2020-2021 Success Criteria
There is great satisfaction in teaching well. To work with a team of colleagues, students, families, and administrators to prepare and implement positive learning experiences to elevate students learning, self-concept, happiness, and capacity is a terrific way to use your energy and focus your time.
As I think of prioritizing and targeting efforts for the 2020-2021 school year, I'm thinking about the work I will do to support students' learning paths, paths that lead to success with learning-to-learn strategies, social emotional learning, collaboration, communication, and academic standards.
School Year Prep and Planning Chart
Spring/Summer Prep for 2020-2021
- Pack up classroom items. Get rid of old, outdated materials - complete
- Update website for 2020-2021 TeamFive - will do this summer
- Update move-up letter/supply list and presentation place on TeamFive 2020-2021 Website - done
- Keep a supply list throughout the year and order supplies - ongoing.
- Virtually Meet with upcoming students - planned
Summer Planning Meetings
Grade-Level Team
Grade-Level Team
August:
- Discuss start-of-year signature project My Three Words Use the project as a way to teach students how to use a number of digital tools.
- Review curriculum map: Look over last year's curriculum - make decisions about what to keep, what to change and timelines
- Create schedule and weekly teaching pattern review with the team;
- Careful attention to scheduling so that all scheduling best meet individual/collective student needs
- Revisit the curriculum night presentation, decide if you'll include movie/slideshow. Prep this time/place for Curriculum Night presentation with principal.
- Discuss study protocols and learning menu.
- Spend initial weeks focused on protocols, building a class community, teaching the tools we'll use, and creating students' online showcase portfolios.
- Review Family-Student-Teacher Conference protocols, dates, and focus
- Review first days of school focus/lessons including SEL lessons (see below too)
- Review goal list: look at results related to last year's goal; focus on organizing the best materials for teaching the subject including website, Google form practice tests, online tools, hands-on experiences, performance tasks.
- Discuss science and social studies priorities.
Grade-Level and Special Educators
- Review all ed plans, chart student services and needs to prepare for scheduling meeting
- Update curriculum websites
- Review Graspable math and all online tools we use.
- Review biomimicry unit for upcoming year.
- Review, revise, and set up Class Data Chart - keep in mind fall/spring conference data reports; Assess/analyze MCAS scores prior to school year. (when scores arrive)
- Review and organize lessons for the first six weeks - get a power start with the math curriculum
- Plan to purchase items that help you to be personally ready and energized to teach--inspiring signage, healthy snacks, cards, little gifts. . . .
- Organize all materials and classroom set up
- Focus on the parent handbook and needed signatures at Curriculum Night
- Focus on the student handbooks and signatures during the first days of school - Xerox copies
- Ask about required school forms during set-up days to plan accordingly
- Communication Protocols, establish routines, plans to recognize each child: lists, schedules.- ongoing
- Ordering: Check orders, put away all supplies. - last week in August
- Set up sub notebook, update field trip notebook
- Work on protocols and policies for classroom during first days of the year
First Six Weeks of School Year
For Teacher
- Complete Mandated Online Trainings: This takes about a half day. Make sure that the trainings are up to date at time of completion. Summer/Fall 2019
- PLC Start: Establish overall focus, norms, roles, protocols, and note taking document.
- Send out forms, notices right away--and have extras at parents' night for parents to fill out there if needed.
- Curriculum Night: Establishing the Learning Community, Extended time: one hour in gymnasium with a presentation/sound (date? time?)
- Send out weekly newsletters
- Evaluation Professional Learning and Practice Goals: Update goals to reflect system-wide goals, summer work, review with admin., continue efforts to meet goals.
- Determine Buddy Program Time and Focus
For Students:
(Note that these notes will likely be updated over the summer)
Day One
- Greet children at the door with a smile and ask them to bring their bags in and find their table space and start with the morning work. (Tables will display children's names). Morning work will be a class name word find.
- Ask students to say their names, check off the attendance list. Discuss importance of names and why it's important to say each others names with respect and accuracy. Talk about TedTalks as a resource for positive learning. Show this video. Then talk about what the video teaches us about respect for each other's names.
