Color Code
🔴 Only you — cannot be skipped🟢 Can happen simultaneously🟡 Get ahead — do on prep
Day at a Glance
🌅
Morning Work
Math practice page at seats
🔴
Phonics
M2 L4
🔵
Math
U2 L4
🟡
Shared Reading
Being Different Rocks! Bi
🟣
Writing
Unit 3
🟢
Read Aloud
After lunch · Every day
⚡
Snap Word
as
📋 Prep Box
🔴 Before Students Arrive
- Math practice page at seats ready at every seat before first student walks in
- Sheep timer set and counting down
- Phonics Module 2 Lesson 4 slides open on smartboard
- Letterboards and tile bags at every rug spot
- Math manipulatives for the lesson hook staged and ready
- Being Different Rocks! Big Book visible on your chair
🟢 Another Adult Handles
- Circulate during morning work — quiet redirects only
- Confirm letterboards have correct letter tiles
- Restock supplies and morning tubs
- Pull materials for SS afternoon block
🟡 On Prep Today
- Log guided reading observations — who needs a pull tomorrow?
- Update I&RS documentation if applicable
- Check parent messages — respond to any unanswered
- Preview tomorrow's lesson before leaving today
🌅
Arrival · Thursday · Math practice page at seats
9:20 · Work already at seats · Sheep timer counting down · Students begin immediately
9:20–9:40
Stand at the classroom door. Greet every student by name. Eye contact. Their name. Every student. Every day.
SAY to each student: "Good morning [name]! Math practice page at seats is at your seat — go ahead and get started."
⭐ SHEEP TIMER: Already counting down when students arrive. When it goes off — students should be at bumblebee spots already. Not walking there. Already there. If they are not — walk to your spot and begin without them. Students who miss it will not miss it again.
Another adult circulates — quiet check-ins — redirects off-task students without interrupting teacher greeting.
🔴
Morning Meeting + Phonics · Module 2 Lesson 4
Consonant n — /n/ sound · net-nap-nod-nut-nip · slides + magnetic letterboards · slides+letterboards
~50 min
RF.K.2aRF.K.2bRF.K.3SL.K.1
Phonics Focus
Consonant n — /n/ sound · net-nap-nod-nut-nip · slides + magnetic letterboardsSheep timer → bumblebee spots → Thursday greeting → Activity 1 → Activity 2 → sing to smartboard spots → morning message → letter sound cards → phonics lesson → brain break → math.
⭐ THURSDAY — LETTERBOARDS: Letterboards and letter tile bags already at every rug spot before students arrive. 'Eyes on me — when I say go, you may open your tray. Not yet. Eyes on me first.'
⭐ ORDER — ALWAYS: Sheep timer → bumblebee spots → greeting → PA Activity 1 → PA Activity 2 → sing to smartboard spots → morning message → letter sound cards → phonics lesson → brain break → math. Same every day. Students knowing what comes next IS the behavior management.
Activity 1 on bumblebee spots — phonological awareness — 2 minutes.
SAY: "I am going to say a word. Tell me only the first sound. Just the first sound — not the whole word. Ready? [Say 6-8 words — mostly words starting with today's target sound, 2 distractors.] Thumbs up if you hear the /c/ sound at the beginning. Thumbs down if you don't."
Activity 2 on bumblebee spots — blending and segmenting — 2 minutes.
SAY: "Now I say the sounds separately — you blend them into a word. Ready? [Give 4-5 CVC words in separate phonemes.] Now reverse — I say the word, you tap the sounds on your fingers and tell me how many."
Sing to smartboard spots → morning message → letter sound cards → phonics lesson.
🎵 SING: "Smartboard spots, smartboard spots, find your smartboard spot!" Song is the signal — not your voice. Never your voice.
MORNING MESSAGE: "Today is Thursday. We will use our letterboards. Our snap word is [as]. Look at our schedule." [Point to every block on the posted schedule. Name each one out loud.]
Letter sound cards — 3 minutes — every card — every single day — non-negotiable. Hold up each card. Students call out the sound. No exceptions. Not even on test days. Not even on Halloween.
