I found myself unable to sleep last night due to the pressure of the new curriculum. The unit is dense containing far more lessons than time to teach. Plus, in many ways, it's new content for me. So I knew I had to sift through countless materials online and off to figure out how to teach the material in ways that would engage students' interest, connect/make sense, and stick.
Hence, this morning, I opened a Google doc and started pouring into it the best resources--resources that would help students to learn the material in the time available in ways that are fun and meaningful.
I'll redesign the classroom to make a good science learning lab area, and organize the many supplies I have to teach this unit. Then step-by-step the students and I will learn the information with depth and interest.
New units take lots of time and dedication, and can be a real stressor when there's not sufficient time-on-task to do the work. The good news is that I got a lot done over vacation and in the wee hours of the morning so we're ready to start. Onward.
