I’m all about maximizing summer with my family but the reality is that the back to school season is upon us and it is time to start prepping.
Before I step into my classroom to welcome my students on the first day of school, I like to have a few things done so that I have a smooth transition into the new school year.
Review my curriculum map
A curriculum map is a guide for your instruction during the school year. It lays out when you will teach specific standards and units. Think of it as a high level overview for the school year.
Why do I take time to do this during back to school season? There are a few reasons, but mostly because I am refreshed and energized enough to be purposeful with how I map out my school year. At the end of the year, I’m tired and ready for summer. It’s not my optimal time to be making thoughtful decisions!
The first days of school are filled with excitement and long task lists, so I like to knock this prep out before returning to school.
If you don’t already have a curriculum map, I invite you to take my 5 day back to school video challenge. Curriculum mapping is day 1 of the challenge. I provide a training video and resources to help you jump in. Oh, and it is free!
Prep Meet the Teacher Night Materials
Meet the teacher night, or maybe you call it open house, is a chance for your new students and their families to meet you. It is your chance to make a connection with students and begin to open communication with families.
No matter if your open house is before the first day of school or a few weeks into the school year, there are three things I think are important to have a successful meet-the-teacher night.
- Provide an opportunity for families to get to know you. I do this with a slide that I display during the open house, but a handout is great, too. I share information about my family, hobbies, and background. I want my students and their families to know that I am more than their teacher and that I understand that they are more than just a students.
- Share ways to contact you. A few years ago I began making contact cards with magnets on the back. I had so many parents rave about how much they appreciated those cards throughout the school year. Now it is essential for back to school prep. I include my school email and phone number and the best time to contact me.
- Have an activity for students to do. Earlier in my career, open house was exhausting. Each family would explain their child’s needs in detail and I wanted them to know I cared. The problem: it is impossible to remember the details about each student, especially when you are just getting to know their names! So I created an activity for families to complete and now I stand near the door, greeting everyone and asking them to complete the activity. That allows the flow of people to move smoothly and gives me the chance to individually meet each student, while students get a sense of their new classroom. It has worked well every year!
If you need help with meet the teacher night, I have a resource for you! This Meet the Teacher night bundle has a simple editable handout, editable contact cards, and a scavenger hunt activity.
Curate a list of books to share with students
When the students return to school I know many of them have spent most of their days off looking at their phones. I spend time during our first days back to school to help them find new independent reading books and build our reading routines. You can read about how I do that here.
One element of building those routines is to share a lot of books with my students. I gather favorite book titles and some new books I read over the summer to share with students using book talks. You can also use routines like Book Trailer Tuesday or First Chapter Friday to share books with students.
Ultimately, the goal is to get books in front of students quickly so that they can get into reading. I want to make sure the books I share are going to grab their interest and keep them excited about reading.
Set up email templates
I am the first to admit that I have forgotten to write emails to parents, my principal, or other teachers because the task gets buried behind other things that need to be accomplished in a school day. I’ve learned that if I have email templates set up, sending emails in a timely manner is much easier.
I start by considering what I usually send emails for. Some examples include informing parents about something great that happened at school, sharing some concerns with parents, communicating behaviors with the principal, and many more.
Then I create an email template that I can use for each of those scenarios. All I need to do is make a copy of the template, fill in specific information, and send it! This is also helpful to make sure my emails are factual, appropriate in length, and efficient in communicating information.
I have email templates for you in my TPT store. These have been a time saver again and again for me.
Plan my first ten days of school
There is so much excitement and learning that occurs during the first days back to school. I am intentional to make that time with my students for relationship-building, establishing routines, and setting expectations. That means I am not worried about standards or specific content, although that type of instruction is happening, but as a byproduct.
My ELA classroom runs as a workshop most days of the week, with days for whole-class activities, Socratic seminars, book clubs, and other learning activities built in as needed. Those first days of school are where I set the stage for how learning goes in my classroom. It is also when independent reading routines begin again, that students start digging into analyzing texts, and we begin building a community of learners.
The actual first few days of school are predetermined by school and district requirements, so when I say the first ten days of school, I mean the first ten days of instruction. If you want to save yourself time, I have the first ten days planned for you!
Going back to school after a relaxing summer break doesn’t have to be stressful! Be purposeful with your planning and your time to help you ease back into the school year.
