Episode 5 is going to get you ready for your best day ever–THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Your first First Day is not what you think it will be. We try to help you plan for something you haven’t seen yet. You’re going to fly through your first day, no problem. (Well, maybe some problems. but you’ll know what to do to deal with them. Then you’ll fly.)
Here’s the lesson plan:
Objective: By the end of this episode, you will be able to understand what it takes to have a smooth first day of school.
Do Now: What is the most important thing to accomplish on the first day of school?
Lesson: Glenetta and Margaret break down some strategies that will help prepare you for the first day. What should you be doing the week before, the day before, and the morning of school to kick off the year in a positive direction?
One thing you can do is plan your syllabus. It doesn’t have to have specific assignments for each week, like a college syllabus. But it should give students an idea of what they’ll need to do in order to succeed in your class. With elementary grades, you might not have a syllabus per se but you’ll need a parent newsletter and/or calendar that makes students and their families confident that you’ve got a good plan for the year. Our staff has shared their sample syllabi from last year to help you get started. Spend a lot of time in the first few weeks teaching how you want students to do things. You’ll thank yourself later.
And we talk about some of the things that frustrate new teachers. Like, if you want to be the cool teacher, do you have to have assigned seats? Even on the very first day? Yes. It will make it easier to learn names. And that helps you build relationships. It’s okay to change things around later. It’s okay to just put everyone in alphabetical order. But assigned seats make students feel like you are prepared for them and have a plan of how things will go. There might be changes in schedules and rosters. Can you prepare for that, too?
And how do you set up a classroom? Set your room up to be of service to the students. Make it obvious where the pencil sharpener, the turn-in bin, hall pass, and such are located. Traveling teachers have special problems in this area. If you don’t have an assigned classroom , talk with your host teacher about how the room is set up. Is there an area tat will be just for you and your students? How will you work in the confines of each room where you’ll be working?
But, in order to help you feel most prepared for your first day, the most important thing the staff at What You Don’t Know Yet has to offer you is the WYDKY 1st Day Playlist! . Margaret has a list of four songs she plays on repeat all morning. Glenetta created a list that includes Margaret’s list and an about a million songs from the 80s. Treat yourself to a few jams to get you geared up and ready for the first day of school!
Homework: Write that syllabus or first day letter. Give it to a trusted colleague to read over and edit with you. Does it say what you want it to say? Does it kick off the year in a positive way?
Notes/Credits: Special thanks to Harry Wong for helping us understand how to approach the first day of school.
And, of course, we’ve got a few books to recommend:
What you don't know YET. . . 