share 1st day plans?
Mrs. Giulietta Garland
I hope you're enjoying lots of rest-up time! I'm working on my first month of lesson plans and am curious how everyone is setting up their first day of school plans. I'd be happy to share what I have so far and love to hear from others. Also, if you have your block rotation ready, could you post that too?
Also - I'm a little confused about how to post things on this group. How do we create files on a Google Group? (I'm only familiar with a Yahoo Group page).
Thanks,
Giulie
Below is a rough draft of what I've come up with for the first day:
Lesson Plan #1 August 23
8:30 a.m. – shake hands, direct children to cubbies and benches to put things away and change shoes. Children stay at bench until all are in.
8:35 “When I call your name, please find your desk and sit down as quiet as a mouse”
“Good Morning and Welcome 1st Grade” (sung)
Instruct: “now sing: Good Morning Mrs. Garland”
Introduce assistant – sing to her
8:40 Song: “Standing like a tree” 3 x
Verse: “The sun with loving light makes bright for me each day, the soul with spirit power, gives strength unto my limbs. In sunlight shining clear, I do revere the strength of humankind which has so joyously been planted in my soul. That I, with all my might, may love to work and learn. To me come light and strength; from me rise love and thanks.”
Sit down quietly (practice, if necessary).
Teach “thinking caps” – we will do everytime when we are getting ready to listen
8:50 Talk about 1st grade, the importance of what they are going to learn, why we come to school – the work we do with our hands. Discuss things that they did with their hands just to be able to come to school this morning. Practice raising hands to take turns to talk, talk about first assembly (line up at the door, new line leader every day for our first month of school, Mrs. Garland will choose children who are ready, quiet, no talking to get in line next,) we’ll sit on the grass next to 2nd grade, listening and looking only, no talking, I will call your name and you will stand up and walk to your 8th grade buddy who will have something to give to you. You will stand in front of your buddy facing the audience and your parents may be there to take photos of this very special day).
9:05 Short straight line/ curve story – Nate Straight and Coco Curve
Draw straight line in the air
Draw straight line on the board
Draw curve in the air
Draw curve on the board
Look to see straight lines and curves in the room
9:20 Water break – explain procedure. Have groups of children go with assistant to the bathroom.
9:25 Line up to go to assembly
10:15 After assembly – have children place their flowers in a large vase (have it by the door so the children can then go to change shoes)
Snack:
“We will eat snack first and then go outside to play. I will pass out placemats and then I will excuse you to get your lunch baskets. You will get your lunch basket without talking and bring it back to your desk and wait for everyone else”
pass out placemats
“I am looking to see who is ready to get their snack” Excuse by desks (or groups?)
Sing blessing:
For the golden corn and the apples on the trees
For the golden butter and honey from the bees
For fruits and nuts and berries that grow beside the way
For birds and beasts and flowers we’re thankful every day
Help the children with snack – walk around and notice what they are eating. Remind to put trash back in basket. Show everyone the compost bucket and talk about what goes in there.
Recess: talk about the “yoo-hoo” signal at our school. Talk about using the bathroom during recess. Change shoes and line up (practice), walk quietly outside.
At yoo-hoo, practice getting into two lines again and walk back quietly with no talking.
Everyone go and get a drink of water.
1st Period: Handwork Class– Explain how to greet special subject teachers – stand up quietly, push chair in, arms crossed “Good Afternoon Class One”, “Good Afternoon, Mrs. Blalock
2nd Period:
Head shoulders knees and toes at desks
Pass out chalkboards and chalk. Show how to “temper” the boards with chalk.
Practice drawing a straight line – I check before they erase.
Practice drawing a curved line – check again.
Free drawing on chalkboard for 10 minutes.
Erase and put chalkboards away. (children keep in their desks?)
Story: Lunsmore of Knockgrafton story
Lunch: go over instructions for getting ready for lunch (same as snack).
After lunch recess sing quiet song.
3rd period – math – plum pits – short story about plum pits – delicious jam that all the plums made (have some to taste?). Distribute counting bags and felt mats. Have them count all of the pits in their bags (12). Make a pattern: how can we arrange the stones? Straight lines? Curves? Create a pattern and then we will have a “gallery” – everyone walk around the room with hands behind back and look at different patterns. Put away – show how to roll up mat and tie it. 2 children will pick up bags and mats.
Free play (during free play, bring each child to their desk and make sure they can sit properly with feet flat on the floor. If not, use carpet squares to make foot rest) and clean up.
End of day (2:20) Teach one chore - we will be doing chores at the end of each day - here's how we sweep outside - have students demonstrate how to do it.
Teach goodbye verse and song. "My day in school is done and now I journey home. All that I have seen and heard and done are seeds that will grow within my soul. And when I am asleep a harvest they may reap." Song: "Sing your way home at the end of the day, sing your way home, cast your troubles away. Sing as you go and wherever you roam, it will lighten your load if you sing your way home."
Change shoes, Line up in one line to go home, shake hands.
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“....We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson