Happy August! We got home from our six day road trip last night, and now it’s time for me to buckle down and start thinking about BACK TO SCHOOL. Our first teacher work day is August 17th, so I’m less than two weeks away now… In honor of that, I thought I’d bring back “Teaching Tuesday”...Read More »

Whether you’re a brand new teacher or you’ve been at this for a while, the first week of school is a crazy, roller-coaster ride of a week. Students' emotions are intense this week, and so are yours as their teacher. Plus, a lot more administrative stuff is asked of you. It can be a tough week, to put it mildly. What you need to make that first week run smoothly is a strong plan that allows everyone to feel safe. So, I went ahead and planned that week for you. I’ve laid it all out here. It includes ways to connect with your students (on their terms); it also allows for you to begin equipping them with what they need to be successful in your class. Over the last two decades, here are a few things I've found to be the most important things to focus on that first week: That students get a sense of who you are--that you are knowledgeable and caring That you start building relationships and rapport with your students, but on their terms That you start establishing class norms, routines, and expectations That you start getting into the material of the course in a way that sets them up to do well in your class Everything you do that first week should have one or more of those elements in mind. I've got a lot of FREE LESSONS in this post. If you want to jump straight to those, click here. Without further ado, here's your first week of school, planned. Monday: Welcome and Writing When I was a brand-new teacher I did icebreakers that first day and then I would talk for a solid 30 minutes about my syllabus. Whatever you do, don’t do that. That was not a great plan because it threatened some students (icebreakers are hard), and then it bored all of them (syllabi are boring). Here’s a much better plan that I discovered over the years with help from colleagues: Save your syllabus for the second day of school. The first day of school is filled with so much listening for your students, and it’s exhausting for them. But when I say “listening,” I don’t really mean that they hear and register what the teacher is saying. It’s more like the listening that appears to be happening when a group of students is sitting at desks silently. They aren’t talking, but they aren’t listening. Because who could actually take all that information in when they’ve heard 5 other syllabi presentations that day? What’s more, why even bother listening if all that information is printed on the syllabus? They can just read it when they have questions. If you do your syllabus the first day of school, that's fine, but only spend 10-15 minutes on it. Instead of talking at length through your syllabus, have them do this first-day-of-school activity. This activity allows you to give your students either a set of questions geared toward their history as a reader and a writer or a creative writing opportunity to see what their writing style is like (which can work great for more advanced classes or creative writing classes). You can grab this lesson and over 100 more resources when you become a member of the English Teacher Vault! My History as a Reader and Writer Assignment One of the options in this activity asks students a set of questions about their history as a reader and as a writer. These questions are broad as well as specific and work great with 9th-11th graders. Have them write for a pretty big chunk of the class period. Then, over the next several days you can read through these and get a sense of who your students are in a way that did not require them to embarrass themselves or think of something clever that rhymes with their names. Having students create name plates on that first day of school that they then bring back all week is also incredibly helpful as you start learning names. I go into a lot more details about this lesson in this blog post “Want An Outstanding Activity For The First Day of School?” One added benefit of this activity for the first day of school is that it immediately gets students writing in your classroom, and they will start to relate your class with a place where meaningful writing is going to happen. It sets the tone. I like to start with a narrative writing unit early in the school year, and this first-day activity is narrative writing. Some students could later draw from what they’ve started here and develop it into a longer narrative writing piece. Tuesday: Syllabus, Accounts, and Norms Briefly, cover your syllabus. For Tuesday, hit the high points of your syllabus if you didn't go over it Monday, but do not read the syllabus to your students. I find it best to explain the late work policy, when you are available to respond to emails, and what your “office hours” are. Besides these things, students can read what’s on your syllabus. It’s also helpful to have your syllabus designed as an infographic that draws students’ attention to key places and lets them take the information in quickly and easily. We have an editable syllabus template in the English Teacher Vault that you can make your own when you become a member! Set up accounts. If students need to set up any type of account for your classroom, this is the day to do it. Set aside 10 minutes for students to do this and then move on. Establish classroom norms. The most important thing you will do on day two is to establish your classroom norms for the