Does anyone else feel that October has snuck on by?! October is usually one of the slow months of the school year for me, but not this year! Perhaps it is because this year I am team teaching with 2 other 4th grade teachers. For the first trimester I teach math to 3 different classes. My class goes to the other 2 teachers for Reading and Content (Social Studies one month and then Science the next month). My class comes back to me and I do writing, intervention, computer lab and library with them. It has been an AMAZING experience so far. There were a few bumps in the road in the beginning but we have figured them out along the way. The kids and parents are also very receptive to it. We have been slowly transitioning into Common Core, starting with math first and I have been trying a lot of different critical thinking, group activities. The kids enjoy them but getting them to persist and not give up has been a challenge. We have been doing my Problem of the Week activities, which they seem to like and this has helped them to defend their answers and preserve.
Next trimester I am teaching Reading… I have been looking closely at Close activities and some novel studies to do. Any pointers, resources, advice or direction for teaching Reading Common Core style would be GREATLY appreciated because we haven’t been trained for Reading yet.
Off to scour Pinterest for some ideas!
My students also like your Problem of the Week activities. Thanks!
-Lisa
Grade 4 Buzz