
Here it is! The second half to your first week of school plans (well not half, but you know what I mean).
If you haven’t read part 1, I would suggest starting here (as in clicking on here…not here on this blog). I mean, it is difficult to start at Day 3 (though it may actually be a bit easier, since those first day jitters will be all out of the way and you will know everyone by name already 🙂
First week of school: Day 3
- Community circle: Day 3: Discuss quote of the week. (A copy of all quotes used for community circles, comes FREE with your community circle purchase.)
- Math: Building math classroom norms using quotes (collaboration, reading comprehension, inferring, community building, plus it makes a great beginning of the year math bulletin board)
- Cross curricular center rotations: Start centers rotations (two 40 minute rotations per day)
First Rotation –Getting to know you: Engaging interest survey (FREE, also included with community circle)
Second Rotation – Writing: 3 things you would like your teacher to know about you
Third Rotation – Math: Share math about me pages in partners – calculate to learn about each other
Fourth Rotation – Reading: Library scavenger hunt in groups; find a book that…. (this is a TpT purchase from Little Library Learners)
Fifth Rotation – Technology: Decorate the cover of your free write journal (I will be creating this product soon to share. Stay tuned)
- Read Aloud: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson: Discuss our promise to each other and how important it is to ensure everyone feels included. Have students sign collaboration.
Day 4 of your first week of school
- Community circle: Day 4: Discuss the learning skill “Independent Work” to build expectations for success together: check out this learning skills self assessment product for the Ontario learning skills ($), and/ or receive sample posters FREE with your community circle purchase ($)
- Math: Emoji feeling survey ($ – but only a dollar :)) to get to know your students as math learners
- Cross curricular center rotations: Continue centers (two 40 minute rotations)
- Art: Continue camera art
- Read aloud: Westlandia by Paul Fleischman – Discuss individuality. Students can share their cameras with their classmates.
First week of school: day 5
- Community circle: Day 5: Discuss favourite activity of the week so far)
- Math: Watch WIM video about growth mindset (here is the link). Discuss how this relates to our math quotes discussion and what else we can learn from them.
- Cross curricular center rotations: Continue centers (one 40 minute rotation, plus a finish up period)
- Read Aloud: Ish by Peter Reynolds: Discuss what ‘ish’ means and how it can help us to be happy with our best.
- Classroom setup: Begin job training for the first rotation of classroom jobs. Don’t forget to sign up for my email list on my website to receive this for FREE.
- Special: Teach students to play solitaire ($); this is a great activity students can do when they are finished their work or for indoor recesses (to eventually lead into double solitaire where students battle each other)
I will also be using these FREE calendar and to-do lists templates to keep myself and my students organized. What is your week 1 plan? I would love to hear it. Share your ideas on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/1PassionateTeacher. The more we share with each other, the less nerve wracking this year is going to be.
Contact me at 1passionateteacher@gmail.com with any questions or comments. I would love to help you with your upcoming school year.
