Podcast - In the Classroom - Episode 15: Making the Most of the First Week of School - first week of school
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Episode 15: Making the Most of the First Week of School

The first week of school is an important, yet awkward one. As a teacher, you’re trying to set the tone for the year. Your students are trying to figure you (and all their other teachers) out and, depending on their grade level, may be trying to figure out the school as a whole, too.

You may work at a site that has a lot of class and schedule changes the first week of school. You may have an administration that prioritizes getting to work right away, or one that focuses on building classroom and school culture for the first week.

In this episode, we’re sharing the approach that has best set us, and our students, up for success.

Here’s What We’re Focusing on the First Week of School

  • Introduce yourself by being yourself. Not an icebreaker person? Don’t do icebreakers.
  • Do an About Me assignment only if you intend to read and (briefly) comment on it.
  • Introduce students to your class. Consider a scavenger hunt activity instead of reading through everything.
  • Introduce students to your routines. Let students know what it will look like to work in your class. Familiarize them with the technology they will use.
  • Start with a strong, high-interest unit or mini-review unit.
  • Try to give feedback on and quickly return a small assignment. Let students know you care about the work they do.
  • Keep your seating chart handy and learn names.
  • Do your best to stand at the door each day and greet students as they enter your classroom.

Other First Week of School Content

Check out this YouTube video for our discussion on avoiding the potential pitfalls of icebreakers and about me assignments. We want to be inclusive and make everyone feel comfortable in our classrooms.

Teachers have two first weeks of school. We’ve got the one with students and the one we spend in professional development seminars. It’s easy to slip into the mindset of viewing teacher professional development days as a sort of purgatory between summer and the official start of school. Check out this blog post for tips on how to make the most of the time you spend in these sometimes helpful (sometimes not) meetings.

Running Out of Time?

Grab our back-to-school bundle and you’ll have your first week covered!
  • Digital Daily Agenda Template for Google Slides
  • Infographic Syllabus/Class Expectations Template
  • All About Me Activity Template
  • Identifying Themes and Writing Theme Statements – Review and Practice
  • Bonus! This or That Icebreaker Activity
This will be a lifesaver!
Running Out of Time? Grab our back-to-school bundle and you'll have your first week covered. Digital daily agenda template for Google Slides Infographic Syllabus/Class Expectations Template All About Me Activity Template Identifying Themes and Writing Theme Statements - Review and Practice Bonus! This or That Icebreaker Activity Button: This will be a lifesaver! Image of syllabus, writing theme statements, all about me activity.