Trouble in Paradise - Some Lessons Learned

     So, this was me last week.  My hopes and dreams for a smooth transition into planning for the school year were dashed and devastated when I realized it took 3 hours to create a presentation for the first 3 days of school - AND I was basically using the same activities I used for two of those three days.  This was NOT in my plan to make this the year my life didn't revolve around my teaching life.

    I hope part of the problem was that I had to review what I did last year and reformat it into a Google Slide.  Also, figuring out how I wanted my slides to look, adding pictures and videos, etc, added more time. I suspect as I get back in the groove I will get faster at it.

     The other, more critical, problem I encountered were the lessons I had planned to use from Engage NY.  While the lessons are phenomenal and the assessments match the lessons, all the resources are available, etc, I wasn't sure about the text involved. The anchor text for Module 1 was a novel I have never read and would have to purchase for students. In addition, I am unsure how my district feels about teaching novels and getting them approved. Fortunately, the overarching theme and questions from the Engage Module will easily transition into the first unit in the textbook I use in my classroom. While I don't believe in using only the textbook as resource, I found I can use the activities and some questions from EngageNY's Module 1 to teach several texts from my textbooks Unit 1.  This means I have to create some of the activities myself and find or create assessments, but at least I know my instruction will be lining up with the Common Core Shifts - a good thing.

     After I made the decision to use my textbook with outside pre-made lesson plans, I still needed an assessment. I believe in using cold reads for assessments in language arts in order to assess skill mastery.  I went to Achieve the Core and found an assessment that had many items aligned to the standards I want to assess after the first three weeks.  I created a Google Doc with the items I can use, but I am going to put it into a Google Form for the assessment.  It will definitely be faster for students to complete and for me to grade.

      Some lessons I learned:

• Take some time to evaluate what materials, sources, and texts to use. Don't feel bad about the time it takes to do this.

•  It's going to take some time to get reacquainted with creating lesson plans and materials. Allow a grace period to adapt and relax.

• Utilize free resources that are available - either as a model or in their entirety.  This frees up more brain space for creativity, home, and family.

• Definitely start in the summer preparing for the fall. Otherwise the first few weeks of school will be spent in figuring out what to do during class instead of teaching students expectations, procedures, and setting the stage for a smoothly run classroom all year.

While I definitely had hoped this process would go more smoothly, I'm pleased with what I've learned and created so far. It will take some discipline and accountability, though, in order to stay on top of planning.  Besides, there's still the home and family to take care of. I've been working on some ideas to streamline those tasks, though, and will share them next time.

Taking the First Step

 
Beginning to Prep

     A wise man once said, "Every journey begins with a single step." So, I started mine today. Trying to ease back into the work mindset, I decided to start with an overview of what it is I am supposed to teach the first 9 weeks. I know, because I've seen it work, that reviewing standards and writing the assessments before planning lessons is the right thing to do. Therefore, I am denying myself the pleasure of perusing Pinterest and technology tools for a great activity my students will love. Instead, I spent an hour today reading the standards for weeks 1-9, reading the descriptions and tips from my Burke Book, and then dividing those standards into easily assessable chunks.  

     Next, I began visiting websites I know have quality Common Core resources (achievethecore.org, engageny.org, etc) to see if there were any assessments that would match my goals. Very quickly I found a promising option with two poems. However, upon closer inspection, I found it too challenging for my 8th graders at the beginning of the year. I opted to utilize a similar assessment at the 7th grade level for the first assessment 3 weeks into school. While it will need some modifications, the texts are appropriate and there are some good bones on many questions. WIN!

     After an hour I decided to call it quits. My daughter wanted to play outside, and my dog needed some attention. After all, the goal of this exercise is to maintain balance in life.  I spent a total of an hour on school work, which I think is a reasonable expectation for at-home work. While I expect I need to spend more in the upcoming days to prepare for the new school year, I feel pretty good about today's work. I'm going to continue making baby steps over the next 4 weeks so I have a good start on the school year and, hopefully, set myself up for more energy and freedom once I go back to work.  Here's to hoping!