It's that back-to-school time again. While families are saying goodbye to the different pace of the summer schedule, teachers are welcoming new students and establishing a classroom culture that will set the tone for the school year ahead. This article has the following sections:
- Six Ways I Establish Classroom Culture in the First Week
- Organization Starts the First Hour of the First Day
- Share YOUR Ideas and Reflections
The beginning of every school year brings the promise of a new start, but it can also be a time of anxiety for students as well as teachers. As students come to school over the first few days, they will develop a mindset for the year of what is expected of them. The teacher's job is to put in place a framework that will promote a culture of learning and respect. Here are some important components of my first week with students.
- Work hard. Have fun. Build respectful relationships. Being a constructivist, I want my students to take part in building the words and images that will adorn the walls of our room throughout the year. This is why I always begin the year with blank walls. No bulletin boards, no posters, nothing (except the American flag). I tell my students that I plan to work hard, have fun, and build respectful relationships with children and adults this year, and I challenge them to do the same. I point out the blank walls, and I challenge students to join me in covering them with words and images that demonstrate the learning we will experience together this year. I then post our first classroom display, "Work hard. Have fun. Build respectful relationships." View poster.
- Scavenger Hunt. There are many things to see and do in a new classroom, and I want students to understand quickly how to navigate the resources in our room. So the first day of school I have students complete a scavenger hunt. I label a dozen or so important landmarks in the room with Post-It notes (numbered 1-12). I pass out and discuss the directions of the Scavenger Hunt sheet, and after ten minutes or so we discuss the answers together. View Scavenger Hunt page.
- It Takes a Village to Raise a Child. I want students to understand that I am one of many people who are there to help them in their journey toward adulthood. During the first week of school, I read It Takes a Village to Raise a Child by Jane Cowen-Fletcher and ask students to write a paragraph about the important people in their "village." This book is available at many public libraries and through Amazon.com.
- Classroom Jobs. I want students to take ownership of the classroom. I want them to know that their contributions are not only helpful, but also necessary in order for our room to be a place that they can call their own. So at the start of each month each student is given a self-selected classroom job. I draw names randomly using participation cards; the last three names drawn get first choice when we change jobs again next month. I explain to my students that the 25 or so jobs they are taking on not only build responsibility within them, but they also allow me to take on 25 additional jobs in their place that can add new fun learning opportunities in the classroom. View Student Jobs page.
- I am Your Teacher. Not long ago, my wife and I went out to dinner at a local restaurant. As the hostess approached to take us to our seat, she said, "Mr. Farmer, remember me? It's Jennifer. How are you?" I looked into this young woman's eyes for a moment. Then it all started coming back. Fourth grader... Just moved from Staten Island to Ohio... Gave me a wallet for Christmas... Heart of gold... We talked for a few moments. then she led us to our seats. Later that evening I stayed up late to write this poem. I share it with my students the first and last week of each school year because I want students to know that together we are making history--our history. I want them to know that as we build a relationship together this year it will be a lasting one in our memories. View poem.
Students come in the door with a book bag full of supplies and forms, and I want them to feel organized as soon as possible. Below is my shortlist for the first hour of the first day.
- Fill out participation cards in a floor group. Use them to allow students to randomly choose a seat in the room according to my rules. Two boys/two girls per table group. The last three names drawn get first choice when we change seats again next month. These cards will also be used throughout the year to track classroom jobs and puppet show performers.
- Collect important forms for the office.
- Collect shared supplies that students won't need every day (tissues, looseleaf paper, extra pencils, glue, rulers, etc.).
- Label all personal items (calculator, notebook, multi-pocket organizer, plan book) with first and last name in permanent marker before placing them in the desk.
- Label the sections of the only two organizing tools for paperwork: the five-part spiral bound notebook and the six section multi-pocket organizer for worksheets and other loose papers. (Labels = Writing, Social Studies, Math, Reading, Science, Other.)
There are so many little decisions that a teacher makes in the first weeks of the school year that create a culture of learning and respect for students. Important routines are put in place for beginning the day, lining up, caring for the room, turning in work, etc. It's important that we take the time to share these good ideas with one another. Click on the Comments link below to share your ideas and reflections.
I do some of the same things you do at the beginning of the year. My walls are bare, too, and students help to put up their work and help to organize some of the classroom. We discuss our hopes and dreams for learning this year and talk about what rules we need to live by in order to make those hopes and dreams come true. So, the children come up with the rules. They come up with the more detailed ones and then I help to simplify them:
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself.
Take care of each other.
Take care of our classoom environment.
Have fun learning!
Then they draw pictures of what following the rules looks like, and we display them in the classroom. Eventually we'll write our classroom constitution after studying our country's constitution.
My students create their own labels and decorate them for their Reading Folder, "Other" folder, Learning Log and Draft Writing (both are composition books).
Craig Potts - I also do many of the activities you do in your classroom. One more "tradition" has become to read Scaredy Squirrel to my class. It's very elementary, but drives home the point that sometimes we need to take risks in order to grow, as in observing, inferring, predicting, and learning.
ReplyDelete