First Day of School Activities

The first-day jitters are REAL!

You’re not able to sleep the night before even though you know that you are ready.

You have butterflies in your stomach.

There is the excitement yet nerves that assail.

It still happens whether you're a new teacher, on the brink of retirement, or somewhere in between.

Learn to embrace it.

Here are some tips to help the very first day go smoothly.

1) Use a notepad and write down Every. Single. Minute. of the day!

2) Since the schedule is new to you, write down times and what you plan to do.

3) Students are unusually quiet the first morning, as they are nervous also. Give them a fun activity such as a coloring sheet to complete with their new school supplies as you greet everyone and take care of the things you must do.

(For younger grades, I always had a laminated piece of construction paper and a small playdough container on each desk. This was a huge hit!)

4) After you have taken care of attendance, begin your morning with introductions. Tell them a little about yourself. Go over the schedule for the day. They will especially want to know about lunch and recess.

5) Tell them the procedures for bathroom breaks, as this is another big concern for students.

The biggest concern for the teacher on the first day is to make sure that every student has time to eat and that you send them home correctly. I had a principal who always told us that the only concern for the first day of school was to “feed them, keep them safe, and send them home correctly”.

In between, you will want fun things to do as you begin learning about your students. Some ideas are:

• break the ice/getting to know you activities (Click here to see some fun ones in my store along with some fun writing prompts.)

• first day of school read-aloud

• a little math

• a little reading

• a game

• teach them something

Complete some activities to get to know your students better. Getting them moving makes things even better. A favorite game I liked to use in my classroom was four corners. For the first day of school, I modified it to a simple yes or no game.

You can tell students that the left side of the room is yes and that the right side is no. (On the rug for "yes" or off an area rug for "no" works also.)

Use these FREE yes/no questions I have prepared for you. Add some of your own, as well.

Play bingo with your students for an easy game that everyone knows. I have a digital back-to-school bingo game in my store, or you can use an academic one you already own. Click here to see digital bingo games.

Another fun game is “Four in a Row”. You can find it included along with other NO-PREP back-to-school activities in my store to last your entire first week of school. Just print and go to make planning so easy for you.

Click here to see First Week of Week Survival Kit

I always liked to teach my whole class a math game I created. This was a game they BEGGED to play the entire year. Teach it first as a whole group, and then add it to your first week of math centers. Add it to your math shelf so that students can play it with partners as an early finisher activity throughout the year. Click here to see this game.

Most importantly, check with your students to make sure that they know how they are getting home and that you have the correct information. Begin checking with them early on the first day. Double-check and triple-check. You want to make sure that you and the students are confident in how they will leave school.

Plan your day in the most minute detail to ensure that you have the smoothest first day you’ve ever had.

Having the best FIRST day ever is just...

My Kind of Teaching

Stop Teacher Fatigue and Overwhelm

Whether it's the beginning of the school year, the middle of the school year, the end of the school year, or any of the many days in between, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and get teacher fatigue.

TEACHER FATIGUE!!!  It's a real thing, y'all!!

I experienced MANY years of it myself.  But what if I told you that it didn't have to be like that?

TRUTH!!

I refined my kind of teaching through the years and each year got better and better.

Yes, it involves learning tips and tricks and tweaking those to fit your style and your life, but it CAN happen!

Recently, I sent out a survey to my e-mail subscribers asking them this question, "What do you struggle with about leaving school each day on time?" 

Side note - Sign up for weekly emails to receive tips, freebies, gift card giveaways, and more!

The number one answer was planning/prepping.

Not far behind was paperwork and grading.

There are ways to implement and maintain a level of readiness and preparedness in your classroom.  You have to be willing to sometimes say no, close your door, and put those blinders on to be able to walk out that door each afternoon.  

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a series of blog posts of ideas and tips that have been tried and tested.  You can use them immediately in your classroom!

Read this blog post to see what a typical day for you can look like when you can leave your classroom on time each day simply by implementing a few "work smarter, not harder" techniques.

WARNING: Implementing all of these ideas in your classroom will have the following side effects:

• leaving your classroom on time each day
• staying prepared and “on top of things” all year
• your classroom running like a well-oiled machine
• stress-free days
• more time for yourself and your family
• free time in the evenings and on weekends
• time to do the things you enjoy out of school
• restful sleep

One of my absolute favorite ways to get ahead of the game and beat teacher fatigue is by using NO PREP activities throughout the day as often as possible.  

This blog post about NO PREP Math Centers can help with a math centers.

Stop by again soon to read more tips to STOP TEACHER FATIGUE!

That's just...

My Kind of Teaching

Decorating Your Classroom on a TIGHT Budget!

