Half the class was absent last week (so I threw out the plan)

Last week was one of those weeks. We missed an entire class day. And the classes we did have? Almost half the students were absent in both groups. So I had a choice. I could push ahead with the lesson plan, cover new material, and stay “on track.” Aaand then spend the next two weeks trying to catch up the kids who missed it, while also trying to move forward with the kids who were there. Or I could do something that felt a little counterintuitive. I threw out the plan. Instead of introducing...