The Best Thinking

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Ever wonder how teachers prepare for the school year? 

Here is how I plan.

I seem to plan differently every year.

I've been in my classroom for the last three days.  Orienting myself to the school, finding supplies and math manipulatives, cleaning out cupboards, moving my materials in, and planning.

I'd like to qualify this by saying that I can only plan so much before I meet my students.  But, I can get a sense of order.  Maybe not pacing, but certainly sequence.  And, I always plan backwards so I can help students review or relearn key concepts, or correct misconceptions that may have been learned accidentally . 

Especially in Math.

This year, I get to teach Grade 7 and 8 Math!  I'm very excited!  If you are hankering for a review of Pythagoras and linear equations, buckle up, because I'm going to take you on the ride. 

Seriously.  I get my jollies from teaching Math.  Math is awesome!

To add to my fun I also teach Core French (Grades 7 and 8) and Drama (Grades K-6).  It's an exciting teaching assignment!

Today, my girls joined me in my classroom,  They got to see their new school, and Miss G even met her teacher.  We sought out some materials, and two small desks and two small chairs for my girls to sit in when they visit my class.  The "big kid" chairs and desks were too large, and the girls made it clear that there should be a place for them to sit. 

I agree.

So, once we were back in my classroom, the girls opened their new lunch boxes and had a snack. 

I played a movie on the projector for them, and got almost two hours of solid work done.

Now, outside of the classroom, at home, I'm sifting through the outcomes for Math for Grades 7 and 8...  

First, I begin by printing all the outcomes on labels. 

Aren't they all pretty like that? 

Then, I put each outcome on its own sticky note.

I love sticky notes.

I can't imagine teaching without them.

They are my number one school supply.

Then, I place every sticky note out on a surface (here, my office wall).

I put them in the original order from the curriculum guide, according to strand.

Then... 

I walk away.  I've read the outcomes.  I've organized the outcomes.  Now, my mind needs to have the outcomes live in the periphery of my mind.  That's where all the good thinking happens you know. 

So, I go to the kitchen fridge to admire Miss G's drawing of Kid Doggie.  He has BIG eyes, you know.  And four legs.  And big ears.  She almost forgot those. 

Then, I look at Miss G's drawing of Miss A.  She has BIG eyes, too.  This was by memory, until Miss A walked in the room, saw it and noticed that she had no hair. So, Miss A held her hair up for Miss G to see, and that is how Miss G drew it.

OK.  Good thinking going on...  Back to the outcomes. 

This was my first arrangement. 

I ignore the strands and pay attention to the outcomes and ask myself "So, what should my students leave here knowing?" and group like outcomes together.  Not conventionally, like with all operations (+, -. /, x) together, but conceptually. 

This does not happen linearly.  It happens in clumps. 

All the best thinking does. 

For example, I put these three outcomes together.  Originally, they were in three different places in the curriculum guide: 

(1) Transformations (2) 3D Objects and 2D Shapes and (3) Measurement

Now, I'm thinking of beginning with tessellations (if you are googling that word right now, just wait to see it in action in a Math room, it's SO FUN!), then moving to right rectangular prisms (i.e. cubes, because you can also tessellate in 3D, not just 2D) and working with nets as well (because some of them can tessellate once flattened).

I might change my mind and do something completely different, but this is a "for example" picture.

You don't have to be as excited as I am.

I'm excited enough for all my students and all of you, too!

I am so pumped right now...  Truly.  I'm on a Math High.

Then I walk away...

Simmer...

Oh, look what's going on in the living room! 

The ponies are playing with my Dado Cubes.

They make excellent houses, you know.   

See?  Miss G walked away from the Dado Cubes and came back to them, ready to play and learn. 

It works.   

The more starts and stops you have, the more efficient you are.

So long as you START again. 

Or restart, if you wish. 

Check out what Miss G is up to.  She really wanted that large cube on top of the medium one, but it kept falling over, so she created a counter balance with smaller ones on the other side.

It worked. 

And she likes how it looks! 

Creative.  Fun.  Discovery.  Learn.

OK... back to the outcomes....

I've changed them around again!  But, it looks like about 4 core concepts.  That's good news.  Good for planning.

Now, I walk away... 

And sleep on it...

But, first, check out how funny our girls were playing with Daddy today.

Miss A found a fun place to sit. 

"You still there, Daddy?  It's me!" 

WOW!  He still has hair!

A-hem. 

My what large eyes you have!! 

Whew!  There are two of them!  What a relief!

(Sorry for the blur.  I was laughing pretty hard at this point!) 

Eli thought she was so silly! 

Monkey see, Monkey do! 

Look at her expressive toes.  She is just loving snuggling with Daddy. 

Whoa!!!  Very exciting part in Dora!  Swiper, that sneaky fox, just swiped something!! 

I think it will be alright.

Just like the school year.