year. If you are not familiar with the concept of classroom norms, this will revolutionize how you handle classroom management, especially with secondary students. High school students are transitioning between childhood and adulthood, so it’s important they have some voice in what the expectations are for them at school. They have more ownership this way and more buy-in. If this is all totally new to you, please jump over to this blog post and take 5 minutes to read all about what classroom norms are and the benefits of using them in your secondary classroom. In this blog post, my former colleague, Sam Bradford breaks down what norms are and how you can set them up early in the school year. Essentially, norms are principles decided upon by all your students--they are not rules that the teacher created and imposes on students. They are short and easy to remember, and they should also be revisited frequently. You can have your students brainstorm individually, and then work in small groups to start developing the classroom norms. As a class, you will ultimately decide on a handful of norms that will be your guiding principles every day. These norms might change later in the school year, and that is totally fine. They are dynamic! Here is a great free resource that walks you through how to set up norms in your high school ELA classroom: Norms Construction – A Process of Negotiation – School Reform Initiative Wednesday: Get Into Grammar Now that you’ve set up your classroom norms, you can jump into the content of your class. It’s important to get to meaningful learning in that first week to set the tone that this is a place where purposeful learning will happen. A focus on grammar is a way that students can be successful that first week, get needed review, and have the essentials that they will need to do well in your class going forward. By teaching a few highly-engaging grammar lessons this first week of school, you will set your students up for a clear path toward powerful writing for the rest of the school year. Teach vivid verbs on third day of school. Verbs are familiar to your students, but most students don’t realize the power of using action verbs instead of linking verbs. This lesson gets them there. I’ve put together a free parts of speech unit that I’d love to give to you, so you have nothing to prep on this day at all (and for several other days those first few weeks). Each lesson includes: Direct instruction on the concepts of action and liking verbs, strong nouns, adjectives, and adverbs Amazing mentor sentences that showcase the power of each part of speech Sentence frames for students to start practicing using parts of speech well A video writing prompt that will further instruct students in using the concepts in their own writing Quick writes to follow up the lesson and to allow students to work with each part of speech The free lessons will give students a sense that they have a path to becoming better writers, and your classroom is the place where that will happen. Thursday: Build On Grammar For Writing Success For the fourth day of school, continue teaching grammar in a way that is engaging, purposeful, and with a clear purpose: for students to become better writers. From time to time, it’s good to start class with a very short hands-on game to review grammar concepts. These games should be low-stakes, and early in the school year they should not be competitive. Remember, you’re working hard to create a safe place that first week. This hands-on grammar game allows students to look at mentor sentences and then determine if each sentence has a linking verb or an action verb. Students can do this activity in pairs, or you can do it as a full class. There are several variations of how you could use this game depending on the size of your class. This activity comes with the free parts of speech unit! After this game, jump into a lesson on using strong nouns. I know what you are probably thinking, “My high school students know all about nouns.” And I hear you, and I get that. They do know a thing or two about nouns, but let me tell you what this lesson does and does not do: It does not: Require students write down the definition of nouns Require students do tedious worksheets finding nouns It does: Challenge students to think about how to use nouns intentionally Remind students of the difference between concrete and abstract nouns Immediately give students a chance to write meaningful prose using nouns intentionally Let students have a little fun thinking about and playing around with nouns If you’re worried that around this time (two grammar lessons in two days) your students will start to moan, whine, and complain that “grammar is boring,” or that they “know all this already,” or that “there’s no point in knowing grammar,” let me say this can be your response: Grammar is a tool for better writing. It is my strong belief that knowing grammar is indeed useless if you are only memorizing a bunch of terms (i.e. an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun). It's also useless if students are only working with grammar in isolation on worksheets or drills that don't affect their writing. The purpose of grammar is for students to understand how language works, so they can apply those concepts to their own writing, creating powerful pieces of writing that let their voices be heard and even effect change. That’s it in a nutshell, but if you want to read more so that you are ready for your students (totally valid) questions regarding the point of grammar, check out this blog post,

