How I am doing 2 Rooms-How it can help you get organized too!

I am teaching 2 grades this coming year, 4K and the afternoon portion of a full-day kindergarten program.  Needless to say, with 2 rooms, 2 sets of curriculum, 2 sets of standards, and 2 sets of kids I will NEED to be organized.

4k-All Subjects

K-Math, Science, Social Studies, Art

Materials/Copies:  

I will be based out of my 4k Room (last year's room).  I will have two of these carts, one for each room.  The purple one is the 4k drawer and it will sit stationary in the room.  The green cart is on wheels.  I will organized and plan in my 4k room and push my 5K cart with me into that room with my materials.

Assessment:

I will use my assessment binder that I have refined over the past year for my 4k curriculum.  I will observe them or in the formal assessment at the end of each quarter.
make a tab for each student and continue to check off the assessments as I

5K assessment will consist of an assessment binder with a tab for each student.  In this binder there will be my Common Core checklist as well as the Next Generation Science Standards.  (available k-5) as well as other standards checklist that I will check off as I go.

Schedule/Themes:  

I will set up my weekly (or couple week) themes as usual for 4K.  The Literacy teacher has three week book themes that she tends to follow and then I can mix my 4k.  I use my google calendar to create events and then Color code according to grade it is for.  I embed this on our class blog/website.

click on the image to go to the site.

In the 4k room, I have the thematic bins and book boxes in my closet:

In the 5k room, I have the thematic Binders split into seasons:

I hope that these systems put in place at this point (before school starts) will help me run efficiently, and I hope that it helps you get organized and get going as well!  Good Luck!

Apple a Day-Data Collection

I am linking up again with The Applicious Teacher in her An Apple a Day Series! (click on the image).

Since I started teaching I have been struggling with ways to do data collection in an early childhood setting that really was authentic and gave me a good idea of what my students could and could not do.  

I have been refining this through out last year and I think I have something I plan on using for next year.  

I originally had a note taking system I really liked.  This is where I would jot observations down in an direct location that would help me to authentically view my students.   Click here for my folded paper anecdotal notes post.

I then tried a portfolio method in which I kept a project they worked on and then had a check list in which I wrote how they did on it (for these kids it was a :) :| or :( ) in a checklist after looking at all of them.  This worked great, except I would collect things, put them on a checklist form, and then have to put all that checklist information into the report card at a later time.

Then I realized, having notes was great, but what section on the report card does that go into?  How to I make sure I observe each specific learning goal?  How do I know I can fill out the report card for each student and not have to have them stand there and "hop on one foot for me, good, now the other."  The check list was great, but what learning goal did this assignment address again?  Ok this one addressed size order, where is that on the report card again?  That is when I came up with my Assessment Binder.

In this binder I keep all my checklist observational assessment forms.  Each student has one and they are in alphabetical order.  I used tabs made form post it notes for each child's name.  I then put an Observational Assessment form, available TpT in each tab. This is all the areas on our report cards/progress reports in a 4 quarter check list form.  If I observe a student doing something I do a check mark in that area.  That way, at the end of a quarter, I only need to 1:1 assess the things I did not observe "in their natural environment."  If they master something in a quarter, I also know that it does not need to be assessed again, and I can clearly see when they mastered it based on when it was checked off (more than once) on a specific quarter.


Some things, you just need to sit down and ask them if they know: Letter names/sounds, number recognition for all numbers, etc.    I keep a simple checklist to make sure I get to everyone.  In the back, I keep my abc reading chart, colors chart, etc.  That I need to show students in a formal assessment.  I put this in a clear page protector and mark the results with a dry erase marker so I can use it for each student with out having to waste paper (quarters 2 & 3).  I do give each child a copy of their own in the fall and the spring for parents to see progress. 

Our staff is currently working on rewriting our report card, and then our assessment tool (the tool we use for formal assessment, see image above on right.)  Look for the assessment tool to come available on TpT soon (I will be the one creating it for the team). UPDATE!  THE ASSESSMENT TOOL IS DONE! Click HERE.

Since all of our learning goals are going to then change (or even change order), for stream lined assessment filling out, I am going to create a new observational assessment form to make sure they are in the same order as the report card/progress report for streamlined completion. 

Keep an eye out!

I also plan on doing something similar with my new KINDERGARTEN Math Common Core, Science Next Generation Science Standards, Social Studies State Standards, and the social/emotional areas.  As I fit myself into the new position, I will share my creations!

Assessment Tool

Using Dr. Kirst's suggested assessment tool to jot notes. With 31 4k kids and all informal, natural assessment on a play based program, I am already finding this to be an easy tool to write quick notes for report cards. Thanks Dr. Kirst!

You can make on for each subject area, class, standard or however you want to break down information.

To make this you take 1/2 as many papers as you have students (when you fold the number doubles) + 1 for a title tab and confidentiality to cover first students info. I used legal sized paper because I knew I had a lot of students. Lay the papers on a table making each top page a little further down...big enough to write the name on a tab. When they are all layered, fold the bottom towards the top so you see all the tabs. Crease and staple. Super easy!