Schedules

Okay, really.  For the first time, I believe I’m being asked to do things that I genuinely feel I don’t have time in the day to do.

In between Oral Language (think E.L.D.) and Language Arts intervention (4th grade HAS to have it at 10:15 until recess) I have about 55 minutes to teach my Language Arts curriculum.  That’s about 2 lessons.  Our curriculum for L.A. is broken into 3 sections

After recess I have about an hour and a half for math.  It’s a little long, I know, but I have to have math intervention at 11:45.

After lunch (1:20) I have PE (the minutes are state mandated), read aloud and silent reading (they need some time to read at school), writing (that’s important, right?) and science or social studies (either, but not both).  I usually take about a half hour for a science/social studies lesson, and about a half hour for a writing lesson.

Notice there is no mention of art or music.  PE is taught by the classroom teacher (that would be me).  Art is usually squeezed in somewhere 4 to 6 times a year (sad, I know, but art isn’t on the state test, and it’s all about the test).

Somewhere in there, they want me to put a half hour of  what’s called “Universal Access.”  It’s time for each student to access their grade level curriculum at their ability.  (So students who are lower academically get less work, but they are learning the same thing as the “higher” students.)

Maybe at 11, and push back my math time?  That will really shorten my math time, especially with the math intervention I have to have at that time, and the small group time I have to have.  But then I’ll only have 15 minutes to teach my lesson before I lose those going to intervention.  (Do you see my problem?)

Maybe I could put social studies at 11:30 (after I do Universal Access from 11:00 – 11:30).  Then the students who get pulled for math intervention would only be missing science or social studies.  Then at 12:00  I could do math for a half hour, and finished it at what?  1:20, right after lunch?  That’s not very ideal, to split up a math lesson by 45 minutes.  And 1:20 is usually 4th grade’s PE time.  Any other time very well might be crowded with other grades getting in their PE.  But crowded wouldn’t be that bad.

Or I could finish math after PE, at 1:45.  That would be alright, too.  But I don’t want to wait too long.

No, wait, I got it.  UA at 11:00, Science/social studies at 11:30. Writing after that, until lunch.  Then, after PE and reading, I’ll do math!  Bingo!  Math from 2 until we go home at 3:15.

There.  Thanks for helping!

 

New Times

Did I tell you we have a new start time?  Instead of starting at 8:30, we’re starting at 8:50.  That means instead of getting out at…whatever time we got out last year, we get out later…3:15.  That also means lunch is later (now that’s a big deal).  12:35 instead of noon.  That’s the biggest adjustment.

On the good side, however, we can leave as soon as the kids leave.  We’re expected to be ready for the next day, but as long as we are, we can leave when our students do.  I don’ t know anyone who does, and I never have.  Nor do I expect to.  But it’s nice to know that if we do have to get somewhere some time, it’s an option.