It's the end of our first week back to school. Well, it's a full week for me, two days for the kids. This is the second year of my loop from fourth to fifth. The kids entered the room with an enthusiasm you rarely see on the first day. There were lots of hugs and high fives. Because many of the students kept in touch during the summer through Edmodo (a closed, socio-educational network), friendships picked up right where they left off. It felt more like coming back from Christmas vacation, rather than coming back from summer vacation. Even those students who did not go on Edmodo during the summer made connections with each other. Two of my students found out that they lived just down the street from each other. They played together several times a week during the summer. I nearly cried when I heard this, because these two boys are perfect for each other! Where one is strong academically, the other is weak. Where one is weak socially, the other is strong. How wonderful that these two boys got together and formed a bond!
The great thing about looping with a class is, the second year, classroom routines are effortless. I didn't have to tell anyone how to move their counter on the attendance/lunch count board. I didn't have to explain the attention signal. They even remembered our Whole Brain Teaching rules and actions! This made activities just speed by. I'm glad I only had two days with the kids because I found myself with time on my hands that I did not expect. Next week I need to plan more activities. The time that I would normally spend this time of year teaching routines can now be spent actually doing curriculum.
The flip side is that, since social bonds are so strong, that students tend to be more chatty. Although they know the rules, they can have a hard time following them. I found, during Morning Meeting, I had to spend nearly as much time as I did last year reviewing what the Greeting looks like, sounds like, and feels like. I had to do the same with Read to Self (Daily 5).
This week's FREEBIE: Partner Share Cards
One goal I have this year is to harness my students' strong social connections to enhance their academics. One way to do this is through daily partner shares. In DPS students share something about the book they are reading during Read to Self. I made up two types of cards: HOW to Share and WHAT to Share. Each goes in a different container. At the end of Daily 5, I pull one card from each container for a quick, 5 minute share time. I'm hoping to have a bit longer share time on Fridays where kids can share their favorite books with the whole class. Already having one year of Daily 5 under our belts, this class is a group of voracious readers. Even though I have added 40 new books to my classroom library already, my students still need to hear recommendations.
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