Here is Sean’s suggestion about use of instructional time in a block class. It really is a very useful template, including all of the things one would want to do to keep the brain engaged during a block class. If anyone has anything to add, pls. do so below in the comment fields:
By the way, I just wanted to share that just a moment ago I finished teaching my first class in my new school. It felt so good to be back teaching that I ran down to Linda’s room (she is down one room and across the hallway) and it was so much fun to just celebrate with her. I think I know why it went so well (besides the fact that I just spent a year off missing teaching and wrote a book about it during that time). It is because I had a good plan. I had great structures that fit together so that the PQA I started with today will serve as launching pad for the other two steps* as they naturally occur in my instruction over the next two weeks. I learned something today: when we “like” our structures (field confident in them that they are good, athletic (allow for good TPR) and have potential fun in them, we just feel more confident about the class. What were the structures? enters. sits down, smiles. Anyone who has done this kind of teaching for awhile can see the power in that great combination of three. I suspect that I will be just doing PQA alone with them until Friday. That of course is my segue back to Sean’s template:
1) checking in with gets: activity report,
2) CWC or Special Chair w/ quick quiz
3) extended brain break,
4) introduce new vocab structure and PQA or storyask,
5) extended brain break,
6) reading activity,
7) a “plenary” activity (I had a coach last year from England who used this term “plenary” which basically means an exit slip that has students reflect on the learning done that day)… which I’d often rotate between quick quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks that I’d make up on the spot, a QuickWrite, or a translation exercise.
*Thank you for noticing that I am not going to leave the three steps as my basis for teaching using CI. I will use TPRS this year. It is the money ball, those three steps are golden, the real deal. Why would we not use them when starting a year. Yes, we do the other things Sean lists, but aren’t they really just TPRS?