Our district is struggling with the same issues. What is frustating for me is that we use the University of Chicago math program which mandates minimum 60 minutes per day--that is sacred. In addition to all the other subjects, we also offer Spanish twice a week (board mandate), and social emotional learning is given 30 minutes per day. It doesn't matter when I've said that social emotional learning and building community is such a big part of language arts. SEL was entrneched before I was hired. Add to that the constraints that RTi is putting on, teachers are really struggling and begging for some guidance. Social studies and science are short changed, but to my way of thinking if they can't read or write, students will be even more handicapped. Our last director of learning kept telling the administration that the content will just be woven into the language arts. Of course, that sounds great! But she didn't actually try it. I have worked diligently to add leveled text on concepts that are taught at ech grade level to our guided reading rooms, but that proved more daunting that I thought. I could find multiple leveled text on a few concepts, like mapping, communities in the United States, but I wasn't even close to doing a one to one match for all the concepts that are covered. This year I wrote 2-3 think alouds per week for grades 3, 4 and 5. When I could, I matched the non fiction to the curriculum, but the think alouds were also designed to "hook" students. So, what seemed like an easy directive from the director of learning to integrate social studies and science, actually became too time consuming. Finding the materials was by far the most difficult part of writing the mini lessons. Carol Carlson Language Arts Content Specialist > This is helpful. I do spend about 2 hours a day on ELA (Word Study, > Writing > and Reading), which I do not feel is enough. Math gets an hour. There are > 20 minutes spent in transitions from homeroom to enrichments and > end-of-day > pack up. That leaves about 40 minutes a day for science or social studies. > I was feeling guilty that I could not give sc/ss more time, but it is > helpful to know someone else makes the same choice. > > I do weave social studies literature into reading and writing whenever > possible, but 4th grade is primarily map skills, so that is very difficult > to weave into reading/writing. > > Thanks for letting me know I am not alone here. > > Andrea > > [email protected] wrote: >>I teach 4th grade on Long Island, NY and find it impossible to teach it >>"all". 4th grade is a huge testing grade - 4 standardized tests to >>prepare the students for. Plus we have children rotating out of the room >>for instrumental lessons, remedial reading, AIS math, speech, OT, PT, et. >>The gaps are huge, but no one wants to listen. They just keep throwing >> more >>and more curriculum at us. >>I try to stick to ELA all morning (9-11:30 approximately). Math is after >>lunch, then there's a prep period, and I then get to choose which subject >>I want to cover in the 42 minutes left to me. Oh, and every 6 days, we >>have chorus in those last 42 minutes. Social studies is easier for me to >>cover, because I can very often integrate it into my ELA block also. >>I don't know if this helps you at all, but I feel better having put this >>out there. >> >>Myra Brand >>4th grade >>Plainview, NY >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: Andrea Jenkins <[email protected]> >>Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:13 pm >>Subject: [MOSAIC] Time, oh time >>To: "'Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group'" >><[email protected]> >> >>> Friends: >>> >>> >>> >>> The topic of time is always a big one, and I apologize if this has >>> been a >>> repeated discussion here. In limited hours during our day, how do >>> you find >>> time to teach all subjects? About how much time do you spend on >>> writingworkshop, reading workshop, social studies, science, word >>> study, and math? >>> >>> >>> >>> Strategy instruction can so easily get lost if time is not >>> dedicated to >>> this. >>> >>> >>> >>> Administrators: how have you handled the time conflict? Do you >>> emphasize, or >>> put priority on one subject over another? If so, how is this handled? >>> >>> >>> >>> Many thanks, >>> >>> Andrea >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mosaic mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. >>> >>> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. >>> >>> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Mosaic mailing list >>[email protected] >>To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. >> >>Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. >> >> >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > >
_______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
