Off to a Good Start

We’re two-and-a-half weeks into the school year, and things are going well in room 209! Our first week of half-days was spent learning school routines and getting to know one another. (Having half of the class at a time has really helped me to get to the kids a bit more!)

Last week, we began our academic work by launching our class library (which we’re using very carefully: one person at a time, sanitizing hands before “shopping”, and books stay quarantined before being reshelved). We also discussed how independent reading should look. On our off-cohort calls, we had initial reading conferences, in which students shared what they are reading at home, explained what’s been happening in their book, and read a bit of their book aloud to me. It’s a great way for me to get to know the kids as readers!

In math, last week, we reviewed place value to the hundreds, and I introduced the concept of expanded form on our off-cohort calls. I also met with each student for a math fact fluency conference in which we worked on basic addition facts. I’ll continue to work with students to determine what skills are appropriate for them to practice at home.

This week, both cohorts are working on place value into the millions, converting between standard form, word form, and expanded form, and using hundreds charts in math. In ELA, we’re brainstorming ways in which we choose books and are beginning our first writing project of the year. We’re holding reading groups to focus on non-fiction text features during our off-cohort calls.

In an upcoming post, I’ll explain more about how I’m structuring the week, given the unique scheduling constraints we’re facing right now.

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss