New Teacher Support & Development
Turning a Routine into Learning
How many times do first-graders line-up every day to leave the classroom? Well, let's see: to go to recess, to go to lunch, to go to the library, to go to the PBIS store -- yes, several times per day!
Mrs. Paredes, first-grade teacher at San Vicente, has employed a creative instructional mode to her line-up routine so that children are learning, even though they do not know it!
Walking by Sight
Mrs. Paredes has placed around the room sticky discs with sight-words and numbers (upper left picture) written on them. The sight-words line the walking perimeter; the numbers indicate the individual sitting spaces in the carpet area. Mrs. Paredes shared with me that these discs serve two purposes: for keeping the words and numbers in students' minds and for management. Observing the students' lining-up, I watched them looking at their words as they stood in place. Then, I observed as students took their places that the word discs provided the means of management: each designating the space for each student to stand in a row with correct proximity to the students before and behind. Such an idea, I marveled!
Thus, several times per day during line-up, students read their particular sight-words; and even if the words had not been taught yet, the students still become familiar with the words by sight prior to learning them. Overall, subliminally, the discs keep the sight-words and numbers constantly in the students' sights. I can only imagine how Mrs. Paredes will use the sight-word discs as the year continues. Kudos to Mrs. Paredes for her creativity!
John Ekelund
Unlocking the Future Today!