What a year! I had so many high hopes for getting my blog together. I did quite a lot in my classroom, but
getting it together enough to blog about it was difficult at best. So, instead of beating myself up fretting over it, I decided to begin
again. I'm a big believer in try, try again. I've been working hard this summer, as I know all of
you have. I've been reading
some really GREAT blogs, tweaking ideas, and getting ready for my 2nd year in
3rd grade. I thought I'd tell you about two (of the many great blogs)
that I've read over the summer. Leslie over at Kindergarten Works has great blog info on binder organization. I've always made my own, but her blog made
me think about how I was putting it together. I went through my binder from last year and noticed how
many pages I really didn't use. It was cute when I was downloading freebies or buying pages that I
"thought" would be good, but they didn't work in my classroom. Anyone have that happen? I knew I had to find out how to only use
the pages that I needed. Leslie, you rock! Thank you for sharing. I love how you plan
units for your kinders. I read and re-read your
posts and came up with a unit plan form that would work with my 3rd grade
needs. Here's how I use to plan units: pages of
standards, our state's frameworks, calendar, and lots of sites open on the
computer. It literally took
days to plan a couple of lessons. After reading Leslie's blog and Beth Newingham's blogs Beth Newingham Scholastic, I knew I
could make this year easier and better. So, after creating a Unit Planning Guide for both Reading and
Math, I tried them out. Yeah! It really works. I've completed three math units, lesson
plans, pulled pre and post assessments, created miniature anchor charts, pulled
graphic organizers, created foldables, pulled and created centers, texts, and
manipulative materials. I'm now working on
my second Reading Unit and it feels fantastic to have these already done. I
feel so ready.
This is how I used the guide to plan unit 1
in reading. You can get a copy here You can also review
the math planning guide here.
I still have more
planning to do, but I feel really ready. If you're looking for great content and ideas, I recommend
Leslie's and Beth's blogs.
I'll talk to you
about my new revamped Reading Workshop in my next blog!
Happy Teaching, Everyone!
Kimberly
I
don't know about you, but Common Core feels a bit overwhelming. If I can really
plan each unit with the end in mind, knowing which anchor charts to use, and
have some strategy tips, I think it may be okay.