Starting Class
During the last week of school, I was planning for next year. I know this isn't for everyone and it isn't even for me every year. This year, however, I couldn't shake the need to be better prepared than I was this year and for me, the best time to do that is when I am thinking about it and I have my kids in front of me, remembering our challenges and what I can improve upon.
For me, my opening routine needs work. As I reflected, I realized that I was not great about updating our class plan every day and where to find homework/assignments. I wanted to create a place where students can see the same 4 things every day when they walk in, in the same place: (1) Their warm up, (2) the daily agenda, (3) the lesson objective and (4) any homework they will have.
Using Slides, I made a Master Copy at the very beginning that I can duplicate every day as needed. I also made sample slide of how I plan on filling each box out. Make a copy of this! Add it to your Drive! Modify colors or whatever you want. I divided each box into different colors because I don't want all the information to be seen as the same. When we engage in consistency, students will be more successful when we stick to the same routines and procedures every. single. day. I have a hard time with this because I like variety and I'm forgetful (whoops). Before I started doing this, I would write down my lesson plans for me but then often forget to write them on the board and just say what we are doing next. I will use this at the beginning of class every day and it will be on the board when students walk in. For their "Do Nows" (aka Haz Ahora), I plan on this taking about 5 minutes or less. Getting them engaged in content and ready to go before the bell even rings!
How do you set up your class opener? What do the first 5 minutes of your class look like? Any changes you would make to my Opener slide? Let me know in the comments!
For me, my opening routine needs work. As I reflected, I realized that I was not great about updating our class plan every day and where to find homework/assignments. I wanted to create a place where students can see the same 4 things every day when they walk in, in the same place: (1) Their warm up, (2) the daily agenda, (3) the lesson objective and (4) any homework they will have.
Using Slides, I made a Master Copy at the very beginning that I can duplicate every day as needed. I also made sample slide of how I plan on filling each box out. Make a copy of this! Add it to your Drive! Modify colors or whatever you want. I divided each box into different colors because I don't want all the information to be seen as the same. When we engage in consistency, students will be more successful when we stick to the same routines and procedures every. single. day. I have a hard time with this because I like variety and I'm forgetful (whoops). Before I started doing this, I would write down my lesson plans for me but then often forget to write them on the board and just say what we are doing next. I will use this at the beginning of class every day and it will be on the board when students walk in. For their "Do Nows" (aka Haz Ahora), I plan on this taking about 5 minutes or less. Getting them engaged in content and ready to go before the bell even rings!
How do you set up your class opener? What do the first 5 minutes of your class look like? Any changes you would make to my Opener slide? Let me know in the comments!
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