1

8:15-8:55

Block 1 8:15 9:40

9:00 9:40

3 9:45 10:30

Block 2 9:45 11:15

4 10:35 11:15
5 11:20-12:25

Block 3 11:20 1:10

6 12:30-1:10
7 1:15-1:55

Block 4 1:15-2:40

8 2:00 2:40

Lunch A 11:15-11:40
Lunch B

Class from 11:45 12:25 or 11:45-1:10

12:00 12:25 Class from 11:20 12:00

Lunch C 12:45 1:10 Class from 11:20 12:45

8:00 - 3:04 = 424 minutes, -27 for lunch, -35 for passing time = 359 minutes
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Hour

Start

End

Time in class

8:00

8:46

46 (2 for announcements)

8:51

9:35

44

9:40

10:24

44

10:29

11:13

44

Lunch 1

11:13

11:40

27

Class

11:45

12:29

44

Class

11:18

12:02

44

Lunch 2

12:02

12:29

27

12:34

1:26

44

1:31

2:15

44

2:20

3:04

44

8 Period Day (47 minute classes)

Period 1

8:00 8:47

Period 2

8: 52 - 9:39

Period 3

9: 44 10:31

Period 4

10: 36 11:23

Period 5

11: 28 12:15

Period 6

12:20 1:07

Period 7

1:12 1:59

Period 8

2:04 2:51

1 8:45 - 9:25
Block 1 8:45 - 10:10
Period 2 9:30 - 10:10
Period 3 10:15 - 11:00
Block 2 10:15 - 11:45
Period 4 11:05 - 11:45

Period 5 11:50 - 12:55

Block 3 11:50 - 1:40
Period 6 1:00 - 1:40
Period 7 1:45 - 2:25
Block 4 1:45 - 3:10
Period 8 2:30 - 3:10

Lunch from:

Class from:

Lunch A:

11:45 - 12:10

12:15 - 12:55 or 12:15 - 1:40

Lunch B:

12:30 - 12:55

11:50 - 12:30

Lunch C:

1:15 - 1:40

11:50 - 1:15

Linn-Mar High School 's Modified Block Schedule

Linn-Mar High School operates an eight-period/four-block schedule. Math, music, and foreign
language courses meet for forty minutes per day for four consecutive quarters. All other courses
meet for 85 minutes per day for one, two, or three consecutive quarters.
Linn-Mar High School has used the modified block schedule since the 1999-2000 school year. It
was adopted in order to: a.) maximize the number of courses that a student could take in a fouryear period, b.) match content areas with appropriate class lengths, and c.) assure that the time
allotment enables teachers to address multiple learning styles of students.
Math, music, and foreign language courses are designated as "skinny" courses (forty-minutes)
because of the sequential nature of the content/subject matter. For example, a student who

completes first level Spanish is best served by taking level two Spanish during the next fall rather
than waiting until mid-year. A science course such as Chemistry, however, can make great use of
blocks of time to accommodate lab activities, group projects, and other exploratory
activities. Allowing for extended periods of time for multiple learning activities helps to engage
traditional, visual, and kinesthetic learners.
Most L-MHS Advanced Placement (AP) courses are three quarters in length, begin in the
2nd quarter, and meet for 85 minutes per day. This is done to minimize the length of time
between the conclusion of a course and the spring AP exam. This format greatly increases the
amount of class time for each AP course and the average AP score for Linn-Mar
students has risen sharply since the inception of the modified block schedule.
Because most block teachers have three classes per quarter, they are working with 75 +/students per grading period versus the 150+/- that a traditional teacher might work with at any
given time. This allows for a very high level of personalization and enhances the teacher's
ability to track progress and learning styles of individual students.
L-MHS offers an "Early Session" between 8:00 a.m. and 8:40 daily. This gives students
unlimited access to the entire teaching staff (hard to find in most high schools because of cocurricular responsibilities) and gives students opportunities to make up work, quizzes, and
projects. The "Early Session" opportunity helps to minimize the impact of missing a block
class.
A student typically takes 35 credit hours per semester. This means that most students have a
forty minute ("skinny") unscheduled time per day. 9th and 10th grade students are assigned to
study hall during unscheduled time. 11th and 12th grade students have Time Release privileges
that allow them to leave campus or work independently in the Cafeteria, Outdoor Commons ,
or Media Center .

Thompson schools .org