I hope your year is going well. It's a shame that you girls had to
do a 1/2 multiage, I assume, because of space needs, or population.
I have been fortunate enough to be teaching multiage for the last
10 yrs. For our system it was begun as an alternative choice for
first grade parents. Even though your first year is almost over,
think about what worked and what didn't. One of the preferred
criteria for multiage, is not to force students or teachers into
it, but if that's the case, students should be heterogenously
grouped and depending on hoe your inclusion is run, could even
include special needs. The main reason for many places to create a
multiage, is due to budget or numbers. The expectation usually, is
that you'll teach both curricula. This is not multiage, but a
combined classroom and far more stressful. First you need to look
at the required curriculum in both grade levels. If you a system
with certain specific science, social studies and health, then
thats your beginning. Guided reading should be grouped by levels
and the core reading strategies can be covered during reading
groups. Your mini-lessons for reading can be taught to both groups
with the expectation for first and second graders being different.
Depending on whether you are teaching multiage with a partner or
alone, you could split up the math with her. One could teach the
1st grade math and the other the 2nd. But if you're on your own,
start your 2nd graders off with a math review activity, while you
introduce and work with the 1st graders, then when they go off to
work, do your 2nd grade lesson. You'll need to wander and check in
on all of them as they work, or group them in areas to work and
help eachother. Writing workshop can be done the same way as
reading. Do your mini lesson, then establish the expectation of
each group and set up areas for peer work, discussion and editing.
As you walk around and spend time with the students, you'll be able
to help individuals with specific writing strategies. Then the best
part of multiage is the theory that the first year you'll teach the
science social studies and health for the first grade requirement,
then teach the second grade content area the second year. All that
happens is that you differentiate your goals for each group and use
resources and literature during those times and guided reading time
to accomplish the content objective. If you don't have a set
curriculum I'm sure you do have to follow some sort of plan for the
content ares. No matter what, you do one focus one year, and the
other the next. I've only had to teach math together for two years.
I was lucky to have a teacher assistant during math, which helped
me organize the lessons and pacing better. It's also optimum to
have a partner with her/his own multiage neaxt door. So, I hope you
survived this year and please let me know if you need more input.
Get a hold of some articles and work by Dr. Jim Grant. He's got
some good ideas and philosophy that might even help you in a
discussion of the structure of your room and curriculum with
administration.

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