It is Sunday.
And tomorrow is Monday.
The Monday after three weeks of vacation.
It seems like I haven’t been to school in ages. Ages, I said. But I’m sure once I get there, I’ll remember what to do. And I know I’m all prepped and planned and ready to go and everything is in its place. Because I prepped and planned and got ready to go and made sure everything was in its place before I left.
But then I got a nagging feeling around three o’clock today.
Does that ever happen to you?
You’re all prepped and planned and you made your lunch (meaning you threw Easy Mac, a string cheese, a yogurt, an orange, and six Ritz crackers into a bag) and you found the Green Monday t-shirt all of your teammates and all of the other grade level teammates agreed to wear so we could wear jeans and Uggs or sneakers or whatever else will feel like slippers . . . and then you feel like you’re forgetting something.
It took me about an hour and then I remembered what I forgot.
I forgot to differentiate this week’s homework for two of my students who need some intervention.
It’s okay because the homework folders won’t go home until tomorrow. They’re all ready to go, though, and just sitting in the students’ cubbies. Told ya I was all prepped and ready to go.
Anywho, I thought, hey, maybe I should tell you what I use to differentiate homework for my kids so that it’s relatively easy on me and I don’t have to think too much.
Because, really, I have thirty-two kids (and when you read that, it should sound like I’m saying one hundred and two kids) and I could literally spend all of my extra time differentiating everything and then I would never have time for anything else and we all know I really like my reality TV.
So!
I use my Kindergarten Morning Work packets. I use these packets for both homework and daily class practice, as well. It just depends.
Call me spontaneous.
What does your regular homework look like? I don't remember if you ever talked about it. That's one of my goals this year…to make homework be reflective of the work we accomplish each day and to differentiate it. Are you planning on making "Advanced" or 2nd grade morning work? Just wondering. Perhaps you could do a commissioned work. That would mean I would pay you to make 2nd grade morning work. 🙂
I will HELP Kimberly pay you to make differentiated 2nd grade morning work/homework! And long ago and far away, I used to teach 30 kindergartners in the morning and 30 kindergartners in the afternoon and DID feel like one hundred and thirty children. I send you strength and patience and a double-good dose of good humor–which you are already blessed with! I remember the exhaustion!
~Jennifer
Stories and Songs in Second
Wow, three weeks?! That sure would be nice . . . After two weeks, I felt the same way, like I had been away a million years! I may or may not have had to memorize the daily schedule again!
Love to Learn
I wished I had 3 weeks off for winter break when I taught in the states. I would have to wait until only summer vacation to visit my friends and bf in Australia.
I just moved over and it's summer time now, so students get last 2 weeks of Dec and all of Jan for summer break. But they always get 2 weeks off after each semester. (I kind of like this deal better!)
LOVE Morning Work/Homework packets that use spiraling past and present skills for daily practice.
Fishing for Education Blog