The Present Teacher Podcast

What to ACTUALLY Teach During The First Week Of School

• Helena Hains • Season 1 • Episode 97

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Ready to start preparing for back to school season and you're wondering what you should teach during the first week of school?

In this video I share everything I do in order to prepare for the first week of school as a teacher, plus different strategies I use to have the first week of school planned and prepped, and how I utilize the first week of school to review old concepts and introduce my classroom management plan.

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//  ABOUT

I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.

The Present Teacher Podcast is a resource for classroom management, classroom organization, time management, and teacher wellness. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.

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Helena:

Congratulations you got your first or next teaching position and you're wondering what should I actually be teaching during the first week of school? In the years past, I started off as a kindergarten teacher and, despite having numerous student teacher placements, I never actually paid attention to what my mentor teacher taught during the first week of school, to what my mentor teacher taught during the first week of school, and so as the first week was approaching, I realized I had no idea what I should be teaching. So, after now, five years of experience, I thought I would share what on earth you should be teaching during the first week of school. With all that being said, let's dive in. Hey, teacher Bestie, my name is Helena and I'm the creator of the Present Teacher Podcast. I'm a first year teacher coach and in this podcast you are going to learn everything from simple, actual classroom management, social learning and teacher wellness strategies. You know that impact you want to make in the classroom. We're going to make it happen here.

Helena:

The first thing I recommend you have your students learn during the first week of school, or the thing I recommend you teach during the first week of the school year, are procedures and expectations. Now, procedures are how you expect your students to interact with each other or throughout the room during the classroom or in the classroom during the school year, and expectations are the same thing. How are you expecting students to behave in the classroom or in the classroom during the school year? And expectations are the same thing. How are you expecting students to behave in the classroom? Behavior is just simply communication. So how are they interacting with each other and other things and resources in the classroom? Essentially Now, in general, I recommend teaching three to five procedures during the first week of school. In weeks past I've covered the three to five procedures I recommend teaching at a primary level. I'll make sure to link that in the description down below, but here's a quick overview.

Helena:

If I were to go back to the first week of school, how I would model and introduce a procedure. So let's say, for example, I'm going to we're going to do class calls. So maybe the first week I decide I want to introduce class calls, I'm going to say good morning class. Today we're going to be focusing on class calls. Now. Class calls are how I expect you to pay attention to me, or how I expect to get your attention, and what we expect to do after.

Helena:

So here is a class call and what it's going to look like and sound like. So I'm going to start as the teacher. I'm going to say class, class. Now pretend I'm the student. I'm going to say yes, yes.

Helena:

Now what did you notice? That it looked like and sounded like? And then I would dive into that. I would notice, and that you were. You said it back then. Your hands were still, your eyes were on me and your voice was silent. We'd have a discussion about that. And then I'm going to be like okay, great, now let's talk about why that's important. We'll discuss. That's important because it's important to listen to direction so we don't get lost. Later your students will guide this conversation. The reason I add the why to this is because students will have more buy-in when they know why it's important. That way later they can remind themselves oh, I'm supposed to be at a zero, because. And then the reason why After you do that, I'm going to introduce the wrong way to do it.

Helena:

All right class, all right class. So now I'm going to show you the wrong way to do it. So pretend I'm the teacher, class, class. Hey, what did you do this weekend? What did you notice? That this procedure didn't look like and sound like, and then we're going to discuss what it didn't look like and sound like after I model the wrong way to do it. They're going to talk about oh, you didn't say it back, or you were still talking to your friend, or you completely ignored the teacher. Why is that important? Or why is it important not to do that? And then we'll have a discussion. Then I'm going to have a couple of students model it for the class and then we're going to practice as a whole. So when you are thoroughly introducing a procedure this is why I recommend only three to five during the first week and then, as they get consistent with it, have really high expectations of how you expect them to do it. So if my students are still talking when we're practicing, I'm going to do it again and again and again. And I feel led to have this conversation with you.

