Summer Planning for the Combined Grade Classroom: Things to Consider When Planning
Written By Abena Sey
July 7, 2024
If you are teaching a combined grade class this coming school year the summer months are a great time to do a little planning at your leisure. Taking the time to plan will help you feel prepared, confident and even a little excited to implement your ideas this school year.
From personal experience, the hard work you put into planning will pay off in you feeling more at ease and better able to navigate the busyness of the school year.
That being said, I encourage all teachers to do what works best for them during the summer. Perhaps you are still recovering from the past school year and need time to rest and get reinspired so that you are at your best for the upcoming school year; you may prefer to begin planning a little closer to when your contract starts. Some teachers, like me, prefer to do a little planning here and there at the beginning of summer in between rest times so that there is less pressure during the weeks before school starts.
When you are ready to begin working, here are some important considerations to help you plan successfully for your combined grade classroom.
Things to consider and questions to ask yourself when planning:
If you have access to it in advance, survey your class list. If you are teaching the same grades next school year, are there students on your list who were with you last school year? If so, are you able to use the same teaching resources you used last year or do you need to change them to avoid repetition?
Declutter your resources. What resources were most helpful to you and your students this school year? What learning activities had the most engagement and impact? Were these resources appropriate for your students’ ability levels? Did you have enough time for these learning activities? What will you keep and what will you file away for possible future use?
Identify the number of students you have in each grade. Is the number in each group fairly even, or is the number of students larger in one grade over the other?
If you have access to this data, identify your students’ strengths and growth opportunities for reading and math. Is your class mainly homogenous in terms of their academic abilities or is your class heterogenous? Is one grade academically stronger than the other?
Evaluate your students’ reading and math data from the previous year. Is there a possibility to form groups based on students' learning needs across grade levels or will you form groups based on ability within the same grade level?
If you are able to get information from the previous teacher, identify your students’ levels of independence. Who are your independent students and who are your students who will need more support during learning activities?
Decide how you would like to give instruction. Is it possible to teach whole group lessons or will you teach new concepts for each grade level in small groups? What resources do you need to do so?
Survey the curriculums and programs of study for each grade. What content can you teach to both grades and what should be reserved for one specific grade? How will you evaluate the learning outcomes your students attained?
Decide how you will keep track of your students’ learning progress. Will you use checklists to track data from your small group conferencing? How will you keep this information organized?
Identify your professional and or personal goal(s). Do you have goals related to curriculum implementation? Do you have organizational goals? Do you want to get better at a specific teaching strategy? Do you have health and wellness goals?
I wish you the very best in your planning this summer! I hope that these considerations have steered you closer to your planning goals so that you can experience a successful school year in your combined grade classroom. Please remember that although you will have planned as much as you could for your students prior to school start, be flexible and open to changes that may arise as you get to know your students and as the school year progresses. Give yourself and your students grace as you both navigate the combined grade classroom experience. For now, you have an idea of how you would like your class to run and how you would like your students to learn and grow together. Happy planning!