HIT: FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING

["Donna L. Stanley" <donstanl@PEN.K12.VA.US>]

Dear LM_NET Members,
     Thanks for responding to my question about flexible
scheduling in the elementary school. In summary there are many
"brands" of flexible scheduling.  Every school situation will
have its own "brand" depending upon the cooperative efforts of
the library media staff, teachers and staff, and administration.
Suggestions included the following:
     1. fixed scheduling was recommended for K, K-1, or K-2 for
a 20 - 30 min. slot which would included a mini-lesson and
weekly checkout
     2. flexible scheduling was recommended for 3 - 5 and a 20
min. weekly checkout.  20 min. would allow for "browse" time.
     3. some recommended 15 min. checkout times for classes
     4. some recommended no defined checkout times, just all
flexible scheduling
     5. 2 hrs. allotted for teacher requests daily
     6. partnership with individual teachers quaranteeing them
1 major project per quarter (10 wks.) with promise of up to 5
full hrs. working with them on that project; sometimes work 2
wks. straight; time can be spend in classroom, in library,
videotaping class projects, creating websites of class
presentations, literature circle, editing 1st drafts,
etc.;others get 1/2 hr. slots for library skills
     7. send out schedule to teachers to indicate 3 twenty min.
blocks and then librarian selects one of these for that class's
checkout time; rest is flex time available for research, doing
units, etc.
     8. each teacher gets 5 library passes
     9. PreK-4 all have 15 min. checkout time each week; every
other week each class comes for 30 min. lesson
    10. PreK-3 weekly 30 min. slot; 4-6 weekly 20 min.
checkout; 30 min. blocks in AM; flexible blocks in middle, in
PM 20 min. checkout whenever they like

     I also thought "bands of time" M-F for grade levels (1hr.
approx.) would allow time for a scheduled checkout and open
time for a class to work on a unit, small groups for projects,
etc. daily. If school days were missed there would still be time on
other days allotted for that grade level.

Thanks again for all your help.  We are hoping to create the
"brand" that fits us.

Thanks,
Donna Stanley
Library Media Specialist
Stuarts Elem. School, Stuarts Draft, VA
donstanl@pen.k12.va.us

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