Lessons seem too short for CDS Unit 3

CS Discoveries Unit and Lesson Discussion
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I love the course lesson plans however they seem too short. This is my first year teaching this class and I am following the previous teacher’s timeline. Does anyone have any tips or an additional warm up I could use. Thanks for any advice. My class time is 55 minutes and the recommended lesson time is 45 minutes but my students are so quick sometimes we are done in 25 mins

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@colemac,

I’ve found the length to be a matter of teaching style in some of them. Some teachers spend more time on the warmup and journals and draw out the unplugged parts of the lesson plans. I do that on a few of them. Other lessons seem more straightforward to me, so I find myself chunking and starting the next lesson with the students when that is the case, so sometimes I get two lessons in a single day. The more you teach it, the more you’ll figure out what works for you. Overall, I think once you get past lesson 7 or 8, the time will be more realistic. Once kids get some personal choice in the lessons and start to do their own creative projects, they tend to spend more time on it (on the whole). Of course, there are kids who will do the bare minimum just to get by.

If you are just wanting some filler activities, the journal prompts if you aren’t using them work well. Sometimes I do them before the lesson, sometimes after … sometimes both. (Post-activity reflection).

I hope some others will chime in with what they use to fill any extra time with.

Good luck!

Mike

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Good Stuff Thanks!!!

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My 2nd time around teaching this class I have been able to slow the lessons down a bit and stretch out the time while also planning to be ready to start the next lesson. Thanks for the advice

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Embrace the free play!
I have students complete the free play challenges and make them progressively more challenging.
Also, as you move forward teaching the class, you will see where you can complete 2 units in 1 class meeting or stretch 1 lesson over 2 or 3 meetings.
I had posted my google classroom link somewhere here in the forums so you could see how I pace things.

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