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Re: need help figuring out big blocks
Posted by Step/4/TX on 7/16/08

I think you'll be able to get everything in a lot better if you
don't necessarily follow the bell schedule. Do you have The
Teacher's Guide for Big Blocks? It has helped me tremendously!!! It
says that in big blocks, you should be more concerned with how many
minutes PER WEEK you spend in each block, as opposed to 4 blocks
which does evey block every day. In it, here is what they say about
your blocks of time:
SSR: 120-200 min per week
Writing: 150-200 min per week
GR: 150-200 min per week
WWW: 20 min 2-3 days per week
So....If you have 200 min a day, minus 50 min for math, that leaves
150 min a day. I'm just going off of the sample schedule in the
book, but what about something like this:

MONDAY
40 min GR/40 min writing/20 min WWW
50 min math
20 min class meeting/30 min science/SS

TUESDAY
50 min GR/50 min writing
50 min math
50 min SSR

WEDNESDAY
40 min GR/40 min SSR/ 20 min WWW
50 min math
20 min class meeting/30 min science/ss

THURSDAY
50 min GR/50 min writing
50 min math
50 min SSR

FRIDAY
40 min writing/40 min SSR/20 min WWW
50 min math
50 min science/ss

That gives you 180 min of GR, writing, and SSR each week, 60 min of
WWW, 50 min of math per day, 2 class meetings, 2 short science/ss
periods, and one longer science/ss periods for more time consuming
activities. (I would definitely use the T/TH GR blocks to read
content area text so they are getting science/ss everyday!!)

I don't know...You may like what you already have better, which
won't hurt my feelings at all!! But, that's what I came up with!

-HTH!
Steph :)

On 7/16/08, SEL (OP) wrote:
> Brad and Steph, thanks so much for the posts!
>
> Steph, I'd be happy to keep in touch over the school year. I'm
> new to upper elementary, so I konw that I have a lot to learn.
>
> I'll have to think about extending the time spent on word
> study. I was planning on 30 minutes for words followed by 20
> minutes for class meeting. But if my students need more than 2
> WWW blocks every week, I'll have to cut something else out.
>
> I guess I don't HAVE to teach in 50 minute blocks...it would
> just be easier for me to organise myself and it would be easier
> for my students because the bell would signal moving on to
> something new. I just think that hearing a bell that has
> absolutely nothing to do with us would distract me and them.
>
> My day is different every day. But every day I have 200
> minutes of time with my own kids, including a 100 minute
> uninterrupted (except for the bell) literacy block at the start
> of the day. Most days, my students have English for 50 minutes
> (we're a French school, and English is introduced in fourth
> grade), as well as a special area (music, phys ed, computers)
> for 50 minutes. We have a balanced day, so 3 100-minute blocks
> with breaks in between. "My times" are in capital letters.
>
> Monday/Tuesday:
>
> 100 MINUTES LITERACY BLOCK (with signal bell at 50 min point)
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 minute music class/phys ed
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 minute art/English
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
>
> Wednesday/Friday:
>
> 100 MINUTES LITERACY BLOCK (with signal bell at 50 min point)
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 minute music class/phys ed
> 50 minute English
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
>
> Thursday:
>
> 100 MINUTES LITERACY BLOCK (with signal bell at 50 min point)
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
> 50 MINUTE BLOCK
> nutrition break and outdoor recess (school-wide)
> 50 minute computer class
> 50 minute English
>
> So as you can see, I have 16 50-minute blocks (or 800 minutes
> total) to play with. Schedules are SUCH a headache! Any help
> would be greatly appreciated!


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Posts on this thread, including this one


• need help figuring out big blocks , 7/15/08, by fourth grade teacher.
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by brad.
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by Steph/4/TX.
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by SEL (OP).
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by Step/4/TX.
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by SEL (the OP) with a few more questions.
• Re: need help figuring out big blocks , 7/16/08, by Steph/4/TX.