting book.
Our dismissal starts at 1:30. By 1:40 I have 45 kindergarten through third grade children in my room until about 2:20 or 2:25. They talk quietly or draw for a bit. They also like Brain Pop Jr. videos. Some days we dance or stretch. Some days they read. All I know is it would be very hard to keep that many kids learning the whole time!!
I've never heard of doing dismissal that way. Two of my bus children will leave at 2:20, 2:25, the day ends at 2:35. I teach right up until 2:32 or so lol. Then I walk the kids who get picked up out to the schoolyard. Anyone that isn't picked up gets dropped off with the school lunch aides in the auditorium.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I really enjoy the way things are right now (whole class story, then buddy reading) so I'll probably keep them that way unless instructed otherwise. It's always so interesting to hear about how others do things in their class. Being a teacher can feel so isolating sometimes because I learn by doing and by watching others do, but you don't get to do much of the latter.
Your dismissal procedure sounds perfect. If your principal does not like it, then he is on the wrong side of some of the most current research in child development. But if it's the same principal you've had for the last few years, then he's on the wrong side of a lot of stuff. Common sense, basic competence, and being at all qualified to have anything to do with the education of children come to mind.
I do exactly what you do. Everyone gets ready at the same time. Bus kids go right to their bus lines. My walking/pick up/ afterschool program kids read books together at the carpet until they are dismissed.
Technically, these are "text to self" and "text to world" connections. Literacy teaching textbooks frequently mention how important it is for students to make these kinds of connections while reading. So... if anyone asks, you could bring this up.
We would sing songs, or play a spelling game. One time we practiced alphabetical order with last names....
I read poems, students share their writing, or we play a quiz game (like trivia/Brain Quest). I also let kids come up and give the class riddles or make up math problems for everyone to solve. They love being the leader. Some even prepare the night before. The kids get really invested in it; it's almost too quiet during dismissal, and not because I'm telling them to be. It happens by accident. I actually wouldn't mind some socializing, but my group just eats trivia right up... What you do is great! I think time for socializing is healthy and can be a learning experience for kids by itself. Paired with reading, even on a light level, I certainly think they're learning. Kudos for motivating your kids to get even beyond the cover of a book that late in the day; I don't know if my group would get that far so close to leaving.
Have you discussed this with your principal? He/She may be happy with your routine, and is referring to teachers who are socializing or working at their desks and letting the kids run wild! The bottom line is, the principal is the boss. If he/she is not satisfied with your routine, then adapt to the boss' mandate. Play Around the World, Buzz, or other skill drills & games.
I would agree with otterpop. Text to self connection is an important comprehension skill to build. I tend to teach up to five or ten minutes before the bell. Then we clean the room. After cleaning the room the children come to the rug and I give them whatever needs to go home and send them on their way.
It's so interesting to read these comments! Our bell rings at 3:10-everyone leaves at once. It's a stampede in the hallway. I have kids start their agendas and grab their backpacks at 3:00. We have social studies right up until then. In the morning, we have 20 minutes from when we get in the door until PE, so we do 'bellwork'-fun holiday themed logic or problem solving activity sheets from Mailbox Magazine. The kids can work with partners, and they review math concepts or make the kids really think outside of the box. If I had a delayed dismissal, I would probably do something similar!
We almost always have science or social studies at the end of the day and I teach up until 5 minutes before we are walking out the door. There's nothing special I do during the 5 minutes that they're packing up, other than try to hurry them up.
I've done it different ways over the years. The last couple years teaching K, I would spend the last 5 min. handing out folders/stickers then I would open the door. Students would sit and talk quietly until their parent came. Parents had 15 min. to get their student before they were sent to latchkey. One year I did a read aloud until I had about 5 kiddos left.
