As I look back on this week, I would rate it as a 4. The week started off with a work day on Monday for President's Day. Tuesday saw a return of students to the building as we went from virtual to in person learning. We are in Plan B. This means that I have 8 students in class on Monday and Tuesday and 7 in class on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday will remain an asynchronous. Our system will remain in this plan through the rest of the school year unless there is an increase in positive cases.  We were out of school on Thursday due to icy conditions. So, I have only had my kiddos in class for 2 days. Hopefully, next week we will get back into a good groove. It was great to see all of their smiling faces. They were so excited to be back in school.  I love my kiddos!

Unfortunately, the only assessment that I gave my students this week was from the re-engagement lesson I taught for Task 4 and a quick check in to see how my students understand addition of numbers up to 12.  The re-engagement assessment was only for 4 of my students while the math check in was for all students in both Cohorts. Since we just returned to school and with only 2 days of in person, my team decided to spend extra time reviewing protocols for COVID safety. The math addition check in showed that the majority of my students are still struggling with addition. In our team planning on Friday, we planned to start implementing small groups to focus in on this skill. Several of my students however showed that they have mastered addition up to 12. My team also made plans to challenge them with double digit addition. Small class sizes makes it more conducive to small group instruction. I am able to spend more time with my students as I have fewer groups. I have planned next weeks math small group lessons around this assessment. I am excited to get into these lessons as I feel they will be very beneficial for the students. 

There really was not anything that I could have spent more or less time doing. As I stated above, it was a very unconventional week with only have 2 Cohorts in person days this week. Hopefully, next week we will back to "normal", if that is even a thing any more.

Standard 1a: Teachers lead in their classrooms. By reviewing the addition check ins, I was able to develop small group lessons to enhance my students understanding of addition. I plan to begin these lessons next week.

Standard 2a: Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. I make it a point to greet each student every morning as they enter the classroom. My class is the last room on a long hallway. As each student walked toward me for the first time since December, I would say "____ is in the hooouuuse." They loved it! Since my students have not been around each other since December, we played some games to team build, all social distanced. These games are great ways to build relationships.

Standard 3a: Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This week I did not introduce any new standards, instead I used the two days we were in school to do review. These lessons were still aligned with NC Standards. The check-in I gave in math helped me to create lessons for next week.

Standard 4b: Teachers plan instruction that is appropriate for their students. This week we finished our unit on habitats. The last habitat that we learned with the ocean. On Friday, we "looked" back at the habitats that we have learned. This time we took a virtual field trip to each of the habitats that we learned and discussed how plants and animals survive in these environments. 

Standard 5a: Teachers analyze student learning. Through reviewing the addition check in, I was able to take what I had learned and use it to plan for future lessons. Knowing which students need more support and which students need more of a challenge is important when planning effective lesson plans.