Keep all of your lesson plans for the whole school year in one streamlined easy-to-access place with a Google Sheets Lesson Plan Template!

Are you ready to get your Spanish students speaking? Try these 10 fun games and activities for Spanish class that bring community and fun into your.....

Be a great social studies teacher with these use-tomorrow, science-backed teaching strategies.

Help the learning process with these simple strategies for making studennt thinking visible. Perfect for middle and high school English classes.

Here are the 5 most powerful activities for first day of high school that will liven up your class and eliminate the boredom.

Don’t get me wrong — I love candy. And, a jolly rancher, a tootsie roll, or a starburst can work wonders in the classroom for student motivation and enthusiasm. So can pizza parties, and cupcake days, and brunch, and…I’ve had so many types of food parties I can’t even keep track! Recently, however, I’ve been […]

Looking to enhance your art class curriculum with engaging activities? Look no further! Our Negative Space Drawing Worksheet is designed to elevate your middle or high school students' artistic skills while providing them with an enjoyable learning experience. "Great simple drawing worksheet for getting kids to look at negative spaces. Easy to use as an intro lesson, but also could be used as a last minute sub plan! Will use again." — Lacey B. - Rated 5 out of 5 "Awesome skill builder for Negative Space. Kids loved it." - Allison M. - Rated 5 out of 5 "This was a great lesson. All students could be successful and also it furthered their skills and knowledge on composition and space - would also be great substitute teacher plan!" - Created to Create (TpT Seller) Here's why teachers say our worksheet stands out: Practice Makes Perfect: Reinforce Negative Space drawing techniques effectively with this hands-on exercise. Versatile Use: Whether you need a quick activity for early finishers, a substitute art lesson plan, or an extra credit assignment, this worksheet fits the bill perfectly. Easy Grading: Bid farewell to the hassle of misplaced rubrics! With the rubric conveniently located at the bottom of the worksheet, grading becomes quick and effortless. Encourages Creativity: Students are encouraged to infuse their unique creative flair into the negative space, fostering individuality and self-expression. Explore more on mrstfoxresources.com and subscribe to "The Weekly Fabulousness" for teacher freebies and updates. Find hundreds of student work examples on Instagram @mrstfoxresources and Pinterest MrsTFox Resources. Discover exciting free mini-workshops on YouTube cover Drawing, Painting, Classroom Management, and more, complete with valuable classroom resources. Don't forget to leave a review on TpT – your feedback earns credits for future purchases! Thank you for stopping by and enhancing your art curriculum with MrsTFox Resources! Tiffany :)

These engaging, science-backed activity ideas are a must for you high school social studies classroom. - Let's Cultivate Greatness

A lesson plan! A lesson plan! My kingdom for a lesson plan!

Depending on the format of your school's Back-to-School Night, planning out your evening meeting parents can be tough.

Can You Draw What Isn't There? Discover a captivating art lesson designed to ignite creativity in your art room! With our Negative Space Chair project, teaching the fundamentals of negative space becomes a breeze. Watch as middle school and high school students dive into the intriguing concept of drawing by focusing on what surrounds an object, adding their unique twist with patterns and colors. Perfect for Art Sub Plans! NEWLY UPDATED Now featuring 12 additional reference images and an exciting student-centered video tutorial! Is your art curriculum missing a key piece? Mastering Negative Space isn't just about drawing—it's about honing observational skills that set the stage for exceptional artwork. Perfect for all skill levels: Whether your middle or high school students are beginners or seasoned artists, this cost-effective lesson serves as an essential building block, paving the way for more advanced techniques like life drawing. Are you ready to make a big impact without breaking the bank? This drawing lesson is perfect for art teachers working within tight budgets or limited supplies. It's a versatile addition to any art curriculum, seamlessly complementing existing coursework and preparing students for further exploration. TECH NOTE: Don't forget to make a copy of the Google tutorial file links for seamless sharing within your district's server area. Lesson is meant to follow Negative Space Stool Worksheet - found HERE Items Included in the Negative Space Chair Lesson: Project Overview Project Overview Teacher Video Tutorial 18-pages - Chair/Rocking Chair/Plant Reference Photos ½ Page Rubric for Chair Project (without directions) Full Page Project Directions and Rubric “All-in-One” Sheet Additional Chair/Rocking Chair Project Directions TWO Student Video Tutorials (diamond back chair and ladder back chair) – great for homebound students, as a homework assignment, early finishers, extra credit, additional practice) Short video of student work (link above) Supply List: Construction paper – various colors for students to choose from Pencils Rulers Colored Pencils Markers Sharpie Pens Ballpoint Pens Please go to mrstfoxresources.com and subscribe to my Sunday newsletter, "The Weekly Fabulousness" for teacher freebies and much more! There are hundreds of examples of student work on both my Instagram @mrstfoxresources and my Pinterest MrsTFox Resources - be sure and check it out! MrsTFox Resources is now on YouTube! Check out the free content and classroom resources :D Don't forget to leave a review on this (or any) resource by logging into your TpT account - TpT is now giving credits toward future purchases for teacher feedback - yay! :) All my best for a safe and productive school year, Thank you for stopping by! tiffany :)