Helena:

I know I've said this a lot, but when I started teaching, I was told not to smile until December. I was too bubbly of a teacher, I was too engaging, I was too fun and my students would walk all over me. That's not true. You can be the fun and engaging teacher if that is your personality and teaching style, but you can also have high expectations. This is how I get my students to have high expectations and follow my high expectations, while still being the fun and engaging teacher that I am. Just naturally in my teaching style. I have them practice over and over again and I have clear expectations, boundaries and consequences when students aren't, so that we can have fun. So that way it can be bubbly, that way I could be silly and we can rein it back in. So when you're doing this, don't be afraid to have them practice over and over again, because that's how they get good at it, and they say it takes up to 21 times for someone to practice something before it becomes a habit.

Helena:

You want to have your students practice a lot until it becomes a habit. Why do you want it to be a habit? Because when it's a habit, they don't have to think about it. They are naturally doing it without you saying anything, without prompting them, without reminders, without consequences, and it's already ingrained and natural for them to do. And when you have enough habits around the expectations and procedures in the classroom, what happens is this beautiful thing called February or sooner, where your students are doing and following expectations without you doing anything. You get to sip your coffee, you get to sit back and enjoy an automated classroom.

Helena:

So, anyways, first thing you want to do is to teach procedures and expectations, like I just mentioned. Pick three to five for that first week of school. The second thing you want to teach during the first week of school is how to utilize resources. So a good example of this is as a primary teacher, I love to use centers because when we do centers, I can differentiate instruction and I can meet the needs and skill level of my students and I can pull back for small groups during this time. So what this looks like is I often have five to six copies, one for each student in that center and they're in clear sleeves. So one of the things I might teach are how to use clear sleeves, what it looks like and sounds like, and markers. The reason I use clear sleeves is because I can reuse the same copy year after year and I can just pull them out and they're done. And centers are done after the first year and it's life changing. So, beside the point, using that first week of school to really get practicing and talk about the expectations and how to utilize resources effectively that they're going to encounter throughout the school year resources effectively that they're going to encounter throughout the school year.

Helena:

Another example is in second grade we use 10 blocks a lot because we are learning two digit numbers and three digit numbers. Eventually, we add and subtract three digit numbers. So I want to show them what it does look like and sound like Notice this is going to sound a lot like the procedures what it does look like and sound like to use these resources, what it doesn't look like and sound like, why it's important, why we do it that way. And then practice and practice and practice. So we might be practicing what it looks like and sounds like to use 10 blocks during the week. We might be looking, look like and sound like to use pattern blocks or morning tabs. I use morning tabs in the morning.

Helena:

Think about what different resources you're going to use throughout the school year and start introducing them now, because if you introduce the resources now, instead of having to introduce them the first day you need them, you can then just do a quick review All right, class cost. Yes, yes, remember today we are using 10 blocks. Remember when we use this the first week of school. What did it look like and sound like? What did it not sound like and look like it sounded like? Why is that important? You get the gist, but it's really important to introduce those resources that you're going to use often ahead of time, so you're not having to deal with disruptive behavior as much during the school day when you need it during content.

Helena:

So, as a quick recap, so far we've talked about the first thing you should teach during the first week of school is to the procedures and expectations. The second thing you should introduce or talk about is how to utilize different resources. Now we're going to talk about the third thing, which is reviewing previous concepts. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I kind of dive into something or start something, I'm in a learning phase. I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. I'm just getting in the groove of things. Maybe you know, and I'm not quite as fast-paced as I will be in a couple weeks after doing it, and I'm not quite as fast paced as I will be in a couple weeks after doing it.

Helena:

The same goes for our students. That's why a majority of the curriculum that you'll see they have review lessons or modules for the first couple weeks of school. That way you're reviewing old concepts and then you have a good idea of which skills your students are maybe missing. So then you can supplement those during your small groups. You can start grouping students based on skills. You can start pulling them back to meet those gaps. You can also start differentiating instruction and start, you know, tailoring your centers and extra practice towards those skills. That's why I recommend you know, whatever grade level you're at, you review any previous concepts students are going to need in order to be successful for whatever you're teaching.

Helena:

So in second grade we use the first month and we're reviewing. After we do a couple weeks of procedures, expectations, resources. We then dive into first grade concept concepts. We review anything they should have known from first grade and then if I notice, hey, this student is really struggling with two-digit number sense, I know I need to pull that student or give them supplemental work to help build that skill. That way when this comes up later in the curriculum they already have that extra support to be successful when it comes up. So that's why I recommend reviewing previous concepts during the first week of school. The last thing I recommend doing during the first week of school are themed weeks.

