Series: Daily 2nd Grade Schedule

Why is this a rough draft? I won't write it otherwise. 

Soft Opening

Zone of Regulation and Desk work

If students come in deregulated they can use tools and strategies to calm down. I have a Zones of  Regulation area in my classroom where students know they can find the things they need to "Get Green."

<Insert Picture of Zones of Regulation Area>

I am all for the #workshits movement. I get it, they are low-level, high-anxiety, and can feel like busywork. However, there are situations in which pencil to paper are an appropriate tool. For me, Morning Packets are that appropriate time. I focus on handwriting and talk to students about digging deep, going slow, and trying hard. 

After we correct together (I use my random number jangle to call on random students to fill in different parts of the morning work under the document camera. In the past, I have had students do better with a predictable schedule (on Mondays, Sara, Hester, and Justice will do the correcting, on Tuesdays, Katniss, Gale, and Primrose will do the correcting.)

After students correct, I give them a non-structured time to clean out their cubbies, sharpen their pencils, do their classroom job, or their table job, or just to check in with a friend. 

During this time, I call students, in number order, to me. I use a laminated class list and a vis-a-vis marker to record their grade, and I write it on their page. (I'll do a post about my quick-grade system in another post, potentially.)

When students bring their work up to me, I give quickie feedback. (I had a kiddo misspelling their name, and another mixing up a few letters.) I've been able to see a lot of growth from these micro-meetings. 

I purchased a first-grade morning work packet. I usually try to avoid TPT and build my own protocols and templates. However, sometimes you gotta push that easy button. 

For $30 I don't have to spend one second of mental energy on how to best spiral review.

First Grade Morning Work

PROS:

  • I chose first grade to make the task more independent.
  • Choosing first grade has allowed me to see the gaps in student learning.
  • Similar pages every day helps students build neural pathways
  • Repeated tasks every day help students build schema and vocabulary
CONS: 
  • Directions are written in small non-Lexend font
  • Since directions are written, they must be explained
  • Takes time to make copies
  • Uses a lot of paper
Next Post-ish Thing: Family Circle and Morning Warm Up

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