When a new school year begins our rooms are sparkly clean, filled with fresh new supplies, brand new workbooks, neat piles of prepped work, and bright smiles on students’ faces. Even the teacher is smiling!
As teachers, we start a new school year with big ideas about what we plan to do to make this school year the very best.
By January, the midpoint of the school year, the crayons are broken, the piles are now papers you haven’t had time to file, workbooks have the covers torn off, desks need a good wipe down, and the students know how to push each other's buttons. The teacher’s smile is there to mask exhaustion! Here are a few winter classroom ideas for YOUR school. It's time for a New Year's Refresh!
WINTER CLASSROOM IDEAS: JANUARY REFRESH
Before leaving for the holiday break, I try to make sure my classroom is clean and organized. I make sure students clean their desks, inside and out, and I rearrange desks into a new seating arrangement. I put away all materials, supplies, and paperwork that are no longer needed and make sure I am fully planned and prepared for the first few days of January.
If I am not able to get this done before leaving for the holiday break, I stop in a day or two before the first day back to ensure a fresh start. The time is worthwhile to avoid that feeling of being unprepared. Your students deserve a clean, organized classroom and a prepared teacher.
*Reminder: classroom organization ideas are in Chapter 1 of How to Teach Elementary School!
REVIEW EXPECTATIONS AND PROCEDURES
Very likely, your students will be fairly quiet on their first day back to class. Waking up early for school is a shock to the system. During the first day or two back, this is the PERFECT time to review your classroom expectations and procedures.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of your classroom management or a procedure isn’t working for this group of students, this is the perfect time for a RESET. Coming back after an extended break is the best time to implement a new classroom rule, procedure, or incentive program.
Winter Classroom Idea: Have students demonstrate procedures and/or quiz students on your classroom rules and expectations.
*Reminder: classroom management ideas are in Chapter 2 of How to Teach Elementary School!
ASSESS FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
If your school administers Universal Screeners and Diagnostic Assessments at the beginning of the school year, then you will also administer those for the middle of the school year.
If this was not done in December, you will need to complete this essential check of student progress in January. Administering these assessments shows you which students are making adequate progress on their foundational reading and math skills. You can also administer formative assessments for priority standards to ensure mastery. The data from these assessments is used to regroup to ensure student academic needs are being met.
*Reminder: student data and assessments for student achievement are in Chapter 5 of How to Teach Elementary School.
STUDENT RELATIONSHIP CHECK
As we all know, relationships with students are a critical component of student achievement. No matter how much time and effort I put into creating bonds with my students, there’s always one or two that could use some more attention.
It could be a student who has challenging behaviors and tries my patience. It may be an introverted student who keeps to themselves and struggles to communicate. Whatever the case may be, reflect on the relationships you have with your students, decide if any of them need more of your time, and commit to giving them what they need.
WINTER REVIEW: CHECK PROGRESS ON TEACHING CONTENT
At this point in the school year, you should be halfway through the teaching of your grade-level standards. If you are an upper-grade teacher, grades 3-5, you likely have state testing at the end of the school year, meaning you should be even further than halfway. Will you have enough time to teach the remainder of the standards in depth before the school year ends?
No matter how much I plan and prepare, I always feel behind as if I will never get to it all. But I always do! Hopefully, you have priority standards to guide you in choosing what is most important to teach and what you can “take off your plate”. Map out the standards you still need to teach in the final weeks of the school year to ensure you will have time to effectively teach everything your students need to be successful in the next grade.
*Reminder: the standards for your grade level are found in Chapter 3 of How to Teach Elementary School.
**Coming soon: curriculum mapping will be found in Chapter 7 of the How to Teach Elementary School series.
REFLECT ON PROFESSIONAL GOALS
If your school is like mine, teachers are required to set professional goals for themselves each school year. These goals must be based on student achievement that can be measured. The goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely).
Each spring, we reflect on these goals and have to determine if we reached them. For many, this is part of the formal observation/evaluation process. Whether goal setting is a requirement or not, all teachers should have personal goals for the school year.
Better communication with parents.
Timely feedback to students on their classwork and assessments.
Efficient and effective small groups.
Implementing a new curriculum.
Implementing a new classroom management system.
Collaboration with colleagues.
Learning more about effective teaching practices in math.
Take some time this month to reflect on your goals for this school year. How are you doing? Are you sending those weekly emails to parents? Are you sending positive notes/emails home or only communicating when there is a challenge with a student?
Do you look at student work immediately or bring it back and forth from school to home for a week? Recommit to any goal that hasn’t been given the time and effort needed to make it happen.
NOW go get your NEW YEAR’S REFRESH started!
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