https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t Summer 2016 en-us 2016-08-24 23:52:00 UTC 2025-11-19 15:31:23 UTC hello@padlet.com geddesb https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119719684 Something I was wondering as I read page 24 was if when mixed-grade classrooms are created, are they created solely based on chronological ages or is there other criteria such as developmental age. "Older fives and sixes, however, usually work well together because fives share the sixes' energetic interest in doing "real" school work. K-1 can be a good mix, therefore, when most of the kindergarten children are older fives."]]> 2016-08-24 23:59:02 UTC https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119719684 geddesb https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119861969 A 6th grade maternity leave I did in another district a few years ago was in a K-6 building where the 5th and 6th graders were departmentalized. They moved among the 3 grade level teachers and switched for Math, Science/Social Studies, and Reading. The 6th graders did it pretty well, probably because they were familiar with doing it from 5th grade. That particular year, they also departmentalized 4th grade. I know many parents were nervous about the change. From the outside it seemed to be going smoothly but I didn't see it first hand every day. "…children should not be shuffled from one classroom to another, one teacher to another, in a way that chunks their day up into short periods. This is especially true in preschool, kindergarten, and primary grades…." I guess 4th grade can be considered an intermediate grade instead of a primary grade. The school must have seen success with doing it this way because other buildings in the district also switched to this model. ]]> 2016-08-25 16:33:35 UTC https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119861969 geddesb https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119873411 "Sleep research in recent years has shown that adolescents do better when allowed to follow their natural circadian rhythms of sleeping later and staying up later." Wood then goes on to say that adjusting the start times of elementary and middle school buildings may have a large impact on how students perform in school.  I've always seen how my students perform their best throughout the morning and the afternoon is where they struggle.  That can be due to needing more movement, food, water, or another reason, but if our school day began a little earlier and ended a little earlier, I wonder how it would change student performance, especially in those afternoon hours.]]> 2016-08-25 17:11:33 UTC https://padlet.com/geddesb/l0i0hgz4608t/wish/119873411