Phonics Lesson — Consonant n — /n/ sound · net-nap-nod-nut-nip · slides + magnetic letterboards
Alphablocks →
SAY: "Today we are working on consonant n — /n/ sound. Watch me first — then you try. I will show you the whole thing before you start." [Model explicitly. Show the letter, say the sound, build a word, read the word. One complete example before students try anything.]
🧰 WAIT TIME: After asking a question — count silently to 10 before calling on anyone. 10 seconds feels endless. It is the difference between 3 students answering and 22 students thinking.
Snap Word — "as" — introduce and add to the snap word wall.
SAY: [Snap fingers] "Snap word! The word is AS. Spell it with me — AS. Write it on your letterboard. Write it again. One more time. We now have these snap words: a, the, as. You know all of them in a snap."
Add to snap word wall. Count the words on the wall together.
Brain break — 2 minutes — before math.
Mirror your partner — but today: one person leads using ONLY their eyes and face. No body movement. Can your partner mirror just your facial expressions? Surprised. Thinking. Proud. Confused.
GoNoodle →
🔵
Math · Unit 2 Lesson 4 · Compare groups to 10 — counting on to compare · which strategy is faster?
Hook bumblebee spots → mini lesson smartboard spots → seat work timer → 2 rotations × 20 min
~75 min
K.CC.C.6 K.OA.A.1
Objective
Compare groups to 10 — counting on to compare · which strategy is faster?Hook on bumblebee spots — 3 minutes — spark curiosity — do NOT teach yet.
SAY: "Put two groups of cubes: 7 and 9. 'I could count every single cube to figure out which is more. Or I could count on from the smaller number. Which do you think is faster? Let's time both ways and find out.'"
🎵 SING: "Smartboard spots, smartboard spots, find your smartboard spot!"
Mini lesson on smartboard spots — 8 minutes MAX — manipulatives — original script — no alien videos.
SAY: "'Method 1: count everything from 1.' [Count all 16 cubes] 'That took a while. Method 2: I know the first group is 7. I count on from 7 to get to 9: 7... 8, 9. Two more. So 9 is more than 7.' 'When we compare groups, we can count on from the smaller number to see how many more the bigger group has. This is a smarter strategy.' Practice 3 more examples. Students choose which method to use on their recording sheet and explain their choice."
🧰 8 MINUTE RULE: Hard cap on whole-group instruction. If more time is needed — take it at the teacher table during small groups. Extending whole group = more off-task behavior, not more learning.
Numberblocks →
Brain break (2 min) → seat work with visible timer (8 min) → groups.
SAY: "Timer starts now — 8 minutes. Finish your page. When you are done — flip it face down, both hands flat on the table. That tells me you are finished without a word."
⭐ TIMER CONSEQUENCE: Timer goes off. Student not finished. Quiet private conversation: "What happened? Were you focused?" Consistent every time. That is what makes it real.
2 rotations × 20 minutes — 4 groups of approximately 5-6 students.
Teacher table: Students bring seat work. Work through problems with manipulatives — linking cubes, counters, barrel of monkeys. "Show me with the cubes first — then write the answer."
Adult 2 table: Same worksheet, same manipulatives, same quality of instruction.
Math shelf: Independent game for current unit. Students already know the routine.
SuccessMaker: Log in. Headphones on. Independent.
🧰 NON-NEGOTIABLE: Math must finish before paraprofessional lunch — approximately 11:45. Cut seat work if needed. Math does not bleed into writing or shared reading time.
🧰 ASKING FOR HELP: "I don't understand how to ____." That is the only acceptable form. "I don't get it" gets redirected every single time.
🟡
Shared Reading · Module 2 · Big Book + Closer Look + myBook
Being Different Rocks! Big Book · Essential Question: What makes each of us special?
~38 min
RL.K.1RL.K.3RL.K.7SL.K.2
Essential Question
What makes each of us special?Big Book — reading detectives — stop on 3-4 key pages.
