During my week in the schools, I was able to discuss the topic of creating a routine for the different areas of the classroom. One of the areas we talked about was the Reading and Writing Workshop areas. My mentor teacher advised me to be sure to "practice" the way things are done for the first couple of weeks. I was even instructed to practice these things over and over again. This allows for younger children to forget the habits obtained the year before and to create the habits you want them to have for the year ahead.
This can also be shown in more detail in the writing workshop by taking the time in those first couple of weeks to work very closely with each group of the writing workshop until each student knows exactly what to do at each station. This helps with issues that might arrive while students are in their workshops throughout the year. The teacher should also always be sure to give some directions each day to remind the students of the various activities going on at that time in the year.
I agree that creating a plan in which you as the teacher know exactly how long you intend to spend on each topic. As with any unit, a teacher plan for activities as a backup in the event that the class finishes the unit a few days early or if the class needs extra time to complete the unit. This is tough as a new teacher to plan for. For my first writing lesson during my unit plan, I simply had too much information for the children to cover in the time planned. It is always important to plan our units according to the students we have in the class at the current time. This is another reason why the first few weeks of schools are very vital.
Those first weeks can set the tone for a year of success. This is certain. I think that spending time really making routines clear is smart. You can spend time making sure writing workshop routines are clear as well.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that I am only sometimes good about predicting the amount of time things will take. But, that comes with practice.