School starts TOMORROW and I wanted to share what I was up to today to prepare (hope this is helpful and may give you some ideas).
Here is my to-do list (spoiler - I didn’t get make next week lesson plan outline done):
Skip the read and watch the video…
I like to be as streamlined as possible on the first few days of school, so I try to keep things as simple and organized as I can. My first-day routine has been polished and tweaked over the past 20 years and I’m hoping it goes smooth tomorrow.
While I like to do a to-do list in order, I really just kind of pop around as the mood strikes me for the first few hours, then I make a solid plan. Today I started by putting the student desks in place (they are moved in the summer for cleaning) and setting up anything I wanted to be posted on the walls. Then I made sure to have all supplies ready for tomorrow’s lessons (including a slide I post at the beginning of class with the agenda). I label the student desks 1-36 (there are 36 desks in the room) and then print out a student roster for each class and number it 1-36 (or however many students are in the class). Tomorrow I will meet students at the door, ask them their names, welcome them, and then let them know their desk assignment (hopefully they will find it without incident). Then I cleaned my own desk, set out student materials that will be needed tomorrow, set up the electronic gradebook with the first few days of materials posted, and wrote myself a to-do list for anything I want to accomplish tomorrow. I’m hoping to get home and get some rest before tomorrow.
*Note about the first-day lesson plan - this year I referenced this article for ideas on how to set the tone for class.
There are a ton of get-to-know-you activities you can do with students. A great way to find them is a quick internet search. I usually do a few small group sharing things for the first few days, and hold off on more in-depth get to know you for the next week or two. I find anything I do in the first whirlwind days doesn’t allow me to really remember student information that is shared (I’m too busy learning names and making sure everyone is in the right class).
A few visuals of my classroom set up:
Desks numbered (both desk number 1-36, circles, and group number, and team mate letter)”
My classroom expectations from last week’s unboxing posted!
A few basic policies for safety posted:
Some cheap finds from the thrift shop!
I hope your first-day preparation is going well! Reach out with any cool ideas!
And, if you want more support and guidance on any of these topics, check out the FREE New Teacher Crash Course!