SAY: Hold up Being Different Rocks! 'We are reading detectives again. I am going to stop on four pages. For each page — cover the words with my hand first, tell me what you see in the picture, then we uncover and read together.' Stop on 4 pages. For each: 'What do you see? What do you think this page is saying? Now let's read it.' Compare prediction to text each time.
🧰 REMINDER: Tuesday = Read Aloud + myBook. Thursday = Big Book + myBook. Two days per week. That is it.
myBook response — students at seats — draw and label.
SAY: Open myBook to the Being Different page. Name first. Draw something that makes you different from others. Write at least one label using what you know about letters and sounds. If you can write a word — try it.
Circulate. Sit next to 2-3 students. "Tell me about your picture." Write their words if they want.
🍽️
Lunch
12:33 · Dismiss by ticket color · Hot lava line · Same every day
12:33–1:30
Dismiss by ticket color — same order — same words — every day.
SAY: "Red tickets — stand up, push in your chair, line up. Blue tickets — up, push in, line up. White tickets — up, push in, line up. Lunchboxes — up, push in, line up."
Hot lava line to cafeteria. Walk alongside the line — not in front.
🟢
Teacher's Read Aloud · After Lunch · Every Day · Non-Negotiable
1:30 · Bathroom train first → bumblebee spots → read · Joy only · No questions · No comprehension check
~10 min
Bathroom train immediately when students return. Every student goes before the book.
⭐ BATHROOM TRAIN: Line up. First person in, comes out, taps next person. No talking. No saving spots. Everyone goes. No interruptions during the read aloud.
Bumblebee spots. Read. No questions. No discussion. Just read.
SAY: "Sit on your spots. Get comfortable. I am going to read to you. All you have to do is listen."
Read the whole book. When it is over — take a breath. Move to guided reading. The book does not need discussion to have impact.
October read aloud suggestions:
Miss Nelson is Missing → Thank You Mr. Falker →
📖
Guided Reading / Centers / Flex Block
1:40–2:05 · Pull whoever needs it most · Centers run simultaneously
~25 min
Pull the students who need the most support based on today's phonics lesson.
AT THE TABLE: "When you get to a word you don't know — stop. Look at the first letter. What sound? Look at the picture. Try the word. Don't skip it."
🧰: You do not need to pull every group every day. Pull who needs you. 8 focused minutes at this table beats 25 minutes of whole-group review every time.
Centers run simultaneously — another adult supervises.
Library corner · Writing center · Math shelf · When I'm Done chart for early finishers.
Library corner · Writing center · Math shelf · When I'm Done chart for early finishers.
🏛️
SS · Community Helpers L4
3:20–3:30 · Back from specials · 10 minutes maximum
~10 min
Community Helpers L4 — teachers and librarians · helpers who teach us and help us learn
Quick and engaging. 10 minutes maximum. Discussion, picture walk, or quick activity. Goal is vocabulary and exposure.
🧰: This 10-minute block adds up to hours of vocabulary and knowledge building across the year. Protect it every single day.
🍎
Shutdown → Specials → Dismissal
2:05 snack + pack up · 2:25 specials · 3:30 dismiss by ticket · Use the list · Never guess
3:30
Snack → pack up → specials → afternoon block → dismiss by ticket.
SAY for pack up: "Pack up time. Open your zipper. Folder in. Close your zipper. Backpack on. Push your chair in. Line up at the door — hot lava line."
⭐ DISMISSAL IS NON-NEGOTIABLE: If any student's dismissal is unclear — flag it before 3:25. Call the office. Hold the student. Never guess. Never send a student out the wrong door.
📱
Class Dojo — Send Tonight
📱 Copy + Paste Tonight
"Hello families! Letterboard Thursday — we built words with the letter N today. Ask your child to build NAP on a magnetic letterboard or with fridge magnets: N-A-P. In math we practiced two strategies for comparing groups and decided which is faster. In HMH we were reading detectives — using pictures to predict before reading. We also started our Sentences writing unit today! Ask your child to say one complete sentence to you tonight. 📖"