Today, I’m answering a question that I often get asked by teachers. The question is, “How do I plan for a block class?” I have a 90-minute block class, and I always have had one. I haven’t known anything different except for the fact of how I plan for one. I have learned many things over the years. So, I’m sharing some ideas on how to plan for these types of classes.
Create Structure For Your Block Class
One thing that has dramatically changed over the years is that I used to look at the clock and wonder when it was going to be over! I kept trying to fill the time with a lesson. So, this first strategy is to create structure for your class. This not only benefits your students but also yourself.
You want to create a set of activities that you do every single day to create a routine. It might sound boring, but when we know what to expect, we do better. I talk a little bit about decision fatigue in episode 11 of the podcast. It’s when we are constantly trying to make decisions and, in this case, wondering what we are going to do next to fill the class time.
Keep Your Students In Mind
Students are going to most likely keep their attention around 15 minutes on one activity or lesson. Some students can go longer while some classes may be closer to 10 minutes. Also remember that we have language classes, not lecture classes like a history class. We want our students to speak the language and interact. We don’t use the PPP model. The structure also has to be flexible. Remember, some classes can keep their attention for longer than others.
How I Structure My Block Class
I always start my class with a review of class expectations which takes just a few minutes. Then, I do a social-emotional check-in with my students. We want to know how they are that day because it could affect their attention and learning. This takes about 5-10 minutes. I do this in the target language. Hear more about how to keep your students in the target language on episode 5 HERE.
Next, I do a reading activity. I create a short text related to whatever we’re talking about in my class that is highly comprehensible for my students. I want all of my students to succeed with this activity. This takes about another 10 minutes. Then, I do my Calendar Talk. This is where we chat about what they’re doing in their lives, what holidays are coming up, etc. We do this also in the target language. So now, we have already planned out about half of the class.
Finally, the core lesson takes place. The last five to ten minutes we do exit tickets. Listen to this week’s episode where I go into more detail about my structure and what and why I include certain things. Listen HERE.
Include A Variety Of Grouping Structures
Our students need individual activities but also small group and large group activities. For many years in my block class, there was a teacher-student relationship and a student-notebook relationship. That’s all. Now, I know that they need to interact among themselves. I talk about in episode 11 how I was worried about letting go of control of the lessons and activities. I wasn’t able to monitor and correct all of my students when there were like 10 groups happening at once.
I like to incorporate some of the Kagan Structures. These are great for small groups. One of my favorites is stand up, pair up, share. Another one I like to do is my version of Rally Coach. Another small group activity is cyber sandwich. You can also do variations on this. Listen above to episode 11 where I explain each one. The most important thing is to pick one and do it over and over. Make it a routine. Remember, it will be messy to begin with.
Students Need Different Types Of Activities
When I plan and do activities in my block class, I try to do a variety of high- and low-energy activities. Sometimes, students need silence and sometimes they need it to be a little noisy. When you have a variety of activities that you and your students are familiar with, everyone will be comfortable with whichever one you choose to do that day. Most days, have a balance of low- and high-energy activities.
Brain Breaks Are Good For Everyone
I do these as often as I feel that we need it. Sometimes, that means every 10 or 15 minutes. Introduce one brain break at a time, and let your students become comfortable with each one. Rock, Paper, Scissors is a fun one to do, and you can make it your own by changing it a little bit. You might be thinking that Brain Breaks are only for younger students. Not at all! I have high schoolers who love Brain Breaks, especially the breathing ones. There are a ton of breathing Brain Breaks on YouTube that you can use. Follow me on Instagram to see a video of a Brain Break with my students. I also talk more about Brain Breaks on podcast episode 11.
So, there are my tips for planning for a 90-minute block class. Keep it simple, be flexible, and stay consistent. Even if you don’t have a block class, these strategies can help you plan shorter classes as well. Do you have a strategy you use to plan for your block class? Share it in the comments below. I mention in the podcast two helpful resources that you can grab to help you. One is a Spanish language booster resource I created with my friend Christina Margorie. I also created a folder with back to school resources that I use, and inside there are a couple of templates for social emotional learning and also a couple of my old templates for calendar talk. Grab them both FREE for your use. The links for both and the rest of the resources I talk about in episode 11 can be found HERE.
