Worksheets and Morning Work

I was part of a meeting today where we were planning for next year. The topic of conversation revolved around which worksheets we would have sent to print shop for grammar, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and "morning work". I felt myself having an anxiety attack at the thought that all of our time was spent deciding which worksheets to include when we could have been planning effective, meaningful lessons. Lessons that allow students to read books of choice rather than prescribed stories with prescribed vocabulary and spelling. It goes against every belief I have.

I know how hard it is to break free from the ease of grading the worksheets. It is so much easier to enter grade in a grade book with the worksheets but who is it really helping? My job is to foster life long learning and prepare my students for the future. If their future will be filled with fill in the blanks, close sentences, multiple choice and meaningless text then I need to rethink my teaching. Yes, there are the occasional fill in the blanks when you go to the doctors office or the DMV and need to fill out their forms but what percentage of our lives is spent completing these tasks in comparison to making decisions and carrying on intelligent and well educated conversations.

My "morning work" includes conversation with my students. We have a meeting where we sit in a circle and have a conversation. I take attendance, I answer any questions they may have had from previous teaching, we talk about books or what is on the students' minds and then I explain our schedule for the day. They learn to use eye contact, ask questions, tell about their night in a clear and concise manner all while practicing using their newly acquired vocabulary, creating background knowledge and learning how there is a give and take in conversations and that grammar is an important part of creating understanding for their audience. It creates a classroom climate where students learn about diversity and acceptance.

Another benefit is that I am able to gauge how my day will play out as I observe how students are participating. I had the opportunity to loop with my class last year and the selective mute that I had in 3 grade was speaking volumes by the end of this year and I honestly believe creating this non threatening environment helped. You can't get that with a worksheet. I can better help my students when I know how they're thinking and having the dialogue with them each morning gives me that insight.

Although these meetings require a bit more preparation on part before and after school to complete the paperwork other teachers are completing during "morning work" the skills the students are experiencing are worth the effort. So, while it may be more difficult to have a paper trail, I feel that what I will continue to do in my classroom is much more valuable than any worksheet.