Block Switch Weekend: From Ancient Civilizations to Botany

The weekend before starting a new block is always a busy one. Here's what took my attention this past weekend as I prepared to start our Botany block.

We just wrapped up our Ancient Civilizations block, and this week the fifth graders and I stepped into the world of Botany. I always find block switch weekend to be pretty demanding, but also so satisfying. It’s a time to wrap things up with an eye towards a fresh beginning. One chapter is brought to a close, and another opens wide with new possibilities.

Our Botany title page

There’s a lot that goes into preparing for this transition, and though the to-do list is long, I’ve learned that the time I invest pays off. Students feel a real sense of accomplishment when they see their work from one block gathered up and completed before moving forward.

On Friday last week, we had a big work session. I listed all the main lesson pages on the chalkboard and students raised their hands if they still had work to do to complete each page. We ended up with a list of pages and tally marks and throughout the working period the students came up and erased tallies as they finished things up. so satisfying!

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The Block Review Form

One of the ways I help bring closure is with my block review form, which I started using back in fourth grade. It gives me a chance to summarize the content of the block for families, while also providing space for my own reflections and comments on each student’s work. Students do their own reflection, noticing what they like about their work and identifying something they want to improve next block. Parents then add their own comments after they’ve come into the classroom to review their child’s main lesson book. It’s a confidence-inspiring practice that ties together teacher, student, and parent perspectives in a very tangible way.

(Paid subscribers—scroll to the bottom of this post to download the template I use for my block reviews.)

My Block Switch Weekend To-Do List

• Reviewing student work: I gather main lesson books, write comments, and prepare the block review forms. I was lucky enough to get this done on Friday before leaving school. I was glad to avoid lugging a stack of books home!

• A new chalkboard drawing: The chalkboard becomes a canvas that sets the tone for the new block. Often, I’ll go in on Sunday to complete this drawing, but I’ve been increasingly trying to avoid going to school on the weekend. (There’s still plenty of work that happens on the weekend, but doing it from the comfort of home is one of my self-care strategies for the year.) As I write this (Sunday afternoon), I’m planning on going in early on Monday to beautify the chalkboard.

• Planning the new content: I map out the block almost day by day. While I leave room for flexibility, I have a pretty good idea about what stories I’ll tell when and what our review activities will be. It helps that I have a pretty solid routine about when we do different review activities. (See this post for more information about that.)

• Planning skills work: I decide which skills will accompany the block—language arts or math, grammar or writing—so that skill practice stays balanced and intentional.

• Preparing main lesson books: Nothing says fresh start like opening up a crisp, new book.

• Seating chart refresh: I usually change seats every two blocks, so I’m not doing that this time. I think every 6-8 weeks is good timing for a new seating arrangement.

• Parent communication: I write a robust parent email, giving a glimpse of what’s ahead and reminding families to come in and review their child’s work from the previous one.

• Special projects and festivals: I look ahead for any activities or celebrations that will shape the block experience.

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This weekend I’ve been sketching out plans for our Botany block, reviewing resources. I feel lucky that it wasn’t so long ago that I taught this block the last time, but there’s still a ton to do.