First Grade Math Block in September

I'm starting to get a better sense of what first graders can and can't do.  Of course, every class and every child is different.  There is a range of abilities in my room, and overall this class is known as being a pretty good group.  But I'm feeling more like a first grade teacher than a fish out of water.  Here are some things I tried in math that did and didn't work in September.

"Take out your workbooks, everyone."

Now, first of all, I'm not a workbook kind of person.  They have a place, but I did lots of hands on activities and games in fourth, and I want so badly to be that teacher that does just as many, if not more, in first.  But I can't do it overnight.  Not every day, anyway.  So there were a couple days that I just didn't have a new game for them and we used the workbooks.  Let's just say it did not feel as though they were engaged in their learning.

So I asked my partner teacher for some guidance on how she structures her math block.  First, she explained, "Six minutes of direct, whole class instruction is all their little brains can handle at this point in the year." 

Whoa.  It makes sense, though.  Fourth graders shouldn't be lectured to for more than ten.  I need to be really careful to mix things up. 

She also told me that splitting the class helps.  Have half the class do the workbook while the other half plays a game with me.  Then switch. 

This made perfect sense to me.  Giving them a change of scenery from rug to desks was a strategy I used in fourth grade; I just needed to be doing so even more frequently.  I guess I was worried about all the transition time back and forth, but honestly they're not so bad at it.  I have developed a system of attention getting and releasing (a post for another day) that works very well for this group, for now. 

I was also worried that I couldn't be in two places at once.  What if a child was stuck on the workbook page?  I realized that what I needed to do was basically teach the workbook page in those 6 minutes.  I needed to show them the exactly layout of information (if there's a line, draw a line.  If there's a box, draw a box.  If there's a circle, draw a circle.  If the illustrations are above, draw them above). 

Voila!  Here it is, the 6th week of school, and they can work independently. 

I'm really starting to look forward to the day that we have lots of centers in reading and math.  I still feel like I'm not reaching my struggling learners enough; I'm still doing too much whole class instruction over the course of a week.  But I also feel like I'm making progress working toward this goal.  And I'm able to forgive myself for now, because even an experienced teacher like my partner teacher is not doing centers at this point in the year.  In first grade it's important for them to learn the routines during the first six weeks. 

Once again, I feel really lucky to have a supportive partner teacher.  I know what it's like to have a difficult one (makes your job dreadful) and I know what it's like to have a more hands off one.  That I could handle.  It's easy when you're experienced.  But it is true that having a great teaching partner can make your job SO much easier.  I think in my next post I'll write more about how I've made an effort to make sure I'm not the only one benefiting.

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