Real-world-beyond-college lesson planning

Another month has gone by without so much as a visit to this blog. Where have I been? In my classroom, to be sure, and in front of a daunting array of three-ring binders. Lots of work accomplished. Still plenty to do. Noticing that I can always find a way to be busy.

I have at last developed a tentative syllabus for the first semester! My biggest barrier to doing this was reading all the text selections, so I got out the audio CD resources.

My basic formula is
- read 1 recommended text per week (five days of 80-minute block Reading/Language Arts)
- identify 2-3 basic literature concepts/benchmarks in the text (eg. plot, author's purpose, theme)
- review/practice 1 comprehension strategy (eg. text features, summarization)
- incorporate vocabulary (eg. context clues, word structure, prefix/suffix)
- Continue working on 1 writing assignment in writing workshop
- hit on everything and anything as soon as the teachable moment arrives
- about 20% of the time, get to know the kids and what they like. Read to them or do what other teachers do that looks fun. I saw the reading teacher doing a balloon toss and I am like hmm... this will work for me. I will make it work.


I've found that I have to merge the curriculum by myself and in my own style in order to prepare my students for their future. I arrange the readings in order by which concepts I am trying to connect, and then pull out the key skills kids need somehow (like vocabulary, identifying text features, understanding cause-effect) and try to hammer on those. Some kids, I realize, will barely recognize what the stories are about. Others, I hope, absorb everything we mention in class and file it in some kind of study machine in their brains! Every time we talk about it could be that first time it clicks for someone.

Sometimes I wish I taught math so that I could teach one topic at a time. Do this with these numbers = blammo. Correct or incorrect. But no, I have chosen to teach Language Arts. I work with reading(!), figurative language, creative writing, and parts of speech. If you think any of these things is straightforward, we need to talk.

Above all I need flexibility, and I know it is guarded dearly by most teachers. It's because some days, things are unpredictable. What I plan will take one day might take three. If we don't learn it the first time, we reteach.

Now to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

p.s. I actually edited the title because of a preposition it ended in!