First Grade Schedule

Here is our (tentative) schedule for Ms. Berger's first grade class:

8:05-835 Workshop Way/ tasks/ reading lists
8:40-9:00 Phonograms and new phonics rule
9:00-9:30 Writer's Workshop
9:30-10:00 Daily 5 round 1
10:00-10:10 Bathroom breaks
10:10-11:05 Whole group reading instruction (Journeys)
11:05-11:15 Recess
11:15-11:35 Lunch
11:35-11:45 Bathroom breaks
11:45-12:00 Read aloud/ calendar
12:00-12:30 Daily 5 round 2
12:30-1:15 Math
1:15-1:30 Spelling
1:30-2:00 Daily 5 round 3
2:00-2:15 6 Traits Writing review
2:15-2:25 Snack
2:30-3:00 Arts block
3:00-3:30 Arts block
3:30-3:45 Pack up/ jobs
3:50 Dismissal

Alternative Seating

Desks and chairs were the bane of my existence last year.  All year long kids were tipping, wiggling, falling out of- come on, you know- their chairs.  On top of it, since I teach first grade it was the first time they had a desk... so they were secretly cutting, gluing, playing with toys, anything but paying attention- in the secrecy of their own desk.  Teaching kindergarten last year, it was my first time with desks as well, and let me tell you, I was wondering what all the hype was about.  Thats why when I got moved into my new itty bitty room I said "There's  no way I'm putting 20 desks in here!"  Seriously.  That would be my whole room!  And you could only tetris them  in one specific way to make them all fit!  No thank you!  I went with tables.

Not only that, I went with two tables.  Like- as in, seating for 8.  Now add my horseshoe table for small groups and you have seating for 13.  I'll have 20 kids.  But it's okay because I'll be doing alternative seating.  When I went to the Daily 5 conference last month and one of the sisters, Joan, said that she only had seating for half of her students.  She uses alternative seating... in fact, she said that all of the classrooms in her school use alternative seating.  If it works for them, it will surely work for me.

Think about it.   If someone told you that you have to exhaust your stamina reading books and practicing writing, where would you choose to tackle this task?  I would choose my bed.  Seriously. I love reading or writing while propped up in my cozy bed... I'm there right now!  I'm guessing not that many people chose to work in rigid plastic chairs at a table or desk, right next to others who were more than likely audibly mouthing their own stories to themselves.  Why should we expect kids to do it??

By letting a child sit/stand/crouch in a spot that is best for him, it will completely change his ability to work independently in reading and writing.  Meaning, it will make him a better reader and writer!  Who doesn't want that!!

A Pediatric Physical Therapy study conducted in 2006 indicated that when a group of children diagnosed with ADHD were given alternative seating instead of school chairs they paid better attention and scored higher on standardized tests.  When kids with an extra amount of energy are given the freedom to sit the way they choose, and switch positions freely, they are more likely to be engaged than if they were forced to sit a certain way for a long period of time.  Take it from me, a person who has struggled with ADD since grade school myself, this is HUGE.

Apart from the academic benefits, there are also behavior benefits.  Children that are constantly out of their seat can feel at ease in their new comfy spot, and will more likely remain there for longer.  Kids that prove to always be a distraction will be more engaged, so they won't take learning away from others.  Kids that get tired and ornery half way through the day are more likely to stay alert.

Other benefits include:

x      It creates a community in the classroom.

x      It forces kids to be more organized.

x      It fosters independence.

x      It helps develop metacognitive skills.

x      It's so stinkin' fun!

Stop by later, and I'll show you some pictures of what I'll be using for my alternative seating!

Here is a few articles on the benefits of alternative seating:

What? Not every student has a Desk? --The Sisters talk about their own experience with alternative seating.

Students stand, balance and bounce to learn -- An news report about alternative seating in the classroom.  A lot about standing at tables.

Standing Room Only in Classroom of the Future -- This study conducted by the Mayo Clinic was set up to study the effects of "no seats" on fighting obesity in a classroom.  Scroll to page 4 for the article.

Teachers, parents favor exercise balls in classrooms (with video) -- A news article that shares the benefits of a "chairless classroom".

Effects of Alternative Seating on the Academic Engagement of Children With Autism  -- Just the  abstract.

Alternative Seating Brain Research -- Benefits of using stability balls instead of chairs.

Health Benefits of Alternative Seating -- Health benefits for adults using alternative seating in the office.

This post was taken from my other educational blog : http://thereadingrug-funinfirstgrade.blogspot.com/

The heaters are broken here at ACAA, so I am writing this as I am huddled under a blanket in the corner of my room.  IT IS FREEZING IN HERE!

It should be fixed by Tuesday... I hope!

Here are the last couple of newsletters:

12/3/12 newsletter

12/10/12 newsletter


Hope everyone else is staying warm!

Ms. Berger

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving Break!  As always, mine was too short, but I FINALLY got caught up on some much needed rest, so for that I am thankful :)

Here is the past couple of newsletters that have gone home.

11/12/12 Newsletter (even though it says it is for the 5th, it lies...)

11/26/12 newsletter

Take care,

Ms. Berger

Well, we have made it to the second quarter.  This is no easy feat for a brand new school (and a teacher that is new to the grade level)!  But here we are, and looking back, it really has been quite an experience so far.  Many things have been slow to start, as they usually are when doing new things, but overall, I am really happy with the way things are headed.  Are we perfect?  No, but we trying our best, and that is all that matters.

