A Day in the Life...

I am so glad that Amelia, from Where the WildThings Learn, started this linky party.  Just last week, I was searching for other teachers’ schedules to see how they fit it all in.  This is not my every day schedule, but it is my schedule 3 out of 5 days a week.  On Wednesdays, we have early dismissal at 1:00 to allow for meetings and professional development.  On Thursdays, my students go to science for 50 minutes in the morning, so this switches my schedule up a bit.

Morning Work: Most teachers do not open their doors until 8:25, but I like to give my kids a chance to start their day calmly.  They come in and work on a math problem solving activity.

Math Meeting: This is one of my favorite times of the day!  During math meeting, my students practice using math talk in discussions about how to solve the problems on the math meeting board.  I like to incorporate open-ended or multiple answer questions to really get them thinking and talking. 

Math Mini-Lesson:  I use this time to introduce new topics or review any misconceptions about the previous day’s lesson.

Guided Math Groups: I have 4 math groups who rotate through four 15-minute stations.  M- Meet with the teacher, A- At your seat (independent practice), T – Technology (xtramath or scootpad), H – Hands-On (math games or other hands-on activities). I love this time because I can differentiate each lesson and meet each student’s needs. 

Math Closure: This is a time when we come back together as a class and talk about what we learned in math that day.  Sometimes I use this time for exit tickets, quizzes, or additional math group time.

Phonics: We take this time to do whole class blending with the week’s phonics focus, dictation, and independent phonics practice. This is not a time that I love, but it is mandated.  I have been working to spice this time up a bit.

Guided Reading Groups: This is similar to my guided math groups in that my students rotate through 4 15-minute stations.  R- Read with the teacher, E – Elbow-Elbow Reading (Buddy Reading), A – At the Computer (Raz-Kids), D – Daily Journal. My students cheer when it is time for Guided Reading.  Again, I love this time to be able to work with small groups and really understand what they are thinking while reading. 

Language: Right after lunch, I spend 30 minutes covering an area of grammar.  I usually start with a whole group mini-lesson that involves a lot of think-pair-share to get my students talking. After the mini-lesson, my students complete a group or independent activity.

Writing: I use a modified writer’s workshop with my second graders.  We meet as a whole group to discuss the focus for the day.  Then the students go back to their desks to get writing. I can then meet with individual students or pull a small group.

Reading/Social Studies:  I am trying to use social studies texts to meet the common core standards as much as possible.  I also use this time for author studies.

P.E.: We rotate our students through P.E. activities 3 days a week. The kids enjoy this time because we mixed up our classes, so they are with a mix of second graders from all 5 classes.

Read Aloud:  I began the school year trying to teach Social Studies after P.E., and it just wasn’t working.  My kids love this read aloud period and it has made for a much smoother end to our day.

Pack Up/Folders/Independent Reading: While my students are reading silently, I am calling students up to get their behavior chart filled out.