- Review supply list. Make sure that every child has supplies he/she needs. Organize and store supplies. Collect summer math study packets (review in evening).
- Make beautiful name cards: Have students proudly make a name tag. Teach supply use with a simple lesson about where drawing/making supplies are and how to use them. Walk around the room and listen to children's name conversations, observe their comfort level, respond in welcoming, interesting ways.
- Introduce recess protocols, play equipment, and have a recess. Have snacks available for students who may have forgotten a snack--you don't want anyone to be hungry.
- Introduce myself via the three word project. Teach computer protocols. Let children work with computers to create their three word posters using Google Drawer. Observe students as they work on this project, help out in any way that you can.
- When students begin to tire of the activity, gather them on the rug. Talk about the day so far and ask if students have any questions. Tell them that I am there to partner with them and serve them well throughout the year, and my goal is that they learn successfully all year long. Ask what they think I can do to help them.
- Review and practice transition and lunch routines. Then time for lunch.
- After lunch, discuss our "survival theme" briefly and begin read aloud: Hatchet. Allow students to sit up front on the rug or sit at their tables. Students may drawer quietly as I read.
- Talk about the fact that students who play together generally get along better. Share and discuss kickball rules and play a class game of kickball.
- Students return to class. Review homework: The Big Day paper and student/family member surveys--a way for children to express their needs, interests, and thoughts about the first day of school.
- Review end-of-day routine, dismissal, and have a few minutes to play.
Day Two
- Greet children at the doorway and collect homework. Ask them to read and follow the start-of-day schedule which includes sign-in, readiness tasks, and morning work.
- Morning work: students are invited to continue working on their My Three Words projects.
- When students have worked a bit, start the first lesson which is a lesson on good listening. Begin with the question, Why does good listening matter? Then ask, What makes good listening difficult or easy? List students' ideas. Then have students exemplify what poor listening looks like and what good listening looks like. Partner students up and have them interview each other with a few questions, ask them to use good listening behaviors at they listen to their partner's answers. The questions may include:
- What is one activity you over the summer in your home that you really enjoyed, and why did you enjoy that activity?
- What is one activity you did in fourth grade that you really enjoyed, and why did you enjoy that activity?
- What is one activity you hope we'll do in fifth grade, and why do you hope we'll do that activity?
- Have students then create sticky notes with a headline that answers each of those questions and their first names--create a sticky note graph of that information together, and tell them that you'll use that graph, in part, as you think about the best ways to help students learn, be happy, and work together this year.
- Recess
- Tell the story of our United States Constitution, and review school handbook which is like a constitution for our school. What makes our school handbook similar or dissimilar to the United States constitution? Active Reading: The Student Handbook: What do we do well and what can we get better at--how can we shortlist the handbook rules and protocols to a memorable phrase, sign, poem, or acronym? How can we make these rules and protocols are own?
- Work in teams to determine our class government? Share ideas. Work on using handbook and class government ideas to write a class constitution.
- Review lunch routines. Lunch
- Read Aloud. Review protocols for sitting and behavior during read aloud.
- Independent reading - review protocols, let students read quietly.
- Class game time - about 30 minutes
- Closing Routine
Day Three: First transitions
- Review names, jobs, and routines again.
- Math: What's Your Name - See Magnificent Math website
- Science: Begin with teamwork focus, then composting
Future Lessons
- What is the Declaration of Independence?
- What was the context of time, place, and experience that led Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence and what does the phrase "All men are created equal" mean today? How can we rephrase this for our classroom?
- Read the Declaration of Independence together. Discuss history of "All men are created equal" and if that stands the test of time? How can we rephrase that statement for modern times and for our grade-level team?
- Review transition, recess, lunch routines. Recess
- Review timeline project.
- Time Line Prep: parent interview, template, Dream Me activity, and ImportantChanges (Integrating SEL p. 82-84) Coordinate with tech teacher. Prepare for the project which will be completed in tech class. Self Awareness with Timelines: Students will create a time line that includes a parent or guardian's main event before they were born from birth onward, their own main events, and 4-5 events they imagine for their future. This will be done in technology class. Prepare for this activity with early-year homework and classwork including "Dream Me" activity from chapter 6 in Integrating SEL.
