Today was an okay teaching day, but there was definitely room for improvement.
The day started with faculty meeting at 7:30 am. The topics were worthwhile leaving me with good ideas to think about, but no time to think because faculty meeting ends at the same minute that the teaching day begins.
We began the day with an introduction to the factor captor game. Students were so excited about the game that they had a hard time listening to the introduction. Once the game started, students played for a good hour. Then we had indoor/outdoor recess (your choice). After that a challenging writing lesson--a s t r e t c h lesson.
It was indoor recess due to the cold and by the time I picked students up from the cafe, they were full of energy. I knew there was an assessment out there to complete, and I made the decision to power through a fast review of concepts learned but not reviewed in a while. It wasn't the best review, but it served the purpose of reminding students of topics learned. Then they took the assessment. The directions were fuzzy, but luckily a young boy figured it out and helped all of us.
Everyone achieved grade level status on this small assessment. After that it was music workshop then a Martin Luther King, Jr. DVD story, March On, written by Martin Luther King, Jr's sister.
We covered a lot, but it wasn't as peaceful as I like. The quick assessment review was probably not the best choice, but it served a purpose since I knew students would quickly remember all that math learned once reviewed.
Tomorrow's a new day. We'll power through the math writing assignment and take a few more short assessments as our standards-based report cards are due in two weeks and I want to know where everyone is on each standard.
There's always lots to teach and the key is choreograph those goals we care, balance, and attention to students' needs and interests.
