The First 20 Days...

    This week I truly realized the importance of the First 20 Days! The First 20 Days is working with the students to establish routines and authentic tasks. This is especially important when it comes to The Daily Five in York Region. Allowing students to become conditioned.  Allowing them a gradual release of responsibility is also important for them to feel somewhat independent when it comes to working.

    I was very fortunate to substitute in a classroom that had little structure from the beginning of the school year. I feel as though everything I envisioned for my own class I was able to let shine while being in this class. I stayed late and came early; making displays and creating structure for a class I knew I wouldn’t be staying in, but to me that didn’t matter one bit.  In the end, I felt like a real teacher in my own classroom and I hope my personal touch will stick with the students and the teacher who ends up with this amazing class.

Here are some of my walls…

Word Wall

Literacy Wall; for reading centre

Family Wall; to build a sense of community

Exit Ticket: Students loved this and it was a super easy way for me to get some formative assessment in/change my lessons for the following days

Math Wall: I forgot to take a picture of it, but it was wonderful and colourful!

Social Studies Wall: Which I made the last hour of my last day and forgot to take a picture too!

I also started a Daily Five wall...

Each of the walls displayed our learning goal, as well as which ever expectation I was hoping to achieve through my lessons. I really did put a lot of effort into making this class something as I would want my own to be, and it was so rewarding! I feel I was able to create more structure for the Grade 2 students as well as establishing expectations and routines for a gradual release of responsibility. If I was there longer I was full of many more ideas! Another huge accomplishment to me was setting up a smart board making technology accessible for all of the students in that classroom; something of which would be difficult for me to live without as a teacher! 

   This is also a really helpful link I took some ideas from during my time in this Grade 2 class:
http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2010/08/14/your-first-days-of-school-classroom-management-checklist/

Pintrest is also amazing...I got my Daily Five inspiration from there.