Back to School Checklist (Packet)

In another effort to get ready for the school year, I made a back to school checklist. I came up with 5 categories: classroom set-up, classroom procedures, supplies, in-service week and first week of school activities and ice-breakers.

The classroom set-up and procedures sections allows you to plan how you want to run your classroom. You will need to take into consideration your class subject, class size and teaching style. I have also included supplies that I find useful when organizing my class at the beginning or the year.

In order to establish high expectations and routines, it is important to have everything ready for students before the first day of school. Label all bins, crates and folders. Double check that you know where all your supplies are in your class.

Let a nearby teacher know where you keep important files, especially your substitute folder and lesson plans. Download your back to school checklist here:            

Back to School Checklist (Packet)         

Substitute Binder

I figured one of the first things I could do over the summer would be to work on my sub binder.  

I used the following resources to put mine together:


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Editable-Beach-Themed-Substitute-Binder
http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/2012/07/12/teacher-planning-binder/



I must say I think it turned out great! I only posted pictures of the pages I tweaked. I added a few things I thought would be necessary in my classroom.

Please make sure to read the blogs above that inspired this binder. :-)

Cover- I put scrapbook paper behind the printed computer paper.

Front Page

Table of Contents

Info at a Glance

Blank Class Roster- in case he/she cannot find the printed roster.

Student Bounce Sheet (behavior management) - I added a bounce sheet that students must fill out if they are asked to leave the room. Our school tries to limit the number of office visits if students are misbehaving. In order for the child to sit out of class to avoid any more disruption, they are asked to go to a nearby classroom. There they must fill out a reflection sheet. Students know that once they are bounced, a phone call home must be made. That keeps most kids from wanting to be bounced. If the student continues to misbehave, they are told to go to the office.

Medical Info- I add in allergies and medical information as I get it during the school year. Anything that a sub may need to know I either attach to the binder or write in.

Emergency band-aids, gauze and gloves- I buy a cheap plastic pencil case where I put any emergency care the sub may need. That way she does not have to rummage through my things and I don't have to worry about putting them out for her.

Lesson Plan Pages- I had to change these a bit also since I only teach Spanish. I changed the labels to the section name of each class I teach.

And that is pretty much my sub binder for now. I do, however, plan on taking pictures of my classroom in order to label where everything is. This will make it easier for the sub to find supplies and much easier than writing it all out. Can't do that until I set-up my classroom though!

Classroom Set-Up

These are a few pictures from my classroom last year. I started out by making sure my classroom had color and avoided over laminating my posters. I think this gives the room a much nicer feel. I made sure that there were maps in the classroom so that students knew where each Spanish-speaking country is (or any country for that matter). On the back bulletin board I stapled 4 colored folders with important forms for each grade level. That way if a student was out when the office sent out any letters or notices, they could go to the back to get what they missed. Kids always seem to lose their picture forms or permission slips. This has been the easiest way for my students and for me to get extras if necessary. I also had three calendars on the back blackboard since I taught three different sections of Spanish. I posted any upcoming quizzes, tests and projects so that students knew what was due that month.



This is the view from the back of the room. I had my word wall placed right at the front of the room so that students could easily see the words we were learning. I also had vocabulary posted around the room that students would reference throughout the year. Most of these posters are less than 2$ so I just buy new ones if they rip, as opposed to laminating everything in the room.



On this side wall, I had my file cabinet. I kept everything organized in manila folders depending on the topic or theme. Examples might be: travel, home, family, ser vs. estar, preterite, culture.I also had three bins under the Mexican flag- one for each section I taught. I put extra copies of all the papers I handed out. If a student was missing an assignment- either because they were absent or they forgot- they could go to their class bin and pull out an extra copy. All papers were organized in manila folders and labeled the way the assignment was labeled in the grade-book. This way I did not have to make extra copies and they could be held responsible for making up any missed work.



I am already thinking of things I will do differently this year and I am excited to try them out. Perhaps student files & work organized in bins? Whole class teaching? Maybe even having the students blog?Can't wait to tell you what I change and how it goes!

Any suggestions on whole class teaching?

Behavior Management- Keeping Everyone Happy

Papers, Documents, Files

Quickly just wanted to share my "Meeting- Notes" template. It's an easy way to keep clear records of team and department meetings. There are spaces for attendees, absentees, topics addressed, action plans, outcome and revisions. Easy, quick record keeping tool to have in your teacher binder.

Download now:
Meeting Notes- for Team or Department

Getting Ready for School in the Summer

I know it's still summer, but the first day of school is close, really close!There are a few things I have been doing to get myself ready- organizationally and mentally.Since organizing is easier, lets start there.I always try to bargain shop when looking for ways to keep my classroom organized. An organized classroom makes for a much, MUCH smoother year. So my first stop was Wal-Mart. Most stores start setting up for back to school in June so it was a breeze to find almost everything I needed in the back to school section. Now I don't normally shop at Wal-Mart because it always seems to be so crowded that I get discouraged and end up leaving empty handed. This time around I went with a very clear list in hand and a buddy (read: my mom). We went late one Thursday, divided and conquered. Notebooks that cost a dollar at Five Below were 17 cents at Wal-Mart. Now I know I probably don't need to advertise for them, since most people know it is cheaper than most other stores. However, if you are at all like me, you need a little push. It is worth the crowds and the lines at check-out. Some other places I visited that were worth the hassle? were Costco, Five Below and the Dollar Tree. Amazon is also good, especially when the thought of going to any of the above, just seems impossible.

Some items I bought (not a complete list):

Crates- in lots of colors & sizes 

Folders

Notebooks

Ribbon

Binders

Crayons

White-out

Scrapbook paper

Glue

Erasers

Hand sanitizer

Large Calculator

Bins

Construction paper

Dividers

Sheet protectors

Record Book

Printer paper- white, colored

Hanging pocket folder for files

Manila Folders

I know from past years that this would be a really good start as far as supplies go.
I made another list of tasks I could start on right away. 

This list included:
Substitute Folder
Teacher Binder
Labels for Student Crates
All About Your Teacher Big Book

I will go through each of these topics in other entries since each of those items have several parts. It's never too early to start planning. I'm hoping that by the time we go back for our professional week, I will have gotten a good start on the year.

Bienvenidos

Welcome to my teaching blog, where I hope to share ideas for the classroom and hopefully hear some from you.

If you have any questions or suggestions please make sure to leave a comment.