A Typical Day in Mrs. Bates’
1st Grade Panda Class
Welcome to my classroom! Below
is our daily schedule and the things that happen during each part.
7:20-8:00 Arrival and Breakfast
The students will arrive
starting at about 7:20. The buses come at different times. Breakfast lasts
until 8:00 when class time begins. The students take their
folders out of their bags and put them in the folder box.
They hang up
their things in their lockers. If they have a cold lunch, they can put it in
the blue cart.
If they are eating breakfast, they take their meal card. If not,
they still go to the cafeteria/playground area.
8:00 Coming to the Classroom
If it is nice weather, after breakfast the children are on the
playground. They line up outside by class for the morning parade. In inclement weather students stay in the gym until 8:00.
As the children enter the classroom, they tell me the password of
the day.
The helper of the day points to the morning message as we read it and then he or she leads the class in the pledge of allegiance.
Next the students get started on the morning work in their
binders.
Click > Morning Work
I take attendance, lunch and milk count. The helper passes out the sticks. Students put their sticks in the hot or cold lunch
cup.
The helper takes the attendance, lunch/milk slips, and milk
money to the office.
The helper puts the folders in # order and takes out the homework.
The helper waters the plants.
The helper feeds the gecko and cleans and refills his water dish.
The helper chooses a cheer and an exit chant.
If they finish their morning work, students turn it in and use their dry erase markers on the first few pages of their binders.
8:25 Morning Meeting
The CD starts at 8:25 to signal the students to bring their binders to
the carpet.
During the meeting, students follow along in their binders while the helper:
- Adds a number to the calendar.
- Moves the Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow cards and points as we sing the days of the week and months of the year songs.
- Makes a tally or tallies to equal the number of days there have been in the month. They do the same with the fingers.
- The helper can put up a square for the weather of the day and students add to their graph.
- The helper chooses a pattern to finish. I write it on the board so the student can add to it.
- The helper sets the clock. On the hour (1st semester) or half-hour (2nd semester). He or she writes the time on the clock and the students copy it in their binders.
- The helper adds a cube in the number of the day pocket chart and changes the number of ones and tens to match. We complete the number of the day page.
- Finally we read some poems together in the back of the binders. These change monthly.
8:45 P.E. (M,T,W,F) or Music (Th)
I walk the students to the gym. and then start my prep time.
9:15-9:20 Restroom and Drink Break
9:20-9:45 Centers
This is the center pocket chart. The morning centers are in white on the left and the afternoon centers are in yellow on the right. The title teacher takes a group to her room. The title aide works with a group in the classroom. I work with a group and 2 groups are independent on computers or on the carpet with center games/activities. The aide and I do guided reading activities with books, word work, and comprehension activities. The white baskets on the top and middle shelves are the centers. Here are my favorite independent centers:
Click >Phonics QR Codes Center
Click > Roll Say Take
Click > Lollipops Punctuation Sort
Click > Editable Play-doh Word Center
Click > Learning Hunts
Click > Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures
Click > Editable Hidden Words Pictures
Click > Alphabet Soup
9:45-10:45 Reading
When students return, they come to the rug for reading/phonics. During this time:
- Review consonants and vowels
- Add a phonics sound or rule and review the phonics flashcards.
Click > Phonics Cards
- Review the sight words.
Click > Sight Word Wall and Cards
- Heggerty Phonemic Awareness
- Board work: I go over words with the new sound we are studying.
- Students return to their desks and we complete a Saxon phonics worksheet.
- We do some kind of fluency practice like a phonics poem, a paper reader, a Scholastic News, a passage, etc.
10:45-11:15 Writing/Spelling Test (Fridays)
I do a writing mini-lesson and modeling and then we do some type of writing.
This is one of my writing units.
Click > Headfirst Spring Into Writing
11:15-11:50 Recess and Lunch
We started doing recess first and it is so nice! No rush to eat and get outside. And they are all calmed down and have forgotten all the tattles by the time they get back to the classroom.
11:50-11:55 RESTROOM BREAK
11:55-12:45 Math
This is from my Headfirst 1st Grade Math Curriculum < Click
We start math with counting.
Then we review vocabulary.
Then I teach the new concept or review it if it is not new.
Then we have some sort of partner activity or math mat to do a hands-on activity.
Then we do a story problem together. There is a small sheet to glue in their notebooks.
Finally we do a worksheet.
12:45-1:15 Read Aloud/Theme OR Library on Thursday
I keep a stack of books that I’m planning to read on/under my
teaching easel. We do various holiday, science, and social studies themes throughout the school year.
1:15 Recess
Students go to recess outside. In inclement weather, the recess monitor will watch them at the end of the hallway. Not ideal but we don't have an indoor recess space.
During this time, I mark behavior charts for kids who
have made bad choices during the day. They are kept in their take-home folders.
We have snack and milk. I read a chapter book to them while they eat.
1:45-2:00 Centers
Afternoon centers are in yellow. These centers work just like our morning centers.
2:15 Pack Up and Dismissal
Students come back from centers and sit at their desks and wait for the helper to pass out Take Home Folders.
Our dismissal takes about 1/2 hour. First the car rider line goes by (about 2:25). Buses are called over the PA system one at a time. Students wait in seats until their bus is called. They can read or do a puzzle.
I hope you enjoyed seeing a day in my classroom!
