Free School Year Reflections printable from Laura Candler! A quick, easy, and fun way for students to reflect on what they've learned and how they've grown during the school year.
Ready to "cook up" a great first day of school? It's easy with this recipe for a successful start to the school year! PREP: ➤ Think about how you will set the tone for your classroom on the first day of school. ➤ Plan to keep students engaged and active. ➤ Prepare to build a positive rapport with students from the first instant that they become a part of the classroom community. INGREDIENTS: ➤ Warm-Up Activity ➤ Get-to-Know-You Activity ➤ Game that gets students out of their seats ➤ Get-to-Know-the-Teacher Activity ➤ Writing Prompt ➤ Extension Activity Once you've gathered your ingredients, you can get "cooking!" (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RECIPE!) PROCEDURE: STEP 1: Begin with a warm-up activity. Place an activity on students' desks that they can complete independently. You might try a simple survey or poster. An All About Me poster is a quick way to learn about students. You can even gather them together for an awesome classroom display. Or, a survey is a wonderful way to collect information about students. You might include questions about where students like to sit, their favorite way to learn, and activities that they enjoy so that you can start connecting with students. Another awesome warm-up activity is an "All About You" name tag. Students answer questions about themselves while coloring in a name tag based on their responses. Then, students can place the name tag on their desks to help you learn your students' names. This activity is particularly awesome if you have multiple sets of students. You can collect the name tags and re-distribute them each day during each class while you learn names. Oh, and as a bonus, you can gather them together and leave them with substitute teachers throughout the year! If you'd like to check out ready-made Back to School Warm-Ups, just click here for the poster, here for the survey, and here for the name tags. STEP 2: Mix in a get-to-know-you activity. Give students a chance to share about themselves and learn about their classmates with an engaging get-to-know-you activity. One of my favorites is a doodle-inspired mini-book. Students transform a single sheet of paper into a doodley mini-book all about themselves. After students make the mini-book it's fun to hang them on a clothesline. Then, as students finish their work during the first days of school, you can encourage fast-finishers to grab a classmate's mini-book and learn about him or her. Check out the doodle mini-book HERE. Or, you could have students create this 3-D About Me Activity. Students create an infographic-style book about themselves. After answering some simple questions, they do a little cutting and gluing to create a 3-D "About Me" display. These are especially fun because students can set them on their desks and then everyone can tour around the classroom and learn about their peers. (These are awesome for Open House too!) Learn more HERE. STEP 3: Scatter in an activity that gets students moving. Since students crave opportunities to get up and out of their seats, plan to get your class moving on the first day of school. You might have students complete a scavenger hunt or even play a learning game that requires students to move around. I'm a huge fan of this simple get-to-know-you activity that gets students moving (and you can download it for FREE here.) First, students make paper airplanes. They write their name and 3 interview questions on the wings. Then, students line up shoulder-to-shoulder and launch the planes. Next, they pick up a classmate's plane, find him or her, and ask the interview questions. You can repeat the airplane launch as often as you'd like! Find everything you need to do this activity in this FREEBIE. If you'd like to combine movement and learning on the first day of school, then you and your students will love this Back to School Doodle Infographic. First students fill in the infographic with facts about school. There are 21 facts and you can hide them around the room to get students moving. Then, they put together the infographic to make a fun and doodle-y poster! Check it out HERE. STEP 4: Sprinkle in a chance for students to get-to-know-you (their teacher). On the first day of school, students are very curious about you. They want to learn about you, so you'll want to be sure to share about yourself. You can give a simple biography of yourself, or you might try these easy and engaging activities: Create a teacher interview question along with 4 or 5 prize cards for each student in your class. Then, tape the questions and the prize cards under students' seats before class begins. During class, explain to students that they all have something under their chairs. It might be a question and it might be a prize. If they get a prize card, have students keep it quiet. Then, call on students. They can either read a question for you to answer or reveal that they won a prize. If they won, you might give them a pencil, piece of candy, or a homework pass. You can find all my favorite questions HERE. Or, you might have students complete a "Teacher Guess" about you. First, they predict the answers to questions about you. Then, as you reveal the answers, they earn points for every correct prediction. It's a fun activity that students truly enjoy! You can check it out HERE. STEP 5: Add a fun writing prompt to your back to school activities. A writing prompt is a great way to gather a baseline for students' writing on the first day of school. You might give students a simple prompt about their summer or goals for the new school year. However, I love to add a fun creative writing prompt into the mix. For example, with this writing prompt students select a setting, character, problem, and 3 random objects. Then, they need to work them all into a story. It's fun, engaging, and a great way to see where your students are starting the school year. Find this writing prompt HERE or check out this collection of 10 creative writing activities. STEP 6: Top it off with a review of tomorrow's warm-up. Set students up for success during your next day of school by quickly reviewing what they will need to do when they arrive to class. If you're planning to have students work through warm-ups like these This or That ELA warm-ups where students choose to do the "this" or the "that" activity, then you might quickly review what will be waiting on their desks when they arrive. Taking the time to preview tomorrow's warm-up is a great way to set expectations for students! If you're looking for some daily warm-ups, you might want to check out these This or That ELA warm-ups or these This or That Writing warm-ups! STEP 7: Don't forget to have an extension activity just in case your lesson ends early. I love playing games like "Move If You..." which you can find for FREE HERE. While you may never get to the extension activity, it's a lifesaver if you need it! TIPS: When you're following this recipe for a great first day of school, you might want to: ➤ Greet students at the door and answer these questions for students right away: ➨ Where do I sit? ➨ Am I in the right classroom? ➨ What should I be doing right now? ➤ Also, be prepared to manage students' behavior on the first day of school. Ensure that you have a positive classroom management system in place and ready to use if you need it! Well, there you have it, my recipe for a great first day of school. Be sure to download all the ideas with links AND the FREE airplane activity HERE! CHECK THIS OUT! I've put together a 100+ page guide for back to school for teachers. It includes tips, tools, and printables for classroom décor, classroom organization, lesson planning, community building, and planning the first day of school. It's absolutely FREE! Just click here to sign up. When you sign up, you'll get access to 6 mini-courses that cover everything Back to School including classroom design, organization, curriculum planning, and ways to build a positive classroom community. There's also a TON of exclusive freebies, bonuses, and videos! If you'd like to learn more and sign up, just click HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. If you'd like MORE free resources for your classroom, be sure to join the Brain Waves Instruction club!
