Welcome to our first grade family. We are excited about the upcoming year
and proud to announce a new environment to enhance the learning and
instruction for all students.
We are so pleased to offer a unique classroom experience for your child this
next school year. This classroom is a bit different than other first grade
classrooms at Pine Island in that we have the opportunity to co-teach. Co-
teaching is a classroom model in which two certified teachers join together
to provide shared learning experiences to all children in both classes. The
children have their own learning space but we function as one large
classroom. It allows us to provide small and large group instruction and
assistance without disrupting the learning for the whole group. More than
just an extra pair of hands, co-teaching blends the experience and talents of
both teachers in a way that draws upon their strengths in teaching while at
the same time reaching each learner in the classroom with very individualized
instruction. While your child will be “assigned” to one of us in particular,
it is commonplace that both of us will be working with all children each day
in one way or another. The students will think of themselves as one class
with two teachers. They will never know which teacher they are “assigned”
to. There will be activities that the classes will do separate from one
another such as specials (art, music, PE, guidance and computer) but the
groups will have names such as the “Panthers” or the “Lions” not the
individual teachers’ names. Most of the time, however, the two classes will
interact and work together as one class. Our curriculum is the same as other
first grade classrooms in our building. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be
done with both teachers together. At our back to school conferences, we will
be able to give you more in depth information or the specifics on how the
classroom will be run. Our classroom will be E106 & E108; the temporary wall
is being removed this summer.