- Read Aloud
- Review TeamFive website together. Introduce computer use, protocols, safety, digital citizenship.
- Marshmallow-Spaghetti Towers
- Build a tower with four pieces of paper that can hold a quarter.
- Team Talk: What is a learning community? What makes a learning community successful? What matters when it comes to being a successful learner? What matters when it comes to being a positive learning community member?
- Complete class constitution, sign, and hang up for all to see.
- Set up showcase portfolios and complete Happiness Surveys at start of year. Review this with colleagues -- front page cover ideas and back cover potentially "one word posters."
Days Ahead in Math Class
- Names, collecting summer homework, Create math class norms, math study spaces/groups and routines for the math classroom.
- History of people: introduction to timelines. History of people, skin shade, timeline - "The past affects the future." video
- Review norms, introduce and begin Name Value activity
- Introduce Math Reflection Journal (in 3-prong folder). Complete part of the assignment together and assign the rest
- Work on Name Value activity.
- Complete What's Your Name name value activity. Students who are done work on Symphony Math.
- Symphony Math practice, follow-up goal setting with Symphony Math.
- Systemwide Assessment if ready. Possible facts assessment.
- Collect Homework. Review That Quiz and let students practice.
- Pattern exercise. Pass out next week's homework, pass back last week's homework.
- Boaler "Everyone can learn math" Ted Talk. Making Mini posters about a positive math mindset. (Teacher professional day)
- warm-up on facts and arrays: playing a math game
- Review order of operations with "How Many Ways Can We Make 48?" Pick up/pass back homework.
- Introduce new homework. Introduce unit one: Place Value
- Place Unit continues
- Follow Standards-Based Scope and Sequence in days ahead using systemwide scope and sequence, unit guides, Boaler's grade five book, and other resources.
We may want to embed this language in portfolio efforts (specific ideas from SEL book) - Your one word project and Video with Students. Teach/Review Google Draw.
- Personal Assessment: Godilocks Games (p. 94-95) is a good activity for children to do an early assessment of themselves. This will provide good information for teachers and family members as they goal set with and for students. (SEL book)
- What is a Hero? Who are your heroes? Identifying honorable characteristics, finding people to look up to, learn from, and follow in real time, history, and literature, sharing the story of Malala.
- What is your point of view or perception? The birds story, a discussion on classroom needs, wants, and desires.
- Peer Pressure: Do I Dare Do It (Integrating SEL p. 84-86)
- Study Skills: What do you really think? (Integrating SEL - chapter 6, Socratic Method)
- Humor Helps: Integrating SEL p.89-90. I'd like to turn this into an activity where students can create a cartoon, write a paragraph, or write and act out a script. I may integrate this with the writing, art, and/or tech teacher. Students love the integration of humor into the classroom and as one who is very serious, I can see how helpful this would be.
- Behaviors at School: To get a head start on conflict resolution and language related to bullying behaviors, students and teachers will use the pyramid on top of the page to discuss the kinds of behaviors that can happen at school, and the appropriate ways to prevent and if needed respond to those behaviors in an effort to build a more caring and helpful classroom community.
- STEAM Teamwork: Crossing the peanut butter pit (Integrating SEL - chapter 5), Alphabet Actors (p. 94), Can-moving activity (p. 102) and similar activities such as note card towers (p. 108) and marshmallow or gumdrop structures.
- Where do you want to live? Introduction to environmental education (Integrating SEL - chapter 6)
- Solar Ovens STEAM activity - embed SEL questioning and activities from Integrating SEL, chapter 6 egg drop activity.
- Resilience/Grit Activity. Integrating SEL p. 86-87
- Curiosity: A Critical Element: Use this lesson from Integrating SEL, Chapter 6 as introduction to current events learning/teaching.
- Think Positive activities and study Note that several of these activities can be integrated with physical education and music class too.
- Self Control Lessons (Integrating SEL chapter 5)
- The Conflict Within (p.106) - this might fit nicely with the writing program
- Trust Walk (p. 104-105)
- Difficult Choices (p. 105-106)
- Deserted Island (p. 107)
- Reflection (p. 109-110)
