I have always found it funny that teachers spend 4 or more years studying pedagogy, theory, and practical ways to teach a class full of students, but no one actually prepares you to begin the year. I would argue that the first week of school is foundational for the functionality of the rest of the year, and thinking through the routines that are realistic and work for you are extremely important. Don’t get me wrong, I have set up many routines that I quickly realize are not my style and that I will never maintain.
These 5 routines are ones that I have found actually work for me, and I come back to them year after year:
Area For Paper Material: Passing out papers is not only a time sucker, but it is also a time that classroom management can get wonky. Having a place near the door for all worksheets and materials for the class is the perfect solution for this! Students know as they come in to look for the materials and grab them before they have a seat. This simple solution streamlines the rest of the bell since there are no pauses for me to pass materials out.
Agenda Google Slides: As students walk in and grab the materials they need for the day, they are also reminded to look on the board at the agenda. I will normally hyperlink all online assignments to the agenda and create a slide show for each day of the week. This is added to Google Classroom for students that are absent, which helps with the catch-up process and leaves me to only answer any clarifying questions! Canva has some great agenda templates and it is free to teachers.
Student Desk Labels: Adding numeric labels to my students’ desks may be one of the smartest classroom decisions I have ever made. We end up using this more than I realized we would. On the first day of school, I pass out an index card with a number on it and have students sit at the seat labeled with that number. I then pass around a clipboard with a piece of paper and have students write their names next to the listed number. This becomes our first seating chart! I continue to use these numbers throughout the rest of the year for grouping, organizing, and changing seats once I know students.
Material tubs: My classroom is normally organized into rows with half of the class facing each other.I normally get small tubs for each row that contains highlighters, post-its, markers, colored pencils, and glue and have them under the first seat in each row. This cuts down the need to pass out these materials when they are needed. ( I am sure you can see I am not a big fan of passing things out 🤪)
Library Book Bin: Book bins are a great way to organize your classroom library! We normally organize ours by genre and add books to the bins so students can flip through them as they would records at a record store. We have found that this is more approachable for our reluctant readers since they can find a genre that they normally enjoy and start there. Click here for a free template of our library bin labels!
My biggest piece of advice for anyone entering the teaching career is to find routines that work for your teaching style, and your students will adapt. Teaching is HARD so give yourself plenty of grace as you navigate a new position or new year. You are doing a wonderful and difficult job! Click here if you want solutions to keep your students engaged, without burning the midnight oil and subscribe to be notified when we release new posts and materials!
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