Creating classroom roles for your students is a great way to help build community. When everyone has a classroom role, students learn many valuable lessons and skills.
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Why Is This Important?
A wonderful message that teachers love to share is that every person counts. Every person is valuable and important. When classroom roles are established, the classroom can function more smoothly once everyone helps. Students begin to see each other as a team and learn how to work together in a respectful way.
When classroom roles are used, students are also given the chance to work on the following:
I love making special titles! Here are just a few examples of them:
Pencil Manager
Line Leader
Student Leaders of the Day
Clean-Up Crew
Helping Hands
Volume Monitors
Chair Checker
Safety Inspector
Student Librarians
It’s also nice to involve students in deciding what kinds of jobs can help the classroom run smoothly. It’s a great brainstorming activity at the start of the school year.
Teacher Tips from Minds to Grow
Some Great Finds!
Here are some awesome visuals to help organize classroom roles. They surely caught my eye! The following items are not sponsored, but ones that you may find of interest, too!
A sunshine note is a happy little message from you to your students and their families. You can send it home on paper, with a quick message over the phone, online by email or even via your virtual classroom. This post will focus on the start of the school year, but you can send a sunshine note at any time of the year!
Why Is This Important?
The start of the school year means the start of creating community, building trust, and engaging students and families. One way to show them that you are over the moon to work with them this year is by sending a sunshine note early on!
Click above to get a FREE Sunshine Note template!
How Do I Use Sunshine Notes in my Classroom?
Each year, I purposely send out a generic Sunshine Note at the end of the first week of school. Why generic? Simply because it helps me make sure that every child receives one at the start of the school year.
Once I start learning more about my students, I intentionally plan certain times in the year when I will send out sunshine notes for the whole class at the same time. I also plan and send out short, yet personalized sunshine notes when I wish to share observations, positive behaviours, growth in learning, etc.
Sometimes I send a few at the end of the week for a period of one month, until all students receive a quick, personalized sunshine note.
Sometimes I write the messages by hand, other times I send them in a short email. Last year, I started creating digital sunshine notes that were generic, uploaded them to an email for a parent, then typed a quick, personalized message.
Whether it is done on paper, online, or by phone, students and parents appreciate the gesture. It feels great to be a source of joy in this small way, too. Celebrating my students’ growth in learning and choices is a joy!
*non-affiliate / unsponsored links*
Why is a Simple Sunshine Note or Message Powerful?
It shows students and parents that you care!
It puts a smile on the faces of your students. BONUS: Add a sticker to see an even bigger grin!
It helps a parent learn about positive behaviour their child is showing in class.
It can help a parent learn about strengths or improvements you have observed.
In order to further assist my students as they learn to read, I am using the book, Shifting the Balance by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, as a resource. I will share my learning about the importance of talking from the first chapter, “Shift 1: Rethinking How Reading Comprehension Begins” and reflect on some ways I intend to use it this school year.
Let’s Start Talking:What Resonated with Me the Most
As mentioned in my initial blog post about this book, Shifting the Balance aims to help in “clearing up some confusion” and discussed various misunderstandings. I really appreciated the visual diagrams and explanations for “Listening Comprehension’s Three Processing Systems” and “The Four-Part Processing Model for Reading Comprehension” (adapted from Seidenbern and McClellen, 1989). It set the stage for talking about the need to realize that reading comprehension doesn’t begin with print on the page (e.g., reading the words from a book), but actually with spoken language.
Now, this information about the power of talking wasn’t news to me. I have learned from experience that a precursor for learning language is through speech. However, I was really excited to see the High-Leverage Instructional Routines for Language Development in Table 1.3 of this chapter. It gave several examples of practical routines that can be used in class, shared reasons why they’re important, and then provided some examples. What I noticed was that the routines shared are actually tasks that have been using in class already! This made me happy because when I first picked up the book, I was thrilled for new learning, yet worried about having to create a new program or completely different routines.
Talking is Important for Reading Comprehension
The old saying of “Talk is Cheap!” doesn’t apply here in any way! There is so much value in using talking as a means of developing comprehension skills in our students. I will focus on three of the awesome routines as described by the authors in this chapter. I look forward to using them this year with a renewed purpose and aim to keep them consistent.
