A Typical Day in the Panda Class

A Typical Day in Mrs. Bates’ 

1^st 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 (1^st semester) or half-hour (2^nd 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 > Phonics Parking Lot

      Click > Editable Play-doh Word Center

    Click >Headfirst Math Curriculum Unit 1

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.

 1:30 Snack

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!

Charlie, the world's most patient leopard gecko

Are you considering a classroom pet? I have a leopard gecko named Charlie (gender ambiguous name because I think it's a girl but I don't know for sure!) It is 5 years old and still going strong! 

Here are some Leopard Gecko facts that make them good classroom pets:

• They don't stink. This was a big one for me!
• They can be potty trained. Well sort of. They will pick a spot to do their business and if you put a paper towel down there, you can just throw it away. Again-no stink!

• They don't make noise. Not a peep.
• They are nocturnal. This is good and bad. They are not very active during the day so no distractions but they aren't super interesting to watch either.
• If handled from a young age, they do not bite (it doesn't hurt anyway) and are fairly tolerant of touching. 
• They don't require a huge tank. Mine is a 20-gallon fish tank with a mesh lid.

• They don't eat or drink very often so they can be left on the weekends or for a few days at a time on break. Here is Charlie drinking.

• They don't carry germs.
• They aren't messy. They shed their skin but they eat it (gross!) so you don't have to clean it up. Here is Charlie shedding.

Things to consider:

• They eat LIVE bugs. This can be a dealbreaker if you are squeamish. Their diets consist of crickets and mealworms both of which can be purchased at a pet store. I actually can get mealworms at my gas station because they are also used for fishing bait. They will not eat them if they are dead. Here is Charlie eating.

• They aren't really cuddly. They will allow you to hold them but not for extended periods. They can't be left out of their tanks because they will hide.
• They need a heat lamp that must be on at all times because they are cold-blooded and cannot produce their own heat. 

What your pet leopard gecko will need:

• 20-gallon tank with a screened lid. You can use a smaller one at first but they will grow so you may as well get the big one to start with.
• 2 food/water dishes. I prefer these because the worms can't crawl out of it.

• A hiding hole. They are nocturnal and will get stressed if they don't have a place to hide during the day.
• A wet box. This can be a small disposable container like a food container that you cut a hole in and line with a wet paper towel. They are desert creatures but need moisture sometimes, especially when shedding.
• A heat lamp. I only have a night time bulb on at all times because I have sunlight near the cage so it can tell when it is day or night. I have a double light that I used to have a day time bulb and a night time bulb with timers but found it to be unnecessary so I just use the night bulb. Always have an extra bulb on hand for when it burns out because they need constant heat. 
• A cage carpet/lining or special sand. I have only used the carpet because it is less messy.
• A calcium supplement to sprinkle on its food. 

All of these things can be purchased at a pet store and on Amazon.

I've had 2 other leopard geckos at home so I'd be glad to answer any questions about them!