Teachers or student teachers - how much should elem. students do in 35 minutes?

Question

I do not feel confident in my lesson plans for elementary school because I don't know how much material the students can cover in 35 minutes. It is hard to estimate. How do you do it?

Answer 1

Depends on the age. But let me give you a glimpse into my day. In 30 minutes designated for spelling, I model the spelling skill, do the skill with them as a group, have them do an activity independently, review the lesson then they practice the skill in the context of a state test question. In writing, in 35 minutes we would read a writing prompt, brainstorm, plan our writing, and complete at least 2 paragraphs. You have to be super fast. In the current educational field, 35  minutes is a lifetime.

Answer 2

There's really no way to answer that.  The answer will change from year to year with the background knowledge and abilities (and behavior) of your students.

It will become easier to judge this as time goes by.  You will also become faster at making this assessment.

I will tell you this...over plan.  It is way better to have too much material than not enough.

Also, expect to have something for students who finish early to do.  Do not make it too boring or they will not do it and will begin to act out and bother those not finished.  Do not make it too exciting or many students will say they are done when they are not (or they've finished, but the work is not acceptable).