Time Management

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Fifth Grade Teachers Chatboard

Time Management

by loriNC

Oct 16, 2011

I am new to fifth grade and I am teaching language arts and science. I have 90 minute literature blocks everyday. I trying to figure out how to best manage my time. In each class, I have readers that range from a first grade level to a seventh grade level. I really need to work on grammar as well because, as I have been reviewing, I have come to the shocking realization that these kids do not know how sentences are structured and how words work.

I also need to work on comprehenshion because they all a problem with this.

How can I get the most out of my time?

Thanks,

loriNC

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Sara On 10/16/11, loriNC wrote: > I am new to fifth grade and I am teaching language arts and > science. I have 90 minute literature blocks everyday. I > trying to figure out how to best manage my time. In each > class, I have readers that range from a first grade level > to a seventh grade level. I really need to work on grammar > as ...See MoreOn 10/16/11, loriNC wrote: > I am new to fifth grade and I am teaching language arts and > science. I have 90 minute literature blocks everyday. I > trying to figure out how to best manage my time. In each > class, I have readers that range from a first grade level > to a seventh grade level. I really need to work on grammar > as well because, as I have been reviewing, I have come to > the shocking realization that these kids do not know how > sentences are structured and how words work. > > I also need to work on comprehenshion because they all a > problem with this. > > How can I get the most out of my time? > > Thanks, > > loriNC

Maybe set aside one day a week or a part of several days to read to them - there's a wealth of research that shows reading aloud to any age student is good for comprehension - or have them listen to a well-read short story if you're not comfortable reading aloud. Set up the premise of the story to foster their comprehension of it. Focus on concepts and the movement of the story rather than the details. Remember that in science and social studies they're usually asked to focus on small details rather than a grasp of the concepts so that's how they approach Language Arts and reading a story as well. In science they'll be asked - at what temperature does water boil but no one asks - why does water boil? Tests in science and social studies will require them to memorize rather than understand.

But you want them to understand a story and to feel the emotions it gives rise to and that's wonderful but it's also very different than how they're asked to approach reading in their other classes. Simply telling them and distinguishing for them that literature falls into two broad categories - expository and creative and that we can and likely should approach creative writing in a very different way than the way in which we approach expository writing.

Another wealth of research suggests that we foster comprehension by telling them the genre of the story/book ahead of time - do they 'get' genre? Every folktale follows a structure, so does every short story. Breaking down the structure so they know what's coming next fosters comprehension.

How is their speech? Do they speak in fairly comprehensible sentences with reasonable grammar?

I like devoting a day to writing/ grammar one day a week but others say differently and they like breaking up their 90 minutes into different activities.

Oct 18, 2011

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