I know it is only the middle of September but I am a "plan ahead" kinda teacher. That being said I spent part of the weekend outlining and pulling materials for October. As I was completing all of this work I thought it might lighten some of your loads if I shared with you.
First, I will begin by saying that the biggest reason I am required to go to such detail is that our district considers the Daily Five as our reading program. Please do not misunderstand here...I think the Daily Five is a wonderful "format" and shares awesome ways to teach kiddos how to read. It is a terrific support for every teacher and the format "although I have tweaked it to work for me" is outstanding. The part missing for me is that I love teaching by themes and one of the most important times of my day is when my kiddos and I sit down with a Guiding Reading Story. I often follow this up with a quick video connection about the topic or a website they can explore while on computers. Book in hand...kiddos sitting and listening...we enjoy the story together. That is followed by a comprehension activity. It might be recall, sequencing, comparing and contrasting, True or False, Fact or Opinion, story to experiences, predictions...the list goes on. This more or less sets the scene for our day. My theme is then followed by a Guided Skill Period which includes either writing or phonics. From there we move to what in my room is the Fabulous Four...Writing, Working with Words, Computer, and Teacher guided sessions with leveled texts from Reading A to Z. The packets that I produce have activities for each and every one of these areas and are topped off with a craft, and mini book for students. The mini books contain vocabulary building and are often interactive.
Now let's begin with a look at October...(Note that most of these products have just been posted. Enjoy the tour. Michele)
We celebrate Red Ribbon Week In October as well as Fire Safety. I also like to include a mini Columbus Day and we also have a Camp Out where we write stories, make smores and sing around a "campfire".
I begin each day with an "eye opener" on the kiddos desk. This gives me time to collect notes, answer questions, and get ready to begin the day. Each sheet contains a review in phonics, math, writing. It is the perfect formative assessment for me!
Week One focuses on Leaves and Fall or Autumn...you in the warmer climates will not find this useful UNLESS you are interested in sharing about other parts of our country and making connections. this unit also has a "Leafy Freebie".
This week also is "fire safety" week in Ohio so we spend two days on Fire Safety and invite the Firefighters for a visit. The kiddos love it!!
Week Two will focus on a Scarecrow Theme. These stories are some of my favorite and perfect for teaching character studies and personification.
Week Three of October has Columbus Day, Camping and another one of my favorite themes...Pumpkins. The pumpkin packet covers informational text and the life cycle of a pumpkin as well as a great lead in to Halloween. Really fun stuff!!
Christopher Columbus has a mini book for students as well as describing items from today to Chris!
The final two weeks of October include a training day for teachers, a record day and Red Ribbon but we make time for fun with some Halloween favorites. For me my favorite is Room on the Broom.
Also each day we use an interactive calendar for mathematics. I have designed it to enhance math strategies and date, weather, temperature.
This has a wonderful freebie which includes an Anchor Chart and Vocabulary cards for your writing center.
And what could be better than topping October off with Poems and Activities. I know you will love this!
It is accompanied by a delightful little freebie.