Routine #1: Make Space for Planned and Unplanned Conversation
Students enjoy talking with their friends, especially in social settings such as recess time. Open, unplanned conversation during class time is something I want to use more intentionally this year. I think my students would love periods of time where they can respectfully initiate conversation during class time on topics of their choice. Some may feel like it’s getting a few moments of extra recess time, but it’s in fact an opportunity to strengthen key skills in a naturally fun and engaging way!
Providing opportunities for planned and meaningful conversations during class time helps students build comprehension and strengthens communication / speaking and listening skills. Such planned conversation time can happen during your scheduled day (e.g., sharing ideas about a book that was read in class; asking peers about their favourite games to play, etc.)
I created a “Let’s Talk!” Series of digital slides that I can’t wait to use in my classroom this year! This resource will help me start quick, meaningful discussions in my classroom. They will be on topics specific to our curriculum and also based on topics of personal interest to the students. Click on the image below to see a quick video of the first set of slides!
Routine #2: Use Interesting Words
If I want my students to develop strong communication skills, then I need to introduce them to a variety of words on a regular basis. Teaching new vocabulary to students, helping them learn the definitions of words, and how to use them in context, empowers students! I remind my students that when they use these interesting words in context as they speak, their families will be so impressed! We have lots of fun learning new words on a daily basis. I’m always so thrilled when I hear students using the “Word of the Day” in a sentence or in response to a question asked during a lesson.
To help me intentionally organize my words for teaching each day, I have been using an amazing resource as a guide for many years. A Word a Day (Grade 1)has been extremely helpful to me in teaching new words to my students. There are other books in the series for other grades, too. Some words may seem like they are too difficult for the students, yet you’d be amazed at how students respond to the daily instruction of learning new vocabulary!
*non-affiliate / unsponsored link*
Routine #3: Build Content Knowledge with Text Sets
Read alouds are also a suggested routine in Shifting the Balance! It’s something we all do and something that students love. To help, we can intentionally select books that will allow them to build schema, make connections, learn new words, facts, etc. Engaging them in conversation about the books in a text set can also help them develop a deeper comprehension. It’s a great way to give our students the tools they need to talk more about what they know (or wish to know).
Here is a small example of a Text Set on the science topic of Living Things. In this Text Set, I selected both fiction and non-fiction books about bears (non-affiliate / unsponsored links):
I would use the books to help students discuss facts about bears they notice in the fiction books (especially the story, Bear Snores On).
Closing Thoughts
This first chapter helped me focus on some purposeful routines that I can continue using, but with greater intention. With the reminder that talk time is an extremely important way to help students build and strengthen comprehension, I look forward to including the following routines this year:
Make Space for Planned and Unplanned Conversation
Use Interesting Words
Build Content Knowledge with Text Sets
How do you plan to incorporate more conversation time into your classroom?
Game Time: Help Students Learn Routines through Play
Students enjoy learning when it is fun and feels like a game! Here’s a quick way to help your students learn routines in your classroom.
Why is this Important?
Children in the early grades are just beginning to learn how to follow instructions. They need lots of opportunities to understand what is expected. Students need to know what behaviours or practices should look like, sound like, etc.
How Can Students Learn Routines through Play?
Let’s say you are teaching a new routine such as, “How to Sharpen Your Pencil”. I like to teach the word, procedure early in the school year. This is helpful because I want my class to realize that we are all working on following little procedures that can help our classroom run smoothly. I also tell them that we will first pretend how to do the routine so that we can understand what to do.
Introduce the routine (e.g., “We are going to learn how to sharpen a pencil safely in our classroom.”)
2. Explain why it’s important. Share why it is important to know this routine and follow it (e.g., for writing; stay safe)
3. Share the procedure for the routine in short steps. I project these short steps on a screen. I read them aloud.
4. Teacher acts it out. I model each step.
5. Invite 2 – 3 students to act it out in front of the whole class. The class quietly observes their peers.
6. Class celebrates their peers’ actions. Invite the observing peers to talk about what they saw. I ask them to tell the “actors” what they did well. Some use the steps that are projected on the screen as a reference when sharing what was done well (e.g., “I really liked how you walked safely with your pencil to the sharpener.”).
6. Each student gets the chance to act it out, too! Dedicate time to give all students a chance to act it out. It doesn’t have to be in front of the whole class. Depending on the routine, I will let all students act it out independently in their work space, or better yet, in small groups.
7. Act it out as a class (if applicable). If the routine is to be followed by the entire class (e.g., lining up for lunch), then I will also have the students act it out several times until we are proud of what we can do together.