The end of the school year can be stressful, but it can also be fun! Here are 6 ways you can make your last few weeks with your students enjoyable.
5 easy to implement challenges to help improve your relationships with your students.
Get this list of 30+ PRACTICAL dinner ideas (w/ recipes) that are perfect for the hectic season of back to school. Then save your kids favorites!
Use magic play dough as a fun activity for the first day of school. Your students will be amazed as they ease their way into a new school year.
Want to improve your students' vocabulary? Included are 38 Word of the Week posters, one for each week of the school year. Stick them up on the wall each week, or put them all onto a keyring and hook them onto your board to switch them easily each week. CHECK OUT OUR BUNDLE WHICH INCLUDES WORD, IDIO...
Make the end the of the year countdown memorable and learning-filled with these hands-on math, literacy and science Bubble Day activities!
With the current climate of the country and world, many states and districts will be choosing distance learning for ESY (Extended School Year/ Summer School) education this year. The good news about this? I planned it for you! YES. I planned the entire summer for you. 8 weeks of editable lesson plans, social stories, adapted […]
It can be overwhelming to plan for the entire year of preschool! This year-long curriculum map for preschool and Pre-K includes a Year at a Glance, weekly plans, and book lists. I mapped out the whole year for you, just print and go! There’s even an editable template for you too!
Use magic play dough as a fun activity for the first day of school. Your students will be amazed as they ease their way into a new school year.
A Winning Game for the First Day of School Engagement % %
first grade teacher blog
The end of the school year typically finds children (and teachers) growing restless and struggling to focus on lessons. Find plenty of year end activities for your middle school students here that combine fun memory-making and significant learning opportunities.
What you should be doing the first month or two in class before you dive into academics.
ESY is here, and if you are reading this post you must be curious about my 5 must have resources for ESY, so I’ll jump right in! The Last 10 Days If you didn’t use this resource for your last 10 days of school as intended… this is a MUST HAVE for ESY…. it’s 10 […]
It is so hard to think of healthy lunchbox ideas for kids that they will actually eat. Follow this list of 100 gluten free recipes to make your life easier.
These easy blueberry muffins are made with Greek yogurt instead of butter, and there’s only a little vegetable oil and sugar in these. Don’t worry, these don’t taste healthy at all!
Tender zucchini rounds baked to absolute perfection in just 13 minutes. It’s healthy, nutritious, and completely addictive.
First week of school activities for kindergarten & 1st grade students including First Day Jitters, school bus safety, & friendship activities.
All one package and easy to download!
FREE printable Symmetry drawing activity for preschool and kindergarten kids. A fun art and math activity in one! Kids will complete the symmetrical pictures by drawing the other half.
Des muffins moelleux comme des mignardises à la pistache et framboise
Having a new lesson plan every day for culinary arts can be a challenge, especially when you are preparing ingredients and recipes for food labs. Starting class or at least a unit with a complete …
Yay for FREEBIES! Below is a link to a my Class Wish List note that I sent home with parents at the beginning of the school year. Parents...
FREE PRINTABLE 2024-2025 Monthly School Calendar Template to help you keep track of important dates throughout the school year 2024-2025 - Free Teacher Calendar.
I have had the BEST first week! It was jam packed and the days went by in the blink of an eye. I've been use to have 18 kids for the whole day in first grade. Since I'm just teaching reading, I have three different classes and 72 kids! That is definitely going to take
Welcome to the only Breakfast Burrito recipe you will ever need! Once you know the basics of this amazing make ahead meal, you are going to be unstoppable. The possibilities are endless! I will show you all my tips and tricks for how to customize, how to store in the freezer, how to defrost and reheat, and most especially, how to garnish when you are ready to serve, because even the best breakfast burritos are nothing without proper toppings. Nothing, I say!
This Jitter Juice recipe is perfect for the first day of school! Pair it with the fun back to school book, "First Day Jitters."
TEN fun stations activities to get your students walking around the classroom, reviewing geometry topics. This bundle has activities for you and your students to enjoy through the whole school year! Each activity includes 8 stations, as well as a students answer sheet, teacher answer key, and supple...
Check out these 5 ESL Speaking Activities that can be adapted for different grade and proficiency levels to get your English learners talking
This Jitter Juice recipe is perfect for the first day of school! Pair it with the fun back to school book, "First Day Jitters."
Looking for back to school coloring pages for kids? Well, you're in luck! Keep reading to grab a free copy of our Free printable back to school coloring sheets for kids perfect for this school year!
