Teaching Reading to Two Grades

I know, I am super behind.  I am now a teacher, coach, student council moderator, and a tutor.  Life is CRAZY!!!!

Teaching Reading to two grades at the same time turned out not to be as too complicated as I thought.  In my classroom, I break my class into reading groups.  I meet with each group for 20 minutes daily. 

I have tried two ways in my classroom and chose one that I felt worked the best for my students.  Here is how I teach Reading:

Length: Our Reading block is 60 Minutes.  

Grouping:  I have broken my class up into three groups based on ability.  They are not even groups (6 in one group, 3 in another group, 5 in my last group).  Each group works with me for 20 minutes daily.

• Purple group works out of the 4th Grade Basal Reader
• Red group works out of the 5th Grade Basal Reader
• Pink group is my advanced group.  They read novels that are in the 5th grade to 6th grade level.

Activites:  While I am meeting with each group, I give the rest of the class things to do.  I originally tried to do rotations, but I am not good with keeping on time, so I just put a list of things on the board, with the most important things at the top, and the students just work through the list.  Some kids get them all done, others do not, but they all know they need to get through the first three.  Here is an example of what I give them:

• Vocabulary Circle Maps:  These are thinking maps used to study their vocabulary words.  I have found that these help tremendously on their test scores.  Here is a completed example.

Circle Map Example from a 4th Grade Student

• Journal Entries:  Each student has a composition notebook.  I write a journal topic on the board and they have to respond to it.  I use journal calendars that I found online for the entries.

A Journal Entry and Response from a 5th Grade student.

• Various Assignments:  I then have a list of various assignments for them to do.  They range from vocabulary workbook pages, reading comprehension work, or holiday activities that have language arts background.
• Daily Handwriting:  I use the Daily Handwriting Practice: Traditional Cursive book by Evan-Moor Publishing.  This gives them a short assignment to do every day.  The students are expected to write in cursive in everything they do.

I know it is wordy and I know it sounds complicated, but it works very very well in my classroom.  Ask any questions you have!

First Day and Week

August 20, 2012 would prove to be one of the most anxiety ridden first days of school I would ever go through (or so I hope).  This day was my 6th first day as a teacher and 22 first day all together (as a student and a teacher).  

On the first day of school of my first year of teaching in 2007, I was SUPER nervous.  I walked into the gym that year, and turned around to walk out.  If it wasn't for my roommate/friend Cathy, I don't know if I would have made it in there.  This years first day of school, I was SUPER SUPER nervous and anxious.

When I walked into that cafeteria, I had a lot of confused faces of my 4th and 5th graders.  The 4th graders were happy to have me as their teacher and some of the 5th graders were wondering why both grades were sitting at the same table (if you remember from my previous post, most parents and students did not know about the combined grades).  Let me tell you, their facial expressions were PRICELESS.  

The day went pretty smooth.  The first day always does.  Kids are too scared and unaccustomed to your room to try anything.  We did the traditional first day of school activities, unpacked supplies, and started some learning.  The 5th graders tried to upstage me by interrupting me and finishing my sentences about rules (they really hadn't changed since the year before), but I put them in their places :)

The whole week went really smooth.  I started the routine of teaching the different subjects right away.  I knew, for my sake, that the earlier it was taught, the better the outcome would be.  So, I'll say it before you say it, I worked myself up for nothing.  I enjoyed that first week, and I am still enjoying it today.  Hopefully the same can be said in June!!

Shannon Elizabeth Hoff

The Week Before School

The week before the first week of school I was a COMPLETE mess.  Absolutely a mess.  There wasn't a meeting that I was in where I didn't cry that week or feel like this wasn't going to work.  As the week went on, I really thought I would just hop in my car and drive off.  It was the only thing that felt right at that time.  

What held me there was knowing how hard it would be to find a new job (I had looked all summer and got the same response, "You are over qualified") and knowing that I just bought a car and had to be able to pay the monthly payments.  As the week progressed, I was even more overwhelmed and nervous.  The anxiety had been there all summer and didn't show signs of stopping.  I prayed I would make it through the first day and week.

My Classroom!!

One of the things I LOVE to do is put my classroom together.  It always takes me a LONG time to put up my classroom because I tend to procrastinate and I want everything equally spaced, straight, and decorations balanced around the room (after the first week, anything goes in my room).  This year, I had the timeline laid out.  We were told we had to report back Aug. 13.  So I had one last trip to Tulsa set up from Aug 2-5 then setting up my classroom starting on Aug. 6.  That would give me a week to get it put together before in-service, but then came the email.  We were now starting Aug. 9th!!

So, scratch the trip to Tulsa, and it's time to go.  I started setting up my classroom without a second thought.  I knew I needed to start, because stress was making it hard to do.  It took me all that week, through the in-service week, all the way up until the Saturday that school started.  A long time.  So, here are the pictures of my "Owl-Star" Classroom!!

