A Day Our Way Linky Party

Ever wondered what it's like to teach 5 different grade levels throughout the day?  I'm linking up with Amelia from Where the Wild Things Learn to show you what I do all day!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I get to school between 7:15 and 7:30 depending on what time I decide what to wear!! But on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have meetings at 7:00, so I get to school at 6:45.  Here's what the rest of my day looks like: 

Let me walk you through it. 

1. I actually like door duty!  I mean, except when it's freezing of course.  I feel like you get to know kids' idiosyncrasies that way and they appreciate the extra smile or good morning when they need a pick-me-up.

2.  3rd Grade:  I have 3 high-proficiency students and 1 newcomer, so I have Spelling City set up with lists assigned to each student, and they go on and complete one or two activities per day and take the test on Fridays.  I used to do spelling as a teacher-centered activity, but then I bought the premium membership to SC and never looked back!  Right now we're reading Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle and learning to take Cornell Notes. 

3.  1st Grade:  I have 2 Newcomers- (a 3rd grader and a 4th grader) in with my first graders, and it's working out really well.  They are uninhibited to speak in that class as compared to their same-age classes, and the little kids look up to them.  I follow our school's basal series guided readers for the most part, unless it's a dumb one with no educational value, in which case I make my own unit. 

4. 4th Grade: This class is very similar in structure to my 3rd grade class, so my lesson plan is almost the same, just with a different book for guided reading and a different word list.  Right now we are reading Snowflake Bentley and doing some non-fiction writing.

5. 2nd Grade: I have two sweetheart girls in this class- we just read The Three Billy Goats Gruff and did a Reader's Theater.  I have a lot of flexibility here since it's just three of us.

6. Lunch/prep.  I eat by myself a lot, typing with one hand and scarfing down food with the other.  Most of the time I'm prepping for my newcomer class which takes all the energy I have.  A few times a week I meet with my teaching partner, and we try to figure out how to save the world  make ESL better in our school.

7. Newcomer.  I've blogged a lot about them, and I am constantly amazed by the progress they have made in just a few short months.  We have a very structured class, but the repetition with which we follow our routine has helped them learn so much necessary academic and social vocabulary.  I'm proud of them every single day.  

So that's my day!  What does your day look like? Link up with Where the Wild Things Learn!


  1. You definitely have some crazy starting/ending times! Your lunch sounds a lot like mine, unfortunately! I can only imagine how much energy planning for your newcomers takes. You do so much for them!

    Eclectic Educating

  2. WOW! This was such an interesting post to read! I really liked hearing about how you fit all of those grades in during one day! 2 students in a class? That sounds wonderful! 30 can definitely be a lot sometimes! Thanks for linking up and sharing your day :)



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