The First 5 Days: The Key to Success
Make the start of the new school year go smoothly by preparing for studentsâ questions and anxieties before the first day of class.
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Go to My Saved Content.Creating a âjust rightâ classroom environment where all students feel they belong is key to a successful school year. The first five days can set you and your students up for a joyful and successful year or semester. As with all new learning, youâll need to review and reteach after the first couple of weekends, after a longer weekend, and always after a holiday break.
Prior to the first day of school, have your classroom prepared with nothing left to chance. You make hundreds of decisions every single day, so letâs simplify the questions that might come up.
First, put yourself in the shoes of your students and picture yourself walking through the classroom door. âWhere do I put my items?â âWhere is my desk?â âI forgot to bring something to write withâwhat do I do?â âIâve been out sickâhow do I know what I missed or what we are currently doing in class?â Run through every scenario you can think of and then prepare for it.
Day 1
Nothing is more important than building a strong relationship with your students. John C. Maxwell, who, according to , is âwidely considered to be one of the worldâs top leadership thinkers,â said, âStudents donât care how much you know until they know how much you care.â Creating a safe, free-from-failing classroom environment sets all your students up for a risk-taking mindset. To reach a studentâs mind, you need to first touch their heart and let them know youâre there for them, you care about them as a human being, and you believe in them. You should also make sure you can pronounce their names correctly from the start; take notes on pronunciations as needed.
About you: Students, like adults, make split-second judgments, so how you begin those first couple of minutes of the first class period will tell your students more than you can imagine. Leave going over the class syllabus to day two or three; today, letâs get to know one another. Do something upbeat, light, and fun to help you get to know your students. Here are some suggestions. Let students see that youâre a genuine person. Share a little about yourself: hobbies, struggles you had in school, favorite lessons to teach, why you got into teaching, pets, etc.
About your students: Pair up students with one another, and have them create a four-slide PowerPoint presentation about each other. Have the students give their presentations to the class or in small groups. Here are some ideas for slides:
- Slide one: What name do you like to be called (pronunciation and/or nickname)?
- Slide two: Whatâs something interesting about youâa hobby, youâre double-jointed, you moved here from Portugal?
- Slide three: Whatâs your favorite place to be and why?
- Slide four: Whatâs one thing youâd like to learn more about?
Give a student survey. This can be in digital form or with paper and pencil, or in smaller classrooms, you can verbally ask your students to tell you more about themselves. For example:Â
- What name do you like to be called?
- How do you learn bestâhands-on, reading, listening, independent, small group?
- What are your interests?
- How do you like to be recognized for accomplishments and hard work?
- Is there anything else I should know that will impact your learningâa job, sports, a caregiver, challenges?
AÂ group activity to assess leadership styles and work ethic: Have students, in groups of three, create the tallest tower in 10 minutes. Students can use toothpicks and marshmallows, dried spaghetti and marshmallows, Popsicle sticks and clay, or anything thatâs easily accessible. Listen to their conversations and take notes:
- Who took charge?
- Who is sitting back and observing?
- Who is the problem solver?
Day 2
Students, like adults, want to know, âWhatâs the plan?â âAre there procedures or processes to follow in the classroom, leaving the classroom, in the hallway, and cafeteria?â âWill this be a âpositive intentâ type of classroom or a âgotcha doing wrongâ type of classroom?â âHow will I know if I am doing and learning what Iâm supposed to?â âWhat if I donât follow the expectations?â
Create classroom norms together. Go over and demonstrate the procedures and processes of everything that will or might take place in your classroom. For example:
- Restroom procedures
- Homework policy
- Where to find classroom supplies and what the policy is for using them
- Syllabus
Using affirming statements when you see students following the procedures and processes is a simple way to reinforce their new learning. Talk to your students about positive affirmations:Â
- Explain what they are.
- Ask students how they like to receive positive affirmations (whole class or individual recognition).
- Clarify whether you set classroom or team goals.
Day 3
As we continue to work on processes and procedures, itâs imperative that all students understand the reason why academic talk will be a part of every lesson, every day, and the expectations. Explain to your students why discussing what theyâre learning is one of the most valuable steps in the learning process. To illustrate this, show a video of students using a talking structureâNumbered Heads Together, think-pair-share, etc.
Itâs also important to explicitly clarify everyoneâs role in the discussion process, whether itâs in groups of two or five. Use the âfishbowlâ approach and have students model the process.
Teach collaboration and communication skills by grouping students into pairs, triads, quads, or quintets, and practice. Pose engaging topics. For example: Should there be recess or no recess? What are the traits of a good teacher? What makes lessons engaging? Discuss a hot topic thatâs currently in the news, but as always be selective to avoid something too controversial or divisive. Finally, practice, practice, practice.
Day 4
Now students are ready to learn, so itâs time to go back to the studentsâ perceptions. Itâs important to be explicitly clear about the learning and why the students need to learn the content. Whatâs the relevance to the students? When will they apply the new knowledge and how? This is all part of creating smooth processes and procedures, leaving nothing to chance. For instance, with bell work, studentsâ questions likely will include the following:
- âWhat is it; why are we doing it?â
- âWhat do I do when Iâm finished with it?â
- âWhat if I just got here and havenât even started the bell work and the teacher is collecting it?â
- âDoes it count for or against my grade?â
Day 5
Itâs time to engage the learners and dive into the very first lesson of the school year. Youâve prepared meticulously and everything is ready to go. Youâve asked and answered the questions:
- What am I going to do to engage students in the content to help them see the relevance of learning this concept?
- What connections do they already have to the content?
- Will I start with a story? Video? Article? What materials will I need?
- What structures are in place for them to discuss and process their new learning?
- How will I know that everyone understands the concepts or processes throughout the lesson?
- How will they practice their new learning in some form of application?
- How should I wrap up the lesson and begin building the bridge to tomorrowâs, so that they are eager to return and learn more.
Go Slow to Go Fast
The adage âgo slow to go fastâ was written for teachers beginning a new school year. If you take your time to intentionally teach every procedure and process that might come up during a regular school day, with nothing left to chance, youâre simply adding days of instruction back into your semester or school year, because everything has been spelled out, practiced, and reviewed, so that you wonât need to use instructional time to explain simple structures.
Every schoolâs expectations for the first few days are a little different. Some schools have preassessments that teachers must conduct, some have benchmarking assessments, and others have specific academic expectations.
Regardless of what those required expectations are for your school, you want to explicitly teach, review, practice, and enjoy your new learning community. Being prepared before the first day can help ensure that you can meet these goals and have a productive and rewarding school year.