Never stop moving!! :) My classroom runs at a pretty fast pace - of course, it started off slower, but as the children are able to handle more, I move a bit faster. We transition a lot with songs - I have them all loaded onto itunes and pull up the one I want as they move - I don't wait for everyone to get to the carpet to get started. They move a little quicker then - makes them feel like they are missing something ;) I think having your day very well planned helps as well. I have every second planned - when I'm not planned as thoroughly, I don't get as much done. Always plan more than you think you're going to need. I am a stickler with a clock too - set a timer if you need to!
I get everything in by integrating as much as possible. Like Kathleen said you've got to be moving - so much that when you aren't moving it feels werid. I have my kids dancing/singing all the time. I also have learned that you've got to be prepared. I don't leave school without everything out and ready for the next day. I put everything in order so I just reach down and grab what is needed next; this is hard when you just want to go home but it makes it worth it for the day to run smoothly!
Those are all great ideas and I do do those things. Everything is laid out the night before (I'm a little OCD about this) and we move at a very quick pace. Maybe I'm trying to do more quantity than quality??
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my post. I have found it is really nice to have extra hands in the classroom to work with the students who need a little more one-on-one time. We are lucky enough to have a grandparent program at our school and Grandma Judy is the best!
Have you ever tried trading students with your kindergarten co-workers during themed center time? For example... each teacher makes 5 centers (math, reading, art, etc.) with a differnet theme (penguins, snowman, mittens). You run the centers for three weeks with the students rotating rooms each week. This way you can focus more time planning your core curriculum and the students will still benifit from the fun-filled center activities!
This is the million dollar question for teachers, isn't it? We all struggle with this and are constantly trying to find a solution. I teach kindergarten and along with another team member have developed a system that we are going to begin the first of February. For literacy workstations, each child has a 'contract' grid with 24 blocks/activities. These are your typical things like ABC games, write the room, writing, etc... These activities will hopefully last about 3 weeks. This will allow for more time to pull kids for reading or assessments. We also plan to put color dots on each child's contract to match their ability level. Each activity in the grid is #ed so the student knows which plastic drawer to get the activity from. In the drawer of each activity there will be file folders with a color dot on each that matched what ability level the activity is. After the child completes an activity they will color in that block on their contract. When the teacher checks their work, if they were successful in their work, they get a stamp on top of the colored block. I know this is a bit wordy but with so many great activities and so many different ability levels, we think this may help cover a lot of material on the kids different levels. I'll let you know how it goes. We also have a similar plan for math stations that we are going to try. Check out my blog
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I, too, am struggling with this right now. I would love to hear the ideas others have!
ReplyDeleteNever stop moving!! :) My classroom runs at a pretty fast pace - of course, it started off slower, but as the children are able to handle more, I move a bit faster. We transition a lot with songs - I have them all loaded onto itunes and pull up the one I want as they move - I don't wait for everyone to get to the carpet to get started. They move a little quicker then - makes them feel like they are missing something ;) I think having your day very well planned helps as well. I have every second planned - when I'm not planned as thoroughly, I don't get as much done. Always plan more than you think you're going to need. I am a stickler with a clock too - set a timer if you need to!
ReplyDeleteI get everything in by integrating as much as possible. Like Kathleen said you've got to be moving - so much that when you aren't moving it feels werid. I have my kids dancing/singing all the time. I also have learned that you've got to be prepared. I don't leave school without everything out and ready for the next day. I put everything in order so I just reach down and grab what is needed next; this is hard when you just want to go home but it makes it worth it for the day to run smoothly!
ReplyDeleteDanielle
learningandlaughing.blogspot.com
Those are all great ideas and I do do those things. Everything is laid out the night before (I'm a little OCD about this) and we move at a very quick pace. Maybe I'm trying to do more quantity than quality??
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment on my post. I have found it is really nice to have extra hands in the classroom to work with the students who need a little more one-on-one time. We are lucky enough to have a grandparent program at our school and Grandma Judy is the best!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried trading students with your kindergarten co-workers during themed center time? For example... each teacher makes 5 centers (math, reading, art, etc.) with a differnet theme (penguins, snowman, mittens). You run the centers for three weeks with the students rotating rooms each week. This way you can focus more time planning your core curriculum and the students will still benifit from the fun-filled center activities!
ReplyDeleteThis is the million dollar question for teachers, isn't it? We all struggle with this and are constantly trying to find a solution. I teach kindergarten and along with another team member have developed a system that we are going to begin the first of February. For literacy workstations, each child has a 'contract' grid with 24 blocks/activities. These are your typical things like ABC games, write the room, writing, etc... These activities will hopefully last about 3 weeks. This will allow for more time to pull kids for reading or assessments. We also plan to put color dots on each child's contract to match their ability level. Each activity in the grid is #ed so the student knows which plastic drawer to get the activity from. In the drawer of each activity there will be file folders with a color dot on each that matched what ability level the activity is. After the child completes an activity they will color in that block on their contract. When the teacher checks their work, if they were successful in their work, they get a stamp on top of the colored block. I know this is a bit wordy but with so many great activities and so many different ability levels, we think this may help cover a lot of material on the kids different levels. I'll let you know how it goes. We also have a similar plan for math stations that we are going to try.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my blog
www.krazy4kinders.blogspot.com