There are 3 basic LOVES/NEEDS/MUSTS I have in teaching. They are what I think most define my teaching style and philosophy.
- Parent Communication
- Know Your Standards/Pacing and Planning
- Tracking & Demonstrating Student Progress
With this post, I am addressing:
STANDARDS AND PLANNING CONSISTENCY
KNOW YOUR STANDARDS
In my opinion, there really isn’t anything more important than knowing your standards inside and out AND the standard of the grade that follows you. My dear friend has had a K/1 combo now for the past few years. Despite its challenges she says it has truly helped her understand what it is ESSENTIAL for her to drive home with her Kinders so they are best prepared for First Grade.
The same thing happened to me when I had a 1-2 combo. Knowing what would not be repeated in 2nd AND what was heavily built upon in 2nd, forced me to be sure my instruction properly prepared my kids.
CONSISTENT PLANNING – STICK TO THOSE STANDARDS
Consistently planning based on your standards and what is essential to learning in the following grade is essential to effective teaching. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the things you’ve previously done in your classroom because 1) you’ve always done it, 2) it’s cute, and 3) change sucks. But, sometimes, you have to. It’s important to assess what’s necessary. It is not enough to say, “Hey it was in the book, so I taught it” either. Most of the time textbooks contain things that have NOTHING to do with your grade-level standards. Far too often, they don’t touch upon MANY of your grade-level standards.
YEAR CURRICULUM MAPPING
I cannot stress enough the importance of laying out all of your standards, the curriculum you are permitted to use, and everything that is mandated – then detail your year. Your job is to get through it all, on time and effectively. If you plan your year so that you KNOW you will hit upon all that you must and provide mastery for all that is essential, you will not only have accomplished your job, but you will have best prepared your students for another successful school year. I use my year planner for this and have done it for every grade level I have ever taught. I like to be able to see all curricular areas year plan/pacing on one sheet. When you are thrown a curve ball and find yourself teaching a grade level you hadn’t expected or with which you have little experience, planning your year is where you start. Yes, there is a lot to be said for taking it day-by-day, but as teachers we are working with a limited amount of time. Day-by-day really isn’t an option in our careers.
KEEP IT FUN AND ENGAGING!
Contrary to what many who have been asked to be “curriculum police” think, that does NOT mean you can’t fit in fun things… or simply *just for fun* things. It just means you need to know where and when they’ll fit. Sometimes it means you simply need to tweak those previously known as *fun things* so they address a standard to two.
Most importantly – you have to work to make teaching standards FUN. Don’t let those curriculum police suck your creativity dry. Standards-driven fun lessons are not difficult to do – especially if you plan ahead. Worried about the curriculum police? Know your standards better than them. Know your following grade-level standards better than them. Show them your plan on helping your children master the standards throughout the year. It’s hard to find fault with someone who knows their stuff and does it well!
A CHEAT SHEET
Language Arts standards are the most difficult to memorize. You certainly cannot plan for each and everyone you cover during a day. Many standards are addressed each day. For that reason I keep an ELA standards cheat sheet handy. One side contains all of the embedded standards that we address on a constant basis. The other side has the ones that are more specific and addressed in more of an isolated manner. This helps me make sure I’m on target and updating my focus wall correctly. It also helps me when I sit down to plan. I always plan 4 weeks at a time and try to make those 4 weeks flow with a consistent focus. Click {here} for a copy of my “cheat sheet”.
