Not a surprise, then, that of the four different grade levels I taught today, the classes that went the best were Kindergarten and 1st Grade! I love it when classes go smoothly and students not only have fun, but demonstrate what they've learned!
A wise teacher once told me that to keep a student out of trouble, make them so busy that they can't possibly get INTO trouble. Well, I brought three different worksheets into the 1st grade class. All of the students finished them, some finished so quickly that they ran out of things to do! (This is in a 25 minute class period). I then asked the students to count up each number individually--we went around the class twice, reaching 30. At 30, the students kind of started to falter, so I had everyone count up together. They were able to figure out the number pattern all the way up to 99, and then I taught them the word for 100. I don't know why I didn't think to do this with them sooner! Ah, well...notes for next semester, when I switch classes. (My students this semester go to Spanish class, and the students taking Spanish this semester will switch to my Chinese class).
So...some take-aways:
Over-plan the lessons. Have too much work rather than not enough. Have realistic expectations, but it's OK to stretch what students do--it's the only way to know whether they're approaching their potential. They often surprise us! Repetition is good--but add something every time it's revisited. Sometimes, they actually DO remember what they've been taught!. :-)