Parent teacher conferences are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.  That means on those days we will have half days.  Also, on those days, we will be using a BIG chunk (2 hours each morning) to go and rehearse our big music performance in the high school auditorium.  That leaves me with one hour in the morning, and one hour in the well, I guess it would be late morning to do actual academics.  Needless to say, I don't have very heavy stuff planned for this week.

Also for this reason, we are not having a fall (or halloween) party.  There is just simply no time for it.  Kids should not wear their costumes to school.

Here is a copy of our newsletter for this week.

10/29/12 Newsletter

I hope everyone has a safe and productive week!

Workshop Way

Here is a post from my other blog that might clear up confusion about Workshop Way and our school's philosophy :)

August, 2012

Well I have had a very busy summer, between working (mostly) full time at a day care as a full time float teacher (just for extra summer $$$ :)), and switching to a brand new school, attending the required trainings, setting up my new classroom, and just trying to wrap my mind around the philosophy of my new school.

That's not to say that I do not agree with it, or that I do not wish to incorporate the ideals, because it is actually quite the other way around.  I really find the whole thing to be very powerful in theory, beautiful even! It is just that it is very different from many things that I have learned in college, and it is CERTAINLY different from what I saw at my previous public school.  But as I have said in previous posts, I am teaching at a Charter School so they can be a bit more "Out of the Box" when it comes to this type of thing.

It's called Workshop Way (r), and it is based on the work of Grace Pilon.  I just finished a five day training on it, and immediately searched the world wide web for anything, ANYTHING about this program from teachers who have embraced it.  What I found was very vague, limited information that seemed to leave readers more confused than when they started.  Even when I took to the blogging community, it was essentially unheard of.

However, I understand it, at its core, and while it is somewhat confusing at first (and still can be-at times) I really do believe in what the message is here behind this program, and that is that you can't leave Human Growth up to chance.  Meaning, you have to teach students how to live their lives as "fully dignified, intelligent human beings" as Grace Pilon would say.

"It is a way for students to learn how to learn, how to think, and how to manage their lives"

The easiest way to explain this is to take the words straight from her mouth from a quote in an article called The Workshop Way to Student Success.  She says that Workshop way is

"a way for a teacher to organize time, content, and materials so human growth is not left to chance.  It's a way all teachers can give all students the condition that release their remarkable human potentials.  And it works with all students because it does not depend on where students start.  Neither does it depend on prior learning of students or on the background of teachers."

I highly recommend anyone to read the full article above, as it will give you much more information than I can at this time.  Admittedly I still have such limited knowledge on the subject because I have not  taught, or lived rather, this philosophy.

What I can say about it is this.  In my classroom I will be hanging six of the philosophy signs:

Everyone has the right to time to think.

It takes COURAGE to be willing to risk.

We are FREE to make mistakes while learning.

We RESPECT the rights of others.

We don't have to know everything today.

It is intelligent to ask for help.

My students will be familiar with these mantras, and understand them as universal truths inside our classroom.

I will also be setting up tasks for students to be doing independently while I meet with each individual student to listen to their homework, which is a list of vocabulary words and phrases that they read fast in order to develop fluency, word meaning, confidence as a reader, and accountability for studying the list each night.

The homework comes in a pack that my school ordered from the company, as well as the ideas for the tasks.

You can order these items here. 

I will be posting more information about the tasks, homework, and overall climate of my new classroom as everything progresses.  I have a feeling that this year is going to go a lot more smoothly than it has in the past because of this program.  It's all about taking the fear out of taking risks while learning.  We will see how things go!

Please let me know if I have violated any copyright laws with this post, and I will do what I can to fix it!  Like all of my students, I am still learning too!!

October already?!

AHH!  It is October already, and I have not made one single blog post onto my classroom blog!  I thought that I would be good at updating my blog from time to time, but this year has left me with little time to do things of this nature.

I think maybe I'll catch up now.                :)

First grade has been a very welcomed challenge in my life.  I think that it fits me much better than Kindergarten did last year.  That being said, it still feels a little bit like Kindergarten since it is so early in the year, and the kids still need so much of my help.  I'm not worried though, because I know that as the year progresses they will become much more independent.  (That being said, I CANNOT WAIT! ;))

Things are finally starting to run smoothly, and the behavior problems are beginning to work themselves out.  I want to thank Terri and Esi for their hard work in the classroom.  Without them, this would have taken much longer!  They have been in almost every morning to help with workshop and homework.  They are truly a blessing!  Thank you both!  Also, I want to say thanks to everyone who has donated anything to the classroom for our use.   We have gotten many things from reams of paper, to snacks, to pencil boxes.  If you have something that you wish to donate, please send it in with your child.  We are looking for white board markers, healthy snacks, reams of paper, bandaids, and prize box toys.  Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated, however please don't feel obligated.

Below I am attaching the newsletters so far from my class.  On these you will find the topics we are studying, tutoring information, spelling lists, and important upcoming dates.  In the future I hope to have the newsletter posted every week, so check back often.

8/20/12 Newsletter

8/27/12 Newsletter

9/4/12 Newsletter

9/9/12 Newsletter

9/17/12 Newsletter

9/24/12 Newsletter

10/1/12 Newsletter

10/15/12 Newsletter

10/22/12 Newsletter




Also, here is a copy of our Student Handbook, First Grade Syllabus, and Welcome to First Grade Letter.

Please feel free to email me at emily.berger@edkey.org if you have any questions, concerns, or comments!

Emma Berger