Schedules

This category discusses scheduling that can help in classrooms.

first-week-idea

As a parent to a first time JK student, I found myself asking him question after question once he got home today.  At first he answered I don’t know and later he shared more about his day. 

As a teacher to new students in a new enviroment an idea would be to send home a little information about their first week.  On a piece of paper create some simple sentences like; I played with ________, I played at the _______ centre. Then, let them illustrate a picture on their own about something they enjoyed. You can call them over in small groups, you can circulate around the room and engage in oral conversation while recording their ideas during play.  When time allows you can take a photo and send it home .  This way they can talk at home about things they actually did!

another-example-of-a-daily-schedule

A colleague emailed me the following daily schedule for her Full Day Kindergarten Classroom.

Children’s Day (Outline)

 ** Times are approximate
** Activities may change depending on day

Entry 8:40 *Arrival *Lockers (coat, boots, hat, mitts etc) put on shoes
*Check backpacks for envelopes/library books) *Find name and match (first/last) *Carpet (name square)
8:45-9:20 *Name square (independent reading – book bags) *Attendance *Reading Chair
*Word Study **Small groups of children work with Teacher or ECE**
9:20-10:00 *Carpet *Group Activity ( ie. book, manipulatives,table explanations)
* Free choice
10:00-10:30 *Snack (children take turns cleaning table after snack is finished) * Free Choice
10:30-10:45 *Tidy up *Carpet *Get ready for recess
10:45-10:55 *Recess
10:55-11:25 *Gym *Gross motor activities  (indoor/outdoor)
11:25-12:00 (11:20) Children who leave for lunch get ready
*Lunch (children remain in classroom for lunch)
*Get ready for Recess
12:00-12:25 *Recess
12:25-1:10 *Come in from Recess *Lockers (coat, boots, hat, mitts etc) put on shoes
*Find name and math (first/last) *Attendance (daily helper picks a friend to take attendance to office *Math Study
** Day 2 double Science period 12:30-1:50**
**Day 5 children attend Library for computer time**
1:10-1:50 *Carpet *Group Activity ( ie. book, manipulatives, table explanations) *Snack
*Free Choice
** Day 3 Library –Book Exchange**
1:50-2:30 *Free Choice *Tidy up *Carpet (name square) *Assist children to get ready for recess
** Day 1 Music**
2:30-2:40 *Recess
2:40-3:10 *Story, songs, talk, children’s choice *Get ready for home time *Dismissal
**Day 4 music**
our-daily-schedule

Our daily schedule might be different than most Early Learning Kindergarten classrooms.  However, my teaching partner and I have tried different ways of making it work in our room, and for us and our students, this schedule works the best.  We do alter it during different seasons, but not greatly.  The main way we adjust it is for the weather.  In the Fall and Spring, we spend more time outdoors.  Our school is in the northern end of Simcoe County, so it can be difficult to get outside as often as we would like to in the winter.  Also, we are on a balanced day schedule in our school board.  We also try to keep large group instruction times to a minimum and focus on small group instruction so everyone gets more out of the program.

9:10am to 9:30am Entry -  gather on carpet, daily graph, review graph
9:30am to 9:50am Independent Writing
9:50am to 10:40am Free Play (we also do small group instructions)
10:40am to 10:50pm Read the week’s short poem.  Review sight words
10:50am to 11:30am Nutrition Break and Recess
11:30am to 12:20pm Music/Gym/Library (depending on what day it is)
12:20pm to 1:05pm Literacy activities in small groups and free play
1:05pm to 1:10pm Handwashing and getting lunches
1:10pm to 1:50pm Nutrition Break and Recess
1:50pm to 2:05pm Large group instruction for math
2:05pm to 2:20pm Math activities that focus on the lesson
2:20pm to 2:30pm Regroup and review the math activity/lesson
2:30pm to 3:15pm Free Play (we also do small group instructions again)
3:15pm to 3:30pm Getting ready for home