Have You Tried This Before?
My students have the best time learning some routines by acting out what it shouldn’t look like or sound like in our classroom! Students quickly volunteer to show what a routine may look like if done incorrectly. There are usually many people who wish to act this out in front of the class! We are usually laughing by the end of it and it’s great!
It gives the students some fun moments. It also gives me the opportunity to open meaningful discussion about what the routine should look like or why it may not be best to follow the procedure in such a way.
My class has the best time learning some routines by acting out what it shouldn’t look like or sound like in our classroom!
Let’s prepare for the new school year with some back to school tips! Whether you teach a primary or junior grade, the first few weeks of school are vital in creating a presence and the tempo of your classroom.
Back to School: Ready Or Not…It’s Here!
How have you spent your summer break? Hopefully, it’s been one that included some downtime and rest. Some fun and relaxation. Why? Simply because it was needed. The summer break has been super necessary after the year we’ve had in teaching. I sincerely hope you had some days to rest and rejuvenate in ways that are special for you.
Despite it being summer though, the reality is that it’s time to prepare for back to school. Where I live, we go back to school in early September. Now that it is August, planning for the new school year is definitely on my mind.
Back to School: The Early Years of Teaching
As a new teacher, I focused on back to school preparations in a different way. I spent time planning for teaching, assessing, and evaluation, but spent a whole lot of time physically preparing my classroom. I remember dedicating so much time making sure my bulletin boards, decor, and other visuals were “just right”.
Today I still see this is an important part of getting ready to go back to school. In fact, it’s exciting and fun to include this in the process! After experiencing many first days of school however, I have realized a few key areas that truly benefit my class and my teaching overall each year.
Back to School Tips
In this post, I’m going to share six back to school tips that I look forward to following again as I prepare for my new class. Perhaps they may be helpful for you, too!
Back to School Tip #1: Plan Your Year
This is key to having a successful school year! Back to school preparations for me starts with drafting an outline of my school year. Even though we already know that plans may change as we get to know our students’ needs and interests, it’s still important to have a map of where we are going in our learning.
The last year has especially demanded change in our teaching due to the pandemic. For that reason, I will be planning my year with the most useful aspects of my in-person and distance learning experiences.
This is What I do When Planning My Year
1. Plan my Year-at-a-Glance: I write down the topics in each subject that I need to cover. I then break down the topics by term and/or month. To organize my year, I use a simple digital teacher planner that I created. I like using it because I can easily make changes as needed. For more details, you can read about it here.
2. Focus on curriculum expectations or standards: I look through the curriculum documents. The expectations helps me plan my units in more detail.
3. Outline Unit Plans for Each Subject for the Year: This is where I use my curriculum expectations to focus on what I will cover in each subject. This process also helps me think about lessons, key strategies, assessments, and activities that will drive my teaching.
4. Reporting Statements: Yes, I know it’s only back to school time, yet part of preparing me for a successful year includes this task. Planning with the end in mind helps me stay organized. It also guides my assessments and lowers stress levels (slightly) when it’s time to write report cards.
5. Brainstorm Activities for the First Weeks of School: Time to think about getting to know my new students! It’s best to think about ways to help each new class start their year in a great way! I use the first few weeks of school to strictly get to know my students and learn about what they know and need to know.
Before going onto the next tip, I just have to mention that my planning doesn’t stop at the above! Once I assess the needs of my students, I start breaking down my plans for the term even further: I start using a digital Week-at-a-Glance planner. This helps me organize my subjects by week. I change it as needed as I work with my class and learn more about their needs and interests.
Back to School Tip #2: Prepare Your Classroom
As mentioned earlier, this was perhaps my favourite part of back to school preparations in my early days of teaching! It’s so much fun to set up the physical classroom. Setting up your classroom as an inviting space is a great way to make a new class feel welcomed and engaged. Putting lots of thought into the physical set-up of the classroom can also help maximize learning experiences and opportunities, too.
Quick lesson from my experience: My classroom used to be set-up (e.g., bulletin boards, visuals around the classroom) to my liking each year. I enjoyed seeing how it came together…until one year, I couldn’t do the same. Due to a late arrival from a summer trip, I had only one day to set-up the classroom, compared to a full week or more I had in the past. That year, my students came into a more plain classroom (bare bulletin boards!), but you know what? It was the best classroom set-up ever! My students and I enjoyed decorating our space together. It was a complete mindset shift and one that I continue to follow each year since that time. The blank canvas approach has been a winning approach for me and one that I honestly didn’t think would work at the onset!
