First year teacher - Starting to freak out :)

[cherbear]

Alright, this will be my first year teaching. I am straight out of school, just finished my undergrad and am teaching 1st grade. My first question is, what does everyone do the first day, and first couple weeks to teach routines, and those other necessities. When do you start teaching "by the standards" as in reading, writing, math, etc.? Also, any advice? Thanks a ton!

[Ms.Champion]

Hi cher!!! I am in the same boat you are, except I will be teaching 6th grade instead of 1st. yikes!!! I am really a elementary ed major, but am licensed to teach K-6, so I jumped on the job...in fear that no one else will want to hire me. lol Anyway---I am just now starting my planning. I plan on the first day (which this may be different for you), letting my kids know my rules, rewards and consequences and send home a behavior contract for the parents and students to sign. I also plan on letting them know the routine I will have with in my classroom from the beginning of the period to the end. Also, I will do several ice breakers on the first day and will try to teach a lesson on the 1st day so that my kids now that I am the teacher.

Yeah, and um, any advice you experienced teachers can give would be GREAT!!! hehe :D

I just think you need to let them know that you are the boss of your room and stand your ground, but don't be too tough on them...it is only the 1st week.

[landreth2007]

I have been teaching for 20 years and I still "stress" over the first day. The day will go by so quickly you won't believe it.

For first graders you will have to go over the rules and consequences daily for at least the first week. They need to know exactly what to expect. Don't cut too much slack. You can be consistent without being unkind. Let them know that they have choices to make and you are there to help them learn how to make wise choices.

Talk to your new co-workers. I'm sure they have some great ideas they would love to share with you. Most of the teachers in our school start the year with a grade level theme and it gets the year off to a great start.

Best of luck to you! You will have a great time; first graders are pretty fun!

[coco]

There are tons of things to do on the first day. I teach 4th grade and I do the following, give the students a tell me about yourself/interest inventory while you are meeting and greeting students and parents. Have students place all supplies on thier desk. Once all the students have arrived make piles for each item and have students disperse thier supplies. If they are going to keep them all- have the students use permanent markers or tape to label. Help them set up thier desks and supplies (label 3 ring binders) etc. Next, play a get to know you game. Most likely the students will already know each other. For example, pair students up (there are tons of ways to do that) then have them answer a list of 20 questions that you give them. Then, they make a Venn Diagram about things they have in common. Then take thier picture together. Print later and hang up. Students present thier venn D to the class. Then, give each student a procedures book. Then, do/ act out the procedures- what happens when you have to go to bathroom, how do you line up. Take them on a field trip to the bathroom, cafeteria, science and computer lab, related arts classrooms. Practice everything over and over. In between, read stories about the first day. Practice some more. If students are not following them correctly, use this as a lesson. Have the students make skits and act out scenarios that you create. Don't begin any instruction for the first week to 2 weeks. However, start your routine on day 1- what time you begin each subject. Just do some type of fun activity surrounding the subject. For example, you might make a birthday graph during math by having everyone make a self portrait. On days 2-14 do the same types of getting to know you and your classmates, character building, and communication skills activities. Always stick to the procedures and the routine. Especially for the younger students. Remember what ever you allow or tolerate during the first couple of weeks you will be dealing with all year long. I hope that helps.

[honeybuns]

Routine, routine, routine... this can not be said enough.. the rules ,drills,procedures, administration expectations, and your own expectations need to be practice and reviewed often.

My belief is rules and procedures should be review through out entire school year no matter what age or grade level you teach.

It is one thing to have posted rules and procedures and quite another for student to state in their own words what they mean/imply. That is ownership!

Next, is to develop a classroom community. This is a place where the students feel a sense of security.

Good luck and have fun,

Honeybuns:)

[NewbieTeachr]

I'm also going to be teaching for the first time and teaching first grade! I'm so excited but also a little nervous because I taught 2nd grade for my internship and I'm not sure how different I need to treat 1st grade students. For my classroom management class I read "The First Days of School" by Harry Wong. He has some great tips about what to do and not to do. He taught older students but many things still apply. One tip I definitely plan on doing is to greet each and every student at the doorway so they feel more welcome (and probably their parents as well). I am also trying to find a good book to read about the first day of school...my favorite so far is a Franklin book (the turtle) because it talks about rules and I plan to transition that into a talk about our classroom rules. I'm still debating on whether I want the students to "help me" make the rules or if that is too hard for 1st graders.

[naenae23]

I have taught 1st for 4 years now and definately agree with the routine, routine, routing. I have done rules both ways, having the students help and already having set rules. It is definately important that you already have rules decided if you plan to have the students come up with rules. You want to direct them to the rules that you feel are most important in your classroom. No need for lots of petty rules. I was taught in a classroom management class that 3-5 important rules pretty much can cover everything. The young students can't remember lots of rules so basic is best. Good luck, you're gonna love first grade :)

[Michelleann27]

I have been planning all summer making test, keys, students notes and teacher notes, my personal binder, and review games all kