First+20+Days

First 20 Days - Establishing the Culture
Parent Letter for beginning of school PPT for parents

Big Ideas

 * Create Shared Classroom Vision & Code of Conduct
 * Introduce Critical Thinking Elements of Thought
 * Student survey/self-assessment of "1st 20 Days of ELA" topics
 * Digital citizenship introductory lessons
 * Leadership
 * Student goal-setting

Theme: Change
Generalizations: Change generates additional change. Change can be positive, negative, or neutral depending on your point of view. Change is inevitable. Change is necessary for growth. Change can be natural or man-made.

//**How to Introduce Theme:**// Ask: "What do you know about change?" Allow students to brainstorm examples of any kind. (Can brainstorm on sticky notes or do 4 corners with questions posted in corners of room) Categorize their examples: how are they alike or similar (broad categories). Citing non-examples (look at their examples and see what doesn't work). (date of child's birthday, completed texts) Generalizations are incorporated throughout all content.

Should hit "change" theme at least 3 times a week...tie it in to everything i.e. "What generalizations apply to these characters in this story" or "what generalizations apply to this situation in history?"

Week 1:
** 2. ** I ntroduce the Seven Habits from __The Leader in Me__ Read and explain the definition and then brainstorm on how that could relate to the class and school environment. Explain to them what a Socratic seminar is. Give them the question for response formed by me. Let them think about it over the weekend and come prepared on Monday to initiate conversation.
 * 1. ** Complete the ELA Learning Survey
 * __ Be Proactive (Day 1) __
 * __ Begin with the End in Mind (Day 2) __
 * __ Put First things First (Day 3) __
 * __ Think Win-Win (Day 4) __
 * __ Seek First to understand, Then to be Understood (Day 5) __
 * __ Synergize (Day 5) __
 * __ Sharpen the Saw (Day 6) __
 * 3.** Connect Read Aloud with community throughout the week. Talk about characters with students and refer back to the habit for the day.
 * Use a mini Socratic lesson to teach the process through one of the read alouds. Do this on day 5.
 * 4.** Pull together different genres for review and post in rooms.
 * 5.** Introduce Affixes and word structure.
 * 6.** Word Study procedures
 * 7.** Digital citizenship lessons.
 * 8.** Teach Goal setting for reading based on data.
 * 9.** Go ahead and set a personal goal and create the data notebook. (Model goal keeping with my own notebook)
 * 10.** Relate to the essential question in Social Studies, look at lesson in the new S Studies books.
 * Bring a writer’s notebook no smaller than a composition book, and three spiral notebooks, One- three inch- three ring binder, three clear presentation folders, a set of markers, three highlighters, one-one inch three ring binder.

Week Two
**1.** What makes a good teacher and student activity affinity diagram (two days)
 * 2.** Code of Conduct classroom procedures.
 * 3.** Continue the seven habits.
 * 4.** Continue to add to affixes.
 * 5.** Continue and review lesson on goal setting as related to behavioral goal.
 * 6.** Look at surveys and determine the need for choosing a just right book.
 * 7**. Complete procedures for Independent Reading in connection with seven habits.
 * 8.** Begin Reading Conferences and set goals.
 * 9.** Introduce Ralph Fletcher, the writer’s notebook. Choose elements I feel are effective.