Looking for classroom decor ideas? Try some of these meaningful approaches to freshen up your middle or high school classroom.

Two truths and a lie, storytelling edition is one of the best ideas for ice breaker activities in the high school English classroom.

What a concept: using SNOW to break the ICE on the first day of school! When I first heard about this cool idea from a cousin who attended a reunion for her husband’s side of the family, I kn…

Movement in the classroom is beneficial for many reasons. First and foremost, getting up to move in the classroom might help anxious students relieve stress.

Today, on the blog, I am sharing 15 of my favorite Amazon finds that I use in my classroom.

These 5 classroom management tips will help high school teachers be a master at managing their students all year! End bad behavior for good...

Do you search for a teacher planner every year? I don’t. Well let me start by saying I use to but then I stopped. Year after year, I would hunt for the perfect planner to use as my day book and year after year I would spend way too much time filling it out. I...

So the 1st day of school in high school science is approaching and you don't know what exactly to do with your students. There is so much

Routines help us accomplish our goals. Usually around this time of the year, we often start new routines with the hope of making good on our New Year’s Resolutions. This year, I’m resolving to start and revamp two of the most significant classroom routines: bellringers and exit tickets. I’ve been using both of these strategies

There are so many positive classroom ideas for high school that high school teachers should steal from the elementary world...

My rule #1 in a series about bringing out the best behavior in middle school students, Helpful tips for managing adolescents effectively.

These three steps will help teachers plan their high school classroom setup process. Get the free training + checklist shared in this blog post.

Looking for high school rewards or middle school rewards to motivate students? Tired of finding reward ideas that are more applicable to elementary kids than your 8th, 9th, or 10th graders? No need to look any further. As a language teacher, I'm always searching for high school incentives to get my trickier classes to speak

Have your lessons have lost their spark? Are you searching for some creative inspiration? This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about out of the box teaching ideas in the ELA classroom. Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed interesting fiction and nonfiction pairings. Teachers also shared creative activity and projects that are both fun and rigorous. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.

We've all used exit tickets in our classroom for informal assessment, but sometimes it can become boring. Read this post to get exit ticket ideas on how you can engage students with exit slips and still assess your students!

These engaging, science-backed activity ideas are a must for you high school social studies classroom. - Let's Cultivate Greatness

Unit 1: Introduction to School of this middle school and high school newcomers curriculum hits the ground running with 36 new words or phrases, 5 important basic sentences or greetings, and an introduction to singular and plural nouns, pronouns, and the simple present tense.

As I am looking forward to a new school year in my new school, I have already started planning and creating new resources. Since I have my classroom now and I can finally make the big decisions about the teaching materials I would love to use, I am all excited to be able to say good-bye to textbooks and use what I believe best responds to my learners’ needs. If you are looking for some engaging and valuable resources for your textbook-less ESL class or you wish to supplement your own materials,

Learn why one-pagers are one of my go-to activities for breaking down complex topics and texts. Understand what they are, why you and your students will love them, and how to implement them in your ELA classroom. I even have the advice to help you tackle the biggest obstacle you’ll encounter with this activity.

Simplify your lesson planning for the week with a free Google Docs lesson plans template for secondary teachers. See how I use mine.

As students head back to school, ELA teachers everywhere are considering how they are going to begin the school year, so I wanted to walk you through one of my favorite lesson plans entitled, “Why do we read?” As an educator, there are few things as exciting and rewarding as introducing a young person to […]

Looking for games to play with a classroom? This list of English games in the classroom is exactly what you need to engage students!