3/4 This is long SORRY

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3/4 This is long SORRY
By cst

This is my second year of teaching a 3/4 combo. Unlike the previous post, we don't usually keep our kids the second year. This year I have more than the 20 max students that the other primary grades have! It is hard to
teach 2 grades. It feels like you are constantly on the go. Parents also want to be convinced that their 4th graders aren't doing 3rd grade work and vise versa. Feel free to email me if you want clarification or need someone who will understand what you're dealing with. Hope you have a great year!Here is what I do:
I use a reader's/writer's workshop format and pull grade level students

for guided reading during the reader's/writer's workshop for language arts. Students use this time to read independently, complete book reviews, word work, journal writes, and response to literature from the guided reading/teacher conferences. I take a break from guided reading and do genre units: fabels, fairytales, trickster tales... Then back to guided reading and an author study for a few weeks. Next, is a literature unit (grade level) finally we end the year with literature circles. During guided reading, I include social studies for the 3rd because they are dismissed earlier than the 4th. When the social studies units overlap or there is a project that is similar we complete it together instead of science. 4th grade completes social studies after the 3rd graders are dismissed. There are huge jumps in the curriculum between 3rd and 4th especially in writing standards. I've created 2 of everything (charts, graphic organizers, etc.) to accomodate the 2 grades. I try to have them working on similar writing genres, but the expectations for the 4th graders are higher and I point this out.