Let’s get real. It is a fact that teachers spend a ton of their own money on their classrooms. It can especially get expensive at the beginning of a new school year when you want to make your classroom look like the beautiful Pinterest-ready classrooms you’ve been pinning and saving to your classroom décor board.

While having a theme in your classroom makes an otherwise plain room look cohesive and beautiful, it can easily take a large chunk of money, so I want to share with you how you can create a beautiful classroom on a budget.

If you have already chosen a theme for your classroom, select 2-3 colors that compliment your theme.

The colors can be highlighted throughout your classroom.

An even better solution to a beautiful classroom is using mostly colors instead of a specific theme. It will be much friendlier to your budget!

Here are some ideas to find inexpensive items for your classroom.

• Visit yard sales both in person and online during the summer. If you have a couple of colors you are focused on, you will easily find things both expected and unexpected that will match your classroom.

• Other places to visit might be Facebook Market Place and thrift stores.

• Make a post on social media asking if anyone has anything to donate to your classroom. You will be amazed at the people who have things to give away. Some of the things I have gotten for my classroom by simply asking are lamps, pillows, furniture, school supplies, baskets for storage, stuffed animals for reading buddies, board games, and so much more!

When I moved to a flexible seating classroom, I changed my entire room with very little money. For more information, read this blog post to find out a few more ways how I saved money.

If you are feeling super brave and plan on using flexible seating, you might like to also read these two blog posts.

Flexible Seating Classroom Reveal

How to Manage Flexible Seating

Doors and Bulletin Boards

One last area to consider for your classroom is how to decorate your bulletin boards and your classroom door.

• Using material to cover your bulletin boards will last all year and can be reused from year to year. In addition, you can find colors to compliment the rest of your room and add a plain border to enhance the board.

• Cut out shapes from bright copy paper and write your students' names on them. Unless you plan on using them longer than the first few weeks, save time and don’t laminate. Add this “Rocking into a New Year of Learning” freebie, and your door will be bright and beautiful.

• These easy-to-make bulletin board dots will add function and color all around your classroom! 

 I hope you found some nuggets to help you as you plan out your classroom. That's my...

My Kind of Teaching

A New Take on Classroom Morning Work

Starting your day with a consistent routine is key to building a foundation of success for your students. Your students need to know what to expect from the moment they walk into your classroom each morning. When you implement meaningful activities and have a consistent routine, you are setting up your students for success. Classroom morning work is the perfect way to start each day. Morning work should be easy to manage and meaningful to your students.

Why Morning Work is So Valuable

The first few minutes of class are crucial. What your students do in those few minutes sets the tone for the rest of the day. When you implement a consistent routine, students learn what is expected and can jump in independently. This frees you up to take care of those daily administrative tasks like attendance and lunch choice.

Since students have a consistent routine they can develop independence skills. Before you know it, your students will be arriving, unpacking, and getting started on meaningful work activities. This structured time allows students to work on their own helping them build independence and show responsibility.

Not Your Typical Morning Work

If you have struggled to find morning work that keeps students learning and engaged, you are not alone! I have been there. I knew the importance of developing a consistent morning routine, but I could never find that perfect lesson to help me with providing a consistent learning routine for starting our day. Most morning work options I found focused solely on math and/or language arts skills. While this is great I wanted something more.

Because of those challenges, I created these paperless, no prep, science and social studies based morning work activities. While students will apply language arts and math skills they do so through the engagement of science and social studies topics. My students look forward to completing the different tasks each morning and are always excited to see what they will learn. 

The classroom morning work consists of a variety of activities for students to complete. Each day presents challenges along with fun and engaging mini-lessons. Some of these lessons have a video to help students dive deeper, as well as provide a visual for a better understanding.

This interactive resource is so easy to use. Simply project the calendar onto your screen, click on the day’s date, and let the fun begin! Your students will be eager to start their day.

Morning Work Activities Explained

Weird and Wacky Science Fact

Students will learn a science fact by viewing an image, reading text, and watching a video. It's a great way to add a little science fun to each and every day.

Today in History

In this section, students will read about something that happened on the same date in history. There are also likes to videos that give students more information. It's a great way for students to learn new things from history. With some serious and some silly - your students will eagerly anticipate what might have happened years before.

In Your Own Words

This is a great writing activity for getting your students thinking in the morning. Each day students will be asked to do a little writing. It might be reviewing what they learned from the daily science topic, or reviewing a previously taught language arts skill. By giving students an explicit writing activity, they won't be wasting time wondering what to write about.

Make a List

In this section, students will be making a list of items that meet the daily topic. It's a great way to work on vocabulary development and categorization.

