A Comprehensive Guide to Home Security Systems:

Prepare for students' questions and anxieties before the first day of school to ensure a smooth start to the new school year.

A successful school year begins with creating a "just right" classroom environment in which all students feel they belong. The first five days can set the tone for a joyful and successful year or semester for you and your students. You'll need to review and reteach after the first couple of weekends, after a longer weekend, and always after a holiday break, as with any new learning.

Prepare your classroom so that nothing is left to chance on the first day of school. You make hundreds of decisions every day, so let's keep the questions as simple as possible.

To begin, imagine yourself in the shoes of your students and walking through the classroom door. “Where do I put my items?” “Where is my desk?” "What should I do if I forgot to bring something to write with?" "I've been out sick—how do I know what I missed or what we're doing in class right now?" Run through every possible scenario and then prepare for it.

FIRST DAY :

Nothing is more important than establishing a solid rapport with your students. According to Inc. magazine, John C. Maxwell is "widely regarded as one of the world's top leadership thinkers." He stated, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Creating a risk-free classroom environment prepares all of your students for a risk-taking mindset. To reach a student's mind, you must first touch their heart and let them know you care about them as a human being and believe in them. You should also ensure that you can pronounce their names correctly right away; take notes on pronunciations as needed.

About yourself:

Students, like adults, make split-second decisions, so how you begin the first few minutes of class will reveal more to your students than you can imagine. Let's save going over the class syllabus for the second or third day; today, let's get to know each other. To help you get to know your students, do something upbeat, lighthearted, and enjoyable. Here are a few ideas. Show students that you are a genuine person. Share a little about yourself: hobbies, school struggles, favourite lessons to teach, why you got into teaching, pets, and so on.

Regarding your students: 

Students should be paired up and asked to create a four-slide PowerPoint presentation about each other. Allow students to present their work to the class or in small groups. Here are some slide ideas:

~ Slide one: What is your preferred name (pronunciation and/or nickname)?

~ Slide two: Tell us something interesting about yourself: do you have a hobby, are you double-jointed, or did you move here from Portugal?

~ Slide three: Where do you like to go and why?

~ Slide four: Is there anything in particular you'd like to learn more about?

Conduct a student poll. This can be done digitally, with paper and pencil, or in smaller classrooms, by asking your students to tell you more about themselves verbally. As an example:

~ What do you want to be called?

~ How do you prefer to learn: hands-on, reading, listening, independently, or in a small group?

~ What are your hobbies?

~ How do you want to be recognised for your achievements and hard work?

Is there anything else I should know about your learning that I should be aware of—a job, sports, a caregiver, or challenges?

A group exercise to evaluate leadership styles and work ethic: 

Students should work in groups of three to build the tallest tower in 10 minutes. Students can make use of toothpicks and marshmallows, dried spaghetti and marshmallows, Popsicle sticks and clay, or any other readily available materials. Take notes as you listen to their conversations:

~ Who took command?

~ Who is standing back and watching?

~ Who is in charge of problem solving?

SECOND DAY :

Just like adults, students want to know, "What's the plan?" "Are there any procedures or processes that must be followed in the classroom, after leaving the classroom, in the hallway, and in the cafeteria?" "Will this be a classroom with 'positive intent' or a classroom with 'gotcha doing wrong'?" "How will I know if I'm doing and learning the right things?" "What if I don't meet the expectations?"

Together, establish classroom norms. Go over and demonstrate all of the procedures and processes that will or may occur in your classroom. As an example:

~ Procedures in the restroom

~ Policy on homework

~ Where can I get classroom supplies and what is the policy for using them?

~ Syllabus

When you see students following the procedures and processes, use affirming statements to reinforce their new learning. Discuss positive affirmations with your students:

~ Describe what they are.

~ Inquire about how students prefer to receive positive reinforcement (whole class or individual recognition).

~ Determine whether you will set classroom or team goals.

THIRD DAY :

As we continue to work on processes and procedures, it is critical that all students understand why academic talk will be included in every lesson, every day, and the expectations. Explain to your students why discussing what they're learning is such an important part of the learning process. Show a video of students using a talking structure—Numbered Heads Together, think-pair-share, etc.—to demonstrate this.

It's also critical to define everyone's role in the discussion process, whether in groups of two or five. Using the "fishbowl" method, have students model the process.

Group students into pairs, triads, quads, or quintets to practise collaboration and communication skills. Make your topics interesting. For example, should there be a recess or not? What characteristics distinguishes a good teacher? What makes lessons interesting? Discuss a current hot topic in the news, but be selective to avoid anything too controversial or divisive. Finally, practise makes perfect.

FOUR DAY :

Now that the students are ready to learn, it is time to return to their perceptions. It is critical to be explicit about the learning and why students need to learn the content. What is the significance to the students? When and how will they put their newfound knowledge to use? This is all part of the process of creating smooth processes and procedures that leave nothing to chance. For example, during bell work, students' questions are likely to include the following:

~ "What exactly is it, and why are we doing it?"

~ "What should I do when I'm done?"

~ "What if I just arrived and haven't started the bell work yet, and the teacher is collecting it?"

~ "Does it affect my grade?"

FIFTH DAY :

It's time to engage the students and begin the school year with the first lesson. You've meticulously prepared and everything is ready to go. You've asked and answered the following questions:

~ What will I do to engage students in the content and help them understand the importance of learning this concept?

~ What are their existing connections to the content?

~ Will I begin with a narrative? Video? Article? What supplies will I require?

~ What structures exist for them to discuss and process their new knowledge?

~ How will I know that everyone has grasped the concepts or processes covered in the lesson?

~ How will they put their newfound knowledge into practise?

~ How should I conclude the lesson and begin laying the groundwork for the next one so that they are eager to return and learn more?

GO SLOW IN ORDER TO GO FAST:

For teachers starting a new school year, the adage "go slow to go fast" was written. If you take the time to intentionally teach every procedure and process that might arise during a regular school day, leaving nothing to chance, you're simply adding days of instruction back into your semester or school year, because everything has been spelled out, practised, and reviewed, so you won't need to use instructional time to explain simple structures.

Every school has its own set of expectations for the first few days. Some schools require teachers to conduct preassessments, while others require benchmarking assessments and have specific academic expectations.

Whatever your school's required expectations are, you want to explicitly teach, review, practise, and enjoy your new learning community. Being prepared before the first day of school can help you meet these objectives and have a productive and rewarding school year.