Helena:

Now you may have noticed, I said I don't recommend teaching curriculum during the first couple of weeks of school, or at least the first week. I personally like to have a couple weeks of breathing room to teach procedures and expectations, how to use resources, how to build relationships, building that team community in the classroom, building positive relationships with the families. I like doing all of that before I dive straight into content because it's kind of easy to get our head down and focused and curriculum mapping and, you know, trying to stay on pace. That's why I love to use themed weeks. Now themed weeks are where you have a certain theme for the entire week or month or so forth. I particularly love using this for elementary because I like to use books.

Helena:

Now a little bit about me. I'm a nerd. Growing up, I wasn't, you know, grounded from video games or TV. I was grounded by books. I know I read Nancy Drew at Barnes and Nobles while my family shopped at the mall. I know I'm a nerd. Anyways, I like taking books and bringing them to life. So what I like to do for my kindergarten class, when I was teaching kindergarten, is I like to use the kissing hand.

Helena:

Kindergarten is that amazing time where preschoolers are now becoming kindergartners. They went from this more supported environment, where families were more interactive, to now going to the big school, and that's why using the kissing hand. If you don't know the story, chester is a raccoon. It's his first day of school, he's nervous, so his mom kisses his hands and whenever Chester's feeling nervous, he squeezes the hand or puts it on his cheek and he remembers that his mom loves him and it makes the day easier. Well, you can take concepts from that book, bring it to life and make the whole first week that much more fun. That and there are a ton, a ton of resources online on how to bring expectations, procedures and so forth from a book like the Kissing Hand into real life, especially on TPT.

Helena:

Now what this looked like in my classroom and we would have. I have a whole week where I cover this, so I'll make sure to put that in the description. I'm going to do a quick overview, though. So I would read the book and then we did a scavenger hunt and what I did is I had numbers one through 10, one through 20 in different areas of the room. That's where I got to introduce the procedures. It was done for me, I didn't have to think about it and it the hearts really led into the story. And then we did a writing activity where I taught what it looked like and sound like to hold a pencil, because my kinders know kinder teachers know we're still learning how to hold a pencil with proper grip, so we talked about that. We also did a cutting activity. They talked about how to use our scissors, because in kinder we don't know how to use our scissors quite yet possibly, and all those amazing things. So all I had to do was look for resources at a kinder or pre-k level for Chester and the Kissing Hand or Heart themed. And I just brought that book to life by incorporating it during my first week for my second grade group.

Helena:

I love to use how Full Is your Bucket? If you haven't read the story, highly recommend it, especially if you want to build a strong classroom community. Second grade is that amazing grade where students come in very independent, they know their own likes and dislikes and by the end they're starting to build that inner circle and they're starting to be aware of the students around them and their likes and interests and relating to each other. That's why building a strong community during second grade is such a good idea, which is why I use this book. And a quick overview. If you don't know, this story is the little boy Alex wakes up with a bucket over his head and every time the bucket is full he's feeling happy, and every time the bucket is empty he's feeling upset, dysregulated. And it talks about activities that brings your bucket up, like complimenting someone else, puts water in both buckets or, if you're being mean, it dips from that person's bucket, or saying something not as positive to the other person.

Helena:

Well, what I like to do is I go to Dollar Tree and I have buckets for each of my students and we use this as an experiment. I show them with water what it looks like to fill buckets and dip buckets and throughout the year we have bucket dipping and bucket filling activities and we can refer back to that throughout the school year. I also like to do a scavenger hunt with buckets around the room, numbers one through 10. I could do counting by tens, whatever I want to review in second grade, whatever grade level, and again, I teach those procedures and expectations. Depending where it's at, we may take a tour around the school, what it looks like and sounds like to get in line and walk in a line. That's a great procedure to teach during this time. You get the idea, but overall, back to my main point time. You get the idea, but overall back to my main point. Themed weeks make it easier because, instead of trying to figure out what on earth am I going to teach, I have items mapped out for the week and I can focus on those skills, those resources I talked about earlier, in a simple way, and I'm not spending a lot of time planning. I know the procedures I'm going to teach, I know which activities I'm doing, which day and it's done. And then, once you have done this once or twice, you kind of have a good idea of what the flow is going to be like. All right, so that wraps up everything you should teach during the first week of school.

Helena:

I'm going to do a quick recap. The first one are procedures and expectations. Remember, I don't recommend doing more than three to five, depending on your students. Now, if they're showing signs that they're ready to move on, by all means use your own intuition and if you feel like your students got it, move on to the next Second thing how to utilize resources you're going to use later in the year Clear sleeves, markers, scissors, pencils, 10 blocks, math manipulatives any of those things you're going to use later great time to introduce those now. Third thing I recommend teaching during the first week of school is reviewing previous concepts. Instead of diving straight into content, take some time to review concepts they learned in first grade or, sorry, the previous grade. That way you can see where the gaps are. Kind of use this as an assessment and kind of build up that momentum towards starting the content. The fourth thing I recommend that you teach during the first week of school is use themed weeks to plan out your activities, because it makes things so much easier when you have this all planned out. All right. So that wraps up everything about what you should teach during the first week of school.

Helena:

If you want one spot to refer to all the links I mentioned and more, including my must-haves for my classroom, the mistakes I made setting up my classroom, what procedures I teach during the first week of school, out my classroom, what procedures I teach during the first week of school and everything in between. More about the kissing hand or how full is your bucket, I created a ultimate classroom setup guide. It has the top 10 questions and or tips that I have about setting your classroom up for a successful school year. So if you want to download that guide, I'll make sure to put a link in the description so you can download that for free. My gift to you as a congratulations for setting up for the school year and to help you get ahead and not make the mistakes I did setting up for the school year. The second item or resource I have for you is in a couple of weeks I will be doing a classroom kickstart mini course.

Helena:

Now this is a. In this, this case over the summer, I only teach a one slide. The rest of the year you can enroll, but you won't get that live support you do during the summer. So during the summer I like to do a live enrollment where you go over everything you need to set up your classroom for success. Now, something you may not know about me I love to travel, I love to hang out with my friends, I love to read. No surprise there. I don't want to spend my entire summer getting ready for the upcoming school year and, trust me, I've done nine years past. So along my journey I came up with a four-week system to setting up my classroom to success.

Helena:

Here are the things we cover to setting up my classroom to success. Here are the things we cover. We cover a classroom management plan. I start my year with a clear, concise, revamped classroom management plan. That way I know what procedures I'm teaching, when I'm teaching them, how I'm gonna deal with disruptive behavior and everything in between. We also talk about communication. How am I gonna set up for parent night, how am I going to be consistent with communication and how am I gonna start the school year off strong? We also talk about organization. What are the different areas of my classroom going to look like? What's the flow of my classroom? What resources do I need? How am I going to set those up and how am I going to teach procedures around those different areas?

Helena:

The fourth area is planning and prepping. I want to have the first week, if not the first month, planned and prepped, ready to go. That way, when it's time for teachers to come back, I'm already done and I can spend that time getting to know my families. Any last minute touches If I have meetings that week, it's not that big of a deal, but I'm set up. And again, four weeks I don't want to spend my entire summer. I love my kids. I love my future kids.

Helena:

I don't want to spend my entire summer getting ready, so I use four weeks throughout the school year or over the summer to get ready. The rest of the four weeks are completely off, by the pool, in the mountains, hiking with my dogs, koda and Kenai. I'm not working during that time. So if you want to learn how I do that, I'll make sure to put a link in the description so you can get on the wait list, because over the summer I like to do a pre-sale price, an early bird price, meaning if you get in early, you kind of get the lowest price to enroll. So make sure to get in that waitlist if that's something you want to learn more about.

Helena:

And, like I said, when it's over the summer, I like to do it live, but I only do it live once a year, all right. So, with that being said, remember you are doing an amazing job. More kids are going to love you. Please don't work your entire summer. Learn from me. The last thing I want you to do is to take the information I'm giving you. And't work your entire summer. Learn from me. The last thing I want you to do is to take the information I'm giving you and to spend your entire summer working and not feel rested when the first week of school comes. All right, I love you so much as always. Remember we are stronger together and I will talk to you soon.

Helena:

Teacher Rusty, bye. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and out of the classroom. It would mean the world to me if you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast. And if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your socials to let me know you're listening as always. Remember that we are stronger together. With all the love in the world. Helena, aka the present teacher, see you next time. Teacher bestie.

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