Surprise Section!

This final section changes and is a great way to keep kids on their feet. This section will include activities like handwriting practice, drawing or riddles, figures of speech, and more!

Not Your Typical Morning Work

While this science and social studies based morning work is not your typical math or language arts spiral review - it is filled with so many skills that your students need.  Here are just a few of the important skills your students will work on with this Daily Science and Social Studies Morning Work: 

daily science facts through photos, text, and videos

daily social studies and historical facts through photos, text, and videos

grammar practice

writing skills

critical thinking activities

fine motor skills

cursive writing practice

The list could go on and on!  What really sets this apart is the engaging factor that the science and social studies sections add.  We may get moans and groans when assigning reading, writing, and math practice, but through this morning work, the same skills are woven through topics that students love!

This resource is easy to implement, engaging, and educational!  And . . . if you've never used morning work before it will transform your morning routine.

Try Science & Social Studies Morning Work for Free!

I love this resource so much because it made a huge difference in my classroom.  Not only were students engaged and working, but they were learning lots of new science and social studies topics, developing a larger vocabulary, and reviewing key skills without even realizing it!

I'd love for you to try this in your classroom so I created a free monthly sampler pack.  In this free resource you can see and try a daily morning work activity from every month.  

Pin it!

Be sure to save these fun and engaging classroom morning work ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back anytime during the year for no-prep morning work your students will love!

Helping you teach fun and meaningful lessons is just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Fun Poetry Activities for Elementary Students

When I first started teaching it was very common for students to start school with lots of background knowledge of nursery rhymes and tongue twisters. It was almost as if these were a rite of passage through the preschool years. However, times have changed along with "norms" that we may have come to expect. 

Our students don't start school with the same knowledge and skills as in previous years. So, how do we make sure our students are getting exposure to poetry today? I'm going to share some of my favorite fun and engaging ways to teach poetry your students will love.

Why Is Poetry Important?

Teaching poetry has many different benefits which is why it is a language arts standard in grades 1 - 5. 

Poetry helps children to build early literacy skills. It helps emerging readers as they develop rhyming skills and phonemic awareness.  It encourages students to play with words and their meanings. It exposes students to varying sentence structures and writing styles.  And . . . poetry sparks creativity and helps with memory.

Aside from literature, poetry also teaches children about the world. It introduces them to the ideas and feelings of others. It teaches students how to look at the world from different perspectives.  

This is so important in today's world. Poetry can help us to respect and understand each other and our viewpoints. It can essentially teach us how to be better people. 

Teaching Poetry

The idea of teaching poetry can seem like just another standard to check off your list, but with these ideas to teach poetry that your students will love I think your mindset will change.

There are many different types of poems we can introduce to our students. The depth and content of the poems will, of course, depend on the age of your class. 

I like to teach poetry by providing tons of examples and allowing my students to create poems of their own. Because of this, I provide them each with a poetry book.

As we work through our unit, we fill out the pages in their poetry book together. After they complete the poetry book, they end up having a definition and an example of each type of poem we study. The book serves as an awesome reference guide for them to use throughout our poetry unit and even afterward. 

Once we've learned about one type of poem and explored some examples, then we always try our hand at writing that type of poetry.

You may want to consider teaching poetry throughout the year. Choosing one poem type to focus on each month allows you to really explore each type of poem at a deeper level than doing one unit on poetry. It also ensures your students have a solid understanding of each type of poem.

Acrostic Poems

I like to begin with Acrostic poems. Using our school mascot, I like to work with my students as a class to complete an example on the board. We come up with words to describe the mascot based on each of the letters in the word. After they get the hang of it, students write their own acrostic poems using their names. This makes it so much fun and helps them make a personal connection to the poem. They write their final version of the acrostic poem in their poetry book.

Teaching Poetry Just Got Easier

What if I told you ideas to teach poetry that your students will love are in one place? 

Yep! My Poetry Writing Unit contains everything you need to get your students excited about poetry. Using their own poetry books, students will learn about the elements of 12 different poetry types. The unit is available in both print and digital forms which makes the prep so easy! 

The unit includes:

• Anchor Charts for each poem
• Student Poetry Book
• Lesson Plans
• YouTube poetry videos
• Examples of Poems
• Digital and Printable versions
• Culminating Activity

I know this Poetry Writing Unit will inspire you and your students to explore different types of poetry in your classroom. Your students will be pros at reading and writing poetry before you know it!

Save these Poetry Ideas for Later

Be sure to save these tips for teaching poetry to elementary students to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you have plenty of ideas for teaching poetry that your students will love.

Helping students fall in love with poetry is just...

My Kind of Teaching!