Tips, Articles and Resources for Planning the First Weeks of School

I’ve included some of my most popular suite 101 articles and blogs that have been helpful for teachers.

Rules and procedures. - Classroom Management

Have a positive support plan

Effective classroom management

Classroom management systems

The teacher as a classroom manager

Regaining class control

Classroom management styles

Teach rules in elementary schools

Procedures

Planning classroom procedures

How to teach rules and procedures

Classroom management programs

Checking students’ work

First Weeks of School

First days of school lessons

First day of school handouts

Back to school questionnaire

First year of teaching

Classroom organization

Diverse classroom arrangements

Blank classroom seating charts

Using a classroom seating chart

As you can see, everything MUST be spelled out for the students so the lesson flows smoothly.

It’s really the RIGHT classroom management plan that works for you and your students that determines the outcomes for the rest of the year.

Not the same teacher

When I started teaching in 2000 at my last teaching post, I was taken on a tour of the school's facilities, which you can see here. It would be a seven year journey in a school situated in the most beautiful piece of Israel countryside.

Every year, I participated in an orientation that took place during the last week of August along with 130 other teachers. From year to year, there were a few new faces. Most of the talks were frankly uninspiring about the same topics regarding reinforcing learning habits. I cannot remember any single topic that was so useful for my teaching only the connection with the English staff and the feeling that "we're in it together."

The Israeli-Lebanese war of the summer of 2006 changed all that "feeling of togetherness" of the small kibbutz reality into an illusion. I, my husband and child left our small kibbutz on the northern border and lived for 34 days as refugees in other peoples' houses closer to the center of the country. (The distance between the farthest tip of Metulla to Eilat is approximately eight hours) All we had was a green suitcase filled with diapers and toys and a toothbrush and a few clothes. All throughout that time, I wondered if we would come back to a beautiful renovated kibbutz house - still standing. I wrote in my journal every day alongside the beach in Caesaria, which is home to one of Israel's famous poetess Hannah Senesh of kibbutz Sdot yam. We took trips along the beach and wondered if the rockets would come as far as those blue crystal waters with the huge electrical plant acting as a target reminding us how close we really were to reality.

When the war finally ended on August 18th 2006, I had managed to get the sand out of our suitcase and the muck from our travels. Prior to that, nobody knew if school would open or not. I figured that this would not be a normal school orientation even if school in fact, did open. The result of that last week of August was story after story relating to the power of human strength and endurance of 130 teachers in times of war. It was my first experience because I had endured the war of its pre-middle-post parts just like a lesson only I learned a lot more than a lesson. School psychologists were available to discuss the tragedy of two of my former students' who were killed in that terrible war and how to deal with the psychological aftermaths. Nobody had answers. Many teachers broke down. But again, the human strength prevailed and we managed to get our feet in the classroom come September 3rd.

As a group of English teachers, we agreed we would discuss the war, its facts, circumstances, personal anecdotes only if students initiated the need. We all craved for a routine - a return from the living dead and for many, from hell. The entire country was in shambles, millions in mourning and suffering from shock.

I remember that I wasn't the same teacher not then and not now. In front of seventh, eight, ninth, tenth and twelfth graders, I bravely discussed how I and my husband and then one and a half year old son coped with the war. With my matriculating twelfth graders, I read them bits of my journal which later became a published piece for a creative non-fiction contest, which I entered and won. You can read what I wrote here.

Students all looked to me for answers and asked me questions mainly concerning the more subtle details of how I coped. I told them that part of me wanted to go back to the States. Classroom management and lesson planning were not the first priorities anymore. My values of teaching had shifted from myself and right to my students. They too, like myself, needed a guiding word. I was there to give them hope. And we learned how to cope and hope together even though I didn't have answers.

What does Your Grading System Look Like?

All students want to get good grades, but the question is: how can you implement a grading system of accountability to help students become better achievers? Before you even begin to a calculate student's grade, you need to create a grading system where students become accountable for their own progress. Giving students grades for the sake of completing their requirements is one thing, but helping them see the connection between effort and grades helps them become more accountable for their progress.

Inform Students of the Grading Procedures of Assessment

First off, students should know the criteria for receiving grades in your class. This means writing the components of the grade (ie. homework, tests, quizzes, etc.) on the board for them and the percentage for each. You might have already decided on these areas with your staff or you may have a school policy which affects how this is done. Some teachers invite students to become more involved in the grading system by deciding on the weight of the grading components or allowing them to choose the work they feel best reflects their progress and effort.

Grading Folders

Keep a grading folder or binder containing each student's grades for tests, quizzes, projects, classwork, homework, tests, etc. For developing student accountability, you can hand to each student a chart containing their grades for that semester and they can start to become accountable by writing in their own grades as they receive them. Over time, they can begin to identify areas of progress and where they need to improve.

All grading systems can be effective means of student accountability so long as students are informed of the grading procedures along with periodic review sessions so students can improve their learning and grades over time.

Using songs to teach English

• Make sure you have a good read through of the song on your own. Some songs may be conceptually, too sophisticated or idiomatic.
• Make sure the song doesn't contain any cultural references. Students may be sensitive.
• Explain and pre-teach any difficult vocabulary and/or concepts.
• During a while activity, always let students listen to a song twice - one for general familiarity and second, for content based tasks.
• Teaching a song should follow a pre-while-post lesson plan. Read this article for specific how to's on using a song in your classroom.
• Organize your technical equipment before the lesson. Listen to the recording too - It may not be clear, the voice may be fuzzy, the instrument accompaniment may drown out the singer, etc.

I recall that I had a chance to sing "Caro Mio Bien" for my older students. (not school children aged)

That was a nice surprise for them!

Teacher talk:

Have you used songs to teach and inspire your students? Join the discussion and share your comments.