As August is upon us I’m beginning to gather my things and ideas to start the school year off right. I compiled a list of 5 tips to start the school year to help you. These 5 tips I use to begin the school year and I hope they can help you too.
1. Course Standards
I always print the standards for the courses that I will be teaching this year. Saving a file on my google drive for easy access throughout the school year helps me to check my standards as I’m planning. I switch courses from year to year so having the course standards at my fingertips at the beginning of the school year keeps me on track.
2. Lesson Planner
At the beginning of every school year I love going shopping for the perfect lesson planner. I have traditionally been a paper planner person since I can remember. I often purchase more than one because I find another that fits my needs better. Recently I have transitioned to digital planning. The ease of having my life planner and teacher planner on all my devices has simplified my planning. I’m excited to begin the school year with my new found love of digital planning.
3. Pacing Guide
My lesson planner is for my personal plans within my classroom. However, it’s important that my Professional Learning Community (PLC) and I are on the same page to begin the school year. I make a copy of my pacing guide template for the new year. This editable pacing guide template helps my (PLC) communicate plans throughout the year because we aren’t always near one another to communicate face to face. See more about my pacing guide template here.
4. Focus of the Year
Every year before the beginning of the school year I like to sit down and decide how I want to start the school year. I pick a focus for the year. This is something that I have always done to ensure the beginning of the school year starts off right. My focus is based on my reflections from the previous year, any professional development I attended over the summer and goals I have for the school year. My focus does narrow as the school year begins but I have found it extremely helpful to begin the school year right.
5. Beginning of the Year Resources
To start the year off right I always like to gather beginning of the year ideas and resources to create before the school year starts. I like to create the beginning letter of the school year for parents that I will send the first week of school. I like to start creating templates that will help me with the beginning of the school year. Things like communication templates, newsletters that I will send in the first couple of weeks and organization tools. See my organization tools blog for the tools I create for myself.
I love to plan ahead so I feel organized when the school year starts. I hope these 5 tips to starting the school year off right helped you. If you’re interest in tools to help you get organized for the beginning of the school year check out my post on 5 Organization Tools for Teachers.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin
