Name That Schedule Linky and a Freebie!

Charity Preston Aug 19 Freebies

Hi friends! I know so many of you are heading back to work soon, if not already, and we have had some discussions on the fan page lately about classroom schedules. I started thinking about brand-new teachers and how they may not have a clue about setting up a schedule (if that liberty is given to them), so I will walk you through how I have always done my set up! (PS - my way is not necessarily the "right" way, but it is my way which has always worked for me.) :)

1. First, I start with my start and ending times of the school day on a sheet of paper (or even on a handy printable - see below).

2. Next, I fill in my specials times, lunch times, recess, and any other times (such as computer, speech, gifted resource, etc.) that may pertain to my class that year. Those are usually not up to me but are rather handed down from above.

3. From that point, I usually want to cry because I realize how little time I have to teach. But, I digress - I go ahead and fill in my reading block first thing for in the morning (even if there is a break in between). Depending on the district, it could be anywhere from 60-120 minutes, including writing and/or independent reading.

4. After that, I try to find an uninterrupted block of 60 minutes (or as close to it as possible) for math.

5. Last, I try to piece in 30-45 minutes for science OR social studies (I have always rotated every other week or 2 with one or the other rather than trying to teach 20 minutes of each).

6. Finally, I make sure to include 10 minutes at the end of the day for packing things up as it always seems to get away from you if you aren't prepared. And I make sure I have a 10-15 minute allotment somewhere in there for a read aloud - no matter what the grade level. It could be after recess, at the end of the day after packing up (that does tend to get them to move faster btw), or I have even done it first thing in the morning if I had specials shortly after the announcements.

So there you have it - my version of how I tackle the dreaded daily schedule. It really gets hairy if you are trying to coordinate team-teaching with other members of your grade level or if you are a gifted/special ed resource who needs to work with multiple teachers and grade levels (I still have nightmares about those conversations. LOL)

How about a fun way to see how everyone else sets up their schedule? I will place a linky below for different grade levels and if you are a blogger, feel free to write a post and link up your schedule and how you plan it! If you are not a blogger, you can still play too! I have a template below that you can edit, take a screenshot picture of it, and upload to Pinterest. (On the Pinterest pin, please just make sure it links back to this blog post if you wouldn't mind.) From there, you can link up your Pinterest pin to the linky party! Everyone gets to play - and we will get to see some of the good, bad, and the ugly schedules from across grade levels!

Your schedule can either be one you are currently using, one you have used in the past (even if it was horrible feel free to share), or if you are still waiting for your own future classroom, link up what your dream schedule would look like! I am excited to see what you all link up! (As a courtesy, please make sure to add a link to your blog post/pin linking back to this page so even readers that stumble across your post/pin 3 months from now will be able to see everyone's - thanks!)

Have fun scheduling!