My students enjoyed decorating and setting up our space together. It was a complete mindset shift and one that I continue to do each year since that time.
Now that distance learning is something we are familiar with, I plan on setting up my Virtual Classroom spaces as well (e.g., Google Classroom, Seesaw, class website, Zoom meetings, etc.) This is a fairly new variable in our teaching and so I think it’s important for me to reflect on what worked well (and what didn’t) last year while teaching online.
Back to School Tip #3: Welcome Your Students
Okay, it’s the first day of school and it’s time to welcome your new students! I can feel the excitement and nerves in the children, families, and teachers already! Here are a few quick ways that I like to welcome students back to school during that first week:
“I’m happy you’re here!” Letting my students know that I’m thrilled to have them in my class helps ease some nerves for students and families. The truth is, I’m thrilled to get to work with them! I also like to let them know that I feel nervous, too.
Name Games and Activities: Since teachers and students alike are learning many new names, games and activities are one of my favourite ways to start off the new school year. Celebrating students’ names helps them feel valued and helps to build a classroom community. Invite students to say their names aloud several times (during the first few weeks) so that teachers and peers can learn to respectfully say each others’ names. One of the sweetest things a person can hear is their name as it was intended to sound. Young students can also work on writing their own name in different ways. I even have a challenge after the first two weeks of school! My students line up, while one of their peers (who wishes to participate) tries to name all (or as many) of their new classmates. If they get to a person and can’t recall the name, they simply whisper, “What’s your name again?” and the person replies, then the game continues.
Great Back to School Read Aloud: A Letter From Your teacher: On the First Day of School (By Shannon Olsen) *non-affiliate / unsponsored link*
Back to School Tip #4: Create a Classroom Community
Teachers and students spend a lot of time together each school day. For this reason, it’s critical that I create a classroom community where students feel safe, happy, and open to learning and growing.
While students are learning each other’s names during the early days and weeks of school, it’s also fun to learn more about each other! Doing class surveys and small-group and paired activities give room for students to learn more about the peers they will be working with each day.
Student voice is very important in all that we do. When students take responsibility for caring for their peers and classroom, it makes them feel important and helpful to others (e.g., Line Leader, Pencil Manager, etc.)
Building community can also happen when students have opportunities to share pieces about their lives with the class. Intentionally giving students time to talk with their peers often during the day helps the learning process and is a necessary building block for strengthening reading and writing skills!
Intentionally giving students time to talk with their peers often during the day helps the learning process and is a necessary building block for strengthening reading and writing skills!
Back to School Tip #5: Act Out Routines
Teaching routines may seem mundane at times, but they are a necessary back to school feature. Once my students know what to do, when to do it, and why it’s being done, then my classroom has a better chance of running more smoothly.
I give my students opportunities to act out the routines we are learning. Children learn so much through play and so when they are all given the chance to practice the behaviours we hope to see, they understand the expectations even better.
Some of the routines that I make sure we act out are:
Lining up outside of and entering the school, classroom, etc.
How to organize your desk
What to do after entering the classroom in the morning, after lunch, etc.
How to ask questions or share answers during large group discussions
It is important for me as a teacher to also create that classroom community feeling with each student’s family. Greeting parents before or after school is just a nice start. At the end of the first week of school, I send a general “sunshine note” to each student’s family. Parents enjoy receiving positive messages about their children’s progress in class. I have had great experiences reaching out to parents throughout the year in order to share some good news about their child in class.
By the end of that first week, it is also my goal to have the email addresses and/or phone numbers from parents so that I can update them whenever necessary.
Last year was the first time I set up a class website because it was easy for parents to see quick updates from our class on a whole. It is something I will incorporate again this year.
Time To Start!
Back to School time is always a super busy one. Using these six tips can help you to be ready for this year’s start. Here’s a quick recap of the six tips to help you prepare for back to school:
Plan Your Year
Prepare Your Classroom
Welcome Your Students
Create a Classroom Community
Act Out Routines
Connect with Families
I’m looking forward to planning out my year and meeting my new class. I wish you all the best in your upcoming school year. May it be a fulfilling one for you, your students, and their families!
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