I like my schedule this year. It's very different, and I work with so many different grade levels and kids. I also like working with so many different teachers.
I push into a second grade classroom for a couple of hours every afternoon. Half the time, I'm teaching phonics to a small group of 4. The other half of the time, I'm rotating through 2 groups of 8 kids, teaching grammar and writing.
Last week, we focused on How-To informational writing. The first day, I brought in all the supplies for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I made a sandwich as the kids decided each step. I had a kid record the step, as I performed the step. We made sure to include transitional words, because those help us keep our story organized and in order. Then, of course, we cut the sandwiches into fourths so we could try it. Mm, mmm!
The next two days, we started our pizzas. We reviewed the checklist and talked about the importance of using exact verbs, so people know exactly what to do. I guided them as the kids wrote their own steps and performed the step after writing it. I helped to make sure they included their transition words. They did a great job using the food labels to spell words correctly and with choosing exact verbs, like spread and sprinkle.
The pizzas were made from construction paper. The kids painted some red paint "sauce" on their brown circle "crusts," sprinkled some construction paper "shredded cheese" over their sauce and placed their pepperoni dot circles on top. They really did a great job!
After that, I made a printable where the kids could practice putting events in order, adding transition words, on their own. This time, they were thinking about the steps to washing their hands.
We're staying in the informational writing realm for another couple of weeks, and we're starting a project on BATS.
Stay tuned. Wish us luck!