Inside of my Door.  Owl Tree.  I had fun making this!

Ms. Hoff's Owl-Stars

Vocabulary Wall and Calendar

My Desk

Front of the Classroom

Job Chart

Locker Name Tags

Parent Reaction

Parent reaction to combined grades classes was something I was worried about.  I wasn't really worried about the parents not wanting me as their teacher.  I know, without sounding arrogant, that a lot of past and potential parents view me as a good teacher who prepares their child for the next year.  I was worried that parents would ask me what the plan was for teaching and I had no idea what I would say because I had no clue!!

The decision was made to not tell the parents before the 2011-2012 school year was over.  The decision was to wait until mid-July and have the parents come in for a meeting.  We held a meeting, and only one parent came.  Just one.  She was fine with the idea and had no problems.

A letter was then emailed and snail mailed out.  No one came to complain or say anything.  Come to find out, most of the parents did not read the letter or didn't get it.  Most students came to school on the first day of school and then found out that I was either teaching them again (in the case of the 5th graders) or that 4th grade was now with the 5th grade.  Crazy!!  

There has only been one complaint.  The complaint was I wasn't teaching and just sat and ignored the kids.  My principal said "Not True.  She NEVER sits down.  She is constantly teaching," which is completely true (thanks for the support).  

Overall, a positive parent reaction and no problems 8 weeks in.  Always great to have parent support and understanding!!

From 14 Subjects Daily to 11 Subjects Daily

You know how everyone thinks being a teacher is easy because "You get summers off!"  Well, think again.  This summer was relaxing for about 3 1/2 when I was in Florida, although there were times where all I could think about was teaching two grades. When I got back from Florida, it was basically Mid-July.  Where had the summer gone??  Now was the time to get things moving, going, or getting some idea of what I was going to do. 

Out of all my worrying (and if you know me, you KNOW I worry A LOT) I finally found some good news in regards to the curriculum.  I was going to be allowed to teach one Science curriculum, one Social Studies curriculum, and one Religion curriculum to both grades.  No need teaching two different curriculums in those subjects.  YEAH!!

Once that was settled, I felt a little relief.  Not a whole lot of relief, but a little.  

Shannon Elizabeth Hoff

We Work as One Team

I wasn't sure of much when the school year ended on May 31st.  I still knew nothing after a in-service on June 4, except that I was so overwhelmed and no one really knew what I was going to face come August 20th.  So, off I went for my summer vacation thoroughly confused.

The first month of vacation I was with my mom, whether it was here in Dallas, or the 3 1/2 weeks I spent in Florida (I even survived a Topical Storm).  I really didn't think much on what I was going to do, except that I knew what theme I was going to use for my classroom.  At the end of the year, I fell in love with this Owl Theme.  Now, if you know me, I am obsessed with bright colors, so these were not your ordinary owls.  These were Owl-Stars!

Now, my mom asked me if this was a little young for 5th graders.  Since I had taught the upcoming 5th Graders as 4th Graders, I knew it would work fine.  So I had Owl-Stars and from there, I came up with the secondary theme of working together.  I knew then, that the only way the two grade classroom would work, would be if we were one team or class instead of two separate grades.  So, our mantra for the year is:

WE WORK AS ONE TEAM!!

(They are constantly reminding me of this)

Owl-Stars from Trend.com

Shannon Elizabeth Hoff

The Big News

When the school year was coming to a close, I was approached by my principal about my job for the next school year.  Now, I had a sneaking suspicion that things were going to change for a while, especially since my 4th grade class for the 2011-2012 school year only had 8 students and the 3rd grade class only had 13 (and a few were not coming back).  I was still blown away when I was told that the combining of the two grades was happening and she wanted me to be that teacher.

Three things went through my mind:
1. HOLY CRAP!
2.  I didn't loose my job!
3.  How the heck am I going to teach Math, Reading, English, Religion, Science, Social Studies, and Spelling/Vocab to two grades (14 subjects total), at the same time, everyday, without a chaotic classroom.

It would take me a LONG summer, lots of anxiety issues, and lots of tears before I would think I had an idea.  It would take just about 8 weeks, to figure out I am doing the right thing, and admit that I am actually enjoying it.  Yes, I said it, I am enjoying teaching two grades at the same time.

Shannon Elizabeth Hoff

Two Grades...At the Same Time?

Yes, it was quite a shock when I learned I would be teaching two grades for the 2012-2013 school year.  While I said I would teach both 4th and 5th grade, I was secretly hoping that the idea wouldn't come to fruition, but alas, is is now October, we are 8 weeks into the school year, and I am teaching 4th and 5th Grade.  Every Subject.  At the same time.

I wanted to start this blog earlier in the year, but I have been overwhelmed with work.  I will back blog. So here goes... A Tale of Two Grades.

Shannon Elizabeth Hoff