A daily timetable - this is a guideline only. It will not suit all schools. Discuss with other teachers in your team classroom organisational patterns.

9.00-9.10 Roll call and outlining daily programme.
It is a good idea to have a short session to run over anything that had to be done from the previous day and more importantly to discuss the programme and goals for the day and any special events.

9.10-9.45 Personal writing.
Normally children start off the day with personal writing and continue each day until complete at the end of the week. This is a means to link home experiences and school In personal writing, from inspiration through draft to final form, children call on all the language and presentation skills you have been teaching them. Their book should show continual qualitative improvement.

1. Motivate by story of your own - let children see the writing process in action. Write out on blackboard and edit/extend in front of the children. Modelling is important
2. Children may share a few starting ideas, but not 'morning talks' and start writing drafts in their language book. First think of a good heading (to help focus thoughts). You may need to scribe a few children (or encourage parents to write at home).
3. Encourage children to write as 'if they were there', back 'in' the situation.
4. The teacher roves, interacting, diagnosing needs, extending, refining, valuing. Give credit by reading our 'minor excellence' or use of interesting words and good attempts at spelling (encourage risk taking).
5. By Wednesday children could share drafts in groups. Other children could question the authors. This provides a sense of audience.
6. Complete by Friday (or in their own time!) in Special Book. Illustrate and add border if time. Share a selection with class. Some may be re-written for a wall display or class publication.

10.20-10.25 Tidy up.
It is a good idea to develop an expectation of clearing up the work area after each activity and not to leave it all to the end of the day.

10.45-12.30 Language Arts Block
Children should be expected, following interval, to begin without teacher's presence - finishing work, reading. Always comment if students are on task without you being present.
The key to developing a sensitive control of language (in all its forms) is to provide meaningful contexts to stimulate ideas.
The language block can be a very diverse time aimed at intensively developing a range of language skills and strategies to be used in afternoon programme. Areas of individual or group weaknesses diagnosed during personal or study writing can be taught at this time.
The block could be divided into elements, e.g. handwriting and/or a range of different set activities for each day. Normally the language block will reflect aspects of the current study topic.

Elements of Language

1. Handwriting.
   Find out who needs help and gather together and help. The main motivation for good handwriting is purposeful tasks, e.g. personal and topic books, study booklets and items for wall displays. All these should be of the highest quality.
   While you are helping a group with difficulty, the remainder could be: writing out a paragraph (in their topic book), complete with frame and heading, or a small poem from board or of their own choice, complete with illustration in their language book, or a weekly phrase in Maori, or class thought poem from language theme or study. Finish writing with a line of pattern (encourages innovation!), e.g. Maori patterns (koru, taniko, kowhaiwhai).
2. Reading
   Plan a routine for each day to give both predictability and variety. Discuss with other team members the management patterns they use in the school. Involve a range of activities and make use of group work (to teach skills and strategies) and independent work (for the brighter pupils). Select from the following:
   1. Sustained Silent Reading. Don't overdo. Suggest this is timetabled straight after morning interval (and 1.30 pm). All children should have a book to read at their own level.
   2. Diagnosing children's reading ability - running records. Monitor progress - particularly children at risk
   3. Shared Reading - particularly with those at risk. This is an important way to demonstrate reading strategies in a non-threatening situation.
   4. Reading their own writing - language theme expression, personal writing and study topic work. Share in small group situations.
   5. Class sharing of a poem - at least once a week. Children could copy into language book. Children could write their responses to poem's theme. Poems provide models for children's writing. Include choral speaking.
   6. Library time - teach library/research skills. Enforce library behaviour.
   7. Research Reading - based on current study or language theme. Unless children are competent keep them in classroom.
   8. Journal Reading - and associated activities. Either associated with language theme or current study.
3. Plays and Drama/Movement and Mime/Listening to Music
   These activities could be a regular part of your programme and could well be related to current language theme or afternoon study. There are excellent notes in all classes.
4. Expression through Writing
   To develop sensitive personal responses in writing you need a variety of meaningful language rich contexts to talk, write and think about, e.g.:
   1. The current content study - provides factual and expressive ideas to be drafted/edited/proofread and written out for study booklets or wall display.
   2. Demonstration experiment - to demonstrate the Learning in Science approach - children's views/logical thinking
   3. A poem may inspire some personal writing.
   4. Current story being read to class may inspire a personal response.
   5. A personal language theme may be discussed by class and/or groups and then children could write their own responses for a wall display or in personal book.
   6. An environmental language theme - our environment is rich in inspiration for language work. Keep an eye open for seasonal events, e.g. flowering cherries, to look, talk, think and write about. These environmental themes can become mini studies, e.g. Kowhai study. A constructivist approach can be used, e.g.:
      1. children's observations
      2. children's questions
      3. children's explanations
      4. children's research
   7. Language theme - there are lots of interesting books with a range of language themes to select from. Such themes can become small integrated studies in themselves taking up much of a week involving movement, mime, drama etc.
   8. Going solo - send children outside by themselves for 5-10 minutes to write free thoughts which can be drafted back in the classroom. Children can also be directed to write by themselves about a set theme e.g. the caretaker's shed.
   9. S.S.W. - Sustained Silent Writing - with no help, free writing about a set or free topic. This is an excellent way to diagnose children's skills.
   10. Question/answer technique - can be used with individuals (with language problems) or with the whole class. Teacher asks a leading question and children write a response (a phrase). Later these can be edited into a thought poem.
   11. Fun Language activities - e.g. expanding sentences/word lists from current studies.
   12. Presentation skill lessons - at the beginning of the year take set lessons to teach presentation skills, e.g. layout, headings, borders. These need to be taught deliberately - particularly for some children.
       Plan layout in all books to give a set format. It I a good idea for the team or school to develop consistent ways of book presentation.
5. Spelling, punctuation - surface features
   Every reading and particularly writing lesson, is also a spelling lesson. Encourage risk taking when children attempt words and note spelling strategies being used - always give encouragement. Help children correct final copies and/or encourage them to use a dictionary or ask others. Children can make personal lists. Teach proofreading (very important) using a ruler beneath line being checked. Encourage a spelling and word consciousness, ('conscience').

LUNCH

1.30 -1.45 Possible 'sustained' reading or writing time - or finishing off unfinished work.
Expect children to start by themselves. Save reading of class book for dead periods at end of morning or the afternoon.

1.45 -2.45 Independent work in groups based on Current Unit of Study
(major or minor).

The Current Unit of Study is where children put into use all the skills taught previously in a realistic situation. Content area chosen should reflect a range of content areas and communication and expressive skills. The best units involve first hand experiences - using senses/visits/experiments etc
Use blackboard to outline group organisations and tasks.
Plan for four groups.
Have a check list on wall or blackboard to ensure all tasks are finished.

For group work to work, children must be taught independent learning skills - skills taught in the morning programme. For example:

• how to lay out a page/booklet chart
• observational drawing -and different media
• how to write/draft thoughts and observations
• most of all how to work independently

1. Introductory experience, e.g. trip, class demonstration/experiment, class discussion.
2. Children's preliminary questions and their current answers (theories/explanations). This will show you what children know. These questions and answers can go on to the blackboard, topic book or wall display. This could be drawn up in the form of a flow-chart.
3. The first week of the study prepares the scene for group work.
4. Children's research proposals and possible communication and expressive activities are developed (these will of necessity need to be selective to ensure a balance of expressive media).
5. The research/expressive proposals can be organised into four groups for group work, e.g. group alternate daily.
   1. Activity Group with the teacher undertaking a 'focussed' task depending on class study e.g. a science, technology or Social Studies task. This is the time when teachers model strategies, uncover students views and challenge their thinking. In a later group student can write out their ideas.
   2. Study Booklet Group - this group has a number of set tasks related to the current study. All tasks need explicit skills in place to ensure quality. They will have been needed to have been 'taught' as part of the morning programme. The cover (a drawing and design task) and each page needs defining (and language work precisely drafted and corrected). Be particular about presentation - these books are the end point of each study and should reflect both children's ideas and presentation skills. Much work can be researched if study questions are clear using the computer(s).
   3. Art Group - Either select a media which hasn't been covered and teach skills or use a media known to children. Art work should be planned on small paper and then enlarged. During the year cover a range of media and skills. The Art Group needn't always be related to the current study. Observational Drawings - children need to be taught drawing skills and media skills. Finished drawings can be displayed with language work.
      This could be another activity group.
   4. Language Group - needn't always be related to current study. Preparing work for a wall display or for their individual or group tasks. This group could be using the computer(s) for presenting findings etc.
   5. A number of other group alternatives can be used - see lists of activities in Language Block. Not all groups need to be related to the current study. It is important not to have too many unfamiliar activities. Skills can be taught beforehand or during the activity - as long as the other children can work independently.
6. These groups alternate daily with one free day to complete uncompleted work - or Friday can be used as an art day in this case there would be no art in the group programme.
7. As work is completed the group system breaks down and the programme becomes truly developmental students finishing tasks until complete. A simple check list of tasks is useful. Each unit to last 3/4 weeks (depending if a major or minor unit).