It is that time of the year…back to school! I always loved back to school and was sad to see my summer winding down, but something about a fresh new year was exciting. Today I will be sharing some of my tried and true tips for getting ready for back to school. I hope some of these will help make the transition from summer to school year a bit easier!
Organize
Layout
The first thing I did to get ready for back to school was to decide upon a room layout. My classroom had tables because I taught elementary science. I needed these tables to complete labs and allow the students to work collaboratively. However, the challenge of tables is that you lose the storage space you have with desks.
I had to come up with creative solutions for my students to be able to store and easily access their materials quickly. To overcome this each of my students had storage pockets on the back of their chairs to store a small pencil pouch, our STAR folder system, and any workbooks needed for the next subject. Next to each table was a small bookshelf with textbooks and workbooks for each student at the table.
Some things to consider when setting up your room: Will your classroom have desks or tables? Will you do mostly group work, whole class instruction, or a mix? Where will you store your materials? How many students per table, per row, per group, etc?
Materials
Begin to gather your textbooks, workbooks, and student materials. Count them out to make sure you have enough copies for each student in your class. How will you keep track of student materials? I used a number system in my classroom for textbooks and lockers but also printed name labels on Avery labels for the students to place on the front cover of each workbook.
Let me explain the number system. I used numbers for things that would be reused each year (lockers, textbooks) so that I wouldn’t have to waste time relabeling them year after year. It was a huge time saver for me and it worked. However, this system may not work for you and that’s ok! If you use name tags in your class you can prepare them ahead of time. I suggest keeping extra blank copies on hand for students who enter your class at a later date. Check out these free editable name tags!
Preparing for a Sub
Prepare a substitute binder for the inevitable sick day. There is nothing worse than being sick as a dog and having to type up sub plans. Planning ahead in this area is one of the most helpful things your future self will thank you for. If you are looking for an editable sub binder check out this one available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
In addition to preparing a sub binder with important information you should also gather some plans that could be used at any time of the year for those days where you are feeling too sick to type something up.
Rules & Procedures
When getting ready for back to school it is important to think of things that will help your classroom to run smoothly. The first few weeks of school are all about the rules and procedures. To get your classroom running smoothly you will need to spend a lot of time reinforcing them. You will want to think about routines for entering the classroom in the morning and for dismissal. Where will students put their backpacks and materials? Will there be morning work? What will students need to get ready for the start of the day? What will students need to prepare to go home?
Attention Grabbers
How will you get the attention of your students? Will you use a call and response signal, a musical instrument, a doorbell chime, a rhythmic clap, or something else entirely? How will you take attendance and lunch count? What will you do for students who need to use the bathroom during class time or make a nurse visit? Thinking about these things now will make it easier in the future.
Rules and Consequences
What rules will you have in your classroom? Will you come up with them as a class or will they be your rules? How will you reinforce these rules and what will the consequences be for breaking them? It is super important to figure out what you will do when a student breaks a rule. Consequences need to be fair and universal.
Classroom Management
Where will your students hand in completed work? Will you have classroom jobs? If so, how will you assign the jobs? What happens if a student is absent? To make my life easier I used a management system I called the “Absentee Ally” when a student was absent. My elementary students were not self-contained so it was helpful for everyone to have a responsible student gather and record assignments for the missing student. Want a free copy? Grab yours below!
Getting Ready for Back to School with Students
Now that you have done most of the logistics and layout you’ll need to start thinking about the students who will be entering your classroom in the near future. How will you keep in contact with the families? Does your school have an online communication platform? Will you use a classroom blog? If you want to learn more about blogging in the classroom check out this blog post. Will you send home Friday Folders or weekly communication? When I used Friday Folders in the classroom I sent home all graded work on Friday in a folder with the grades recoded to be returned to school signed on Monday. Want to see more? Click here to check out Friday Folders.
Getting to Know Your Students
Prepare getting to know you activities and interest surveys for your students. I always found these so helpful in forming relationships with the students. It helped me to know what they like and don’t like and additional information they may want to share. Gather any read alouds that you would like to read. Looking for suggestions? Check out this blog post on the best read alouds for back to school.
Open House
Does your school do an open house or meet the teacher night? What will you present to the families? When we did ours my team did a quick joint PowerPoint with important information and handouts for the parents. I always loved having the classroom decorated with these adorable biopoem people. The students worked hard writing and creating these the first few weeks of school and were always so excited to display their hard work.
Finally, write out your lesson plans and make copies for the first week of school. I always found it helpful to have a few extra activities or read alouds planned out just in case that can always be carried over to the next week. Best of luck as you get ready for back to school!
