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!
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