what I've done...

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what I've done...
By JulieG04

How HW was handled: We pretty much give consistent assignments: 12-18 math problems nightly, 1 spelling assignment, 1 grammar or reading skill assignment. I tried not to give chapter/unit math tests on Fridays so that students
didn't have to worry about a lot of tests on the same day (I would still give quizzes, just not anything they had to "study" for). This level of HW is typical for third grade in our district.

Students kept their basic materials in their homeroom and transported as needed (we only switched daily for math/language arts--science and social studies were twice a week). Exceptions

were things like A. Math folders (I kept a bin in my classroom) and writer's notebooks (kept in LA room in a basket).

Our school allowed us to either hand over grades to input or have the computer person switch the classes so I could enter math/science grades for both classes. I've done this both ways. It really depends on whether or not both teachers are "on top" of their grading.

We practiced, practiced, practiced switching classes. I would always let my class know that they need to have their agenda/planner out, their reading book or novel, their practice book, homework, and pencils together BEFORE lining up. After the first few weeks, we had consequences for needing to return to homeroom for items like homework or pencils. While I don't like having consequences for procedural things, this kept the disruptions of instructional time to a minimum.

I still had my homeroom. They were with me for morning meeting, self-selected reading, math/science times, lunch, and recess. I felt like I was able to bond with my homeroom but, of course, it is still somewhat different from a totally self-contained homeroom.

I use a "behavior tracker" which lists all of the students in my class and has the days of the weeks and simple codes for behaviors. The tracker travels with the homeroom and then consequences are followed in my room. For instance, I use a moving clothespin system, so the pin would be moved in my classroom for the behavior.

I hope that helps!! BTW, we just got test scores back--the class that was NOT my homeroom scored higher overall in math!

BTW, forgot to say: We had shared planning time and compatible teaching/management styles. Lots of communication and the ability to fly by the seats of our pants when school wide activities disrupted scheduled instructional times.