Routines

There is a purpose to routines in a classroom ... Ms. Leom was home sick two days this week with a cold. When she returned, this view greeted her on her board:

It wasn't part of the lesson plan ... the lesson plan for the substitute said students should read Casey Jones and analyze the text for phrases, what it means, and clues and evidence in the story. Sometimes, when substitutes come in, they come in during the middle of the lesson, don't know what led up to the activity, and it is so foreign out of context that it doesn't make sense or can be confusing.

The students know the unit learning goal: I can determine the author's purpose of the text", and they knew that often when we are reading a longer genre study, we use sticky notes to share our learning and develop our discussion.

It warms my heart to know that our routines matter, that students are engaged and driving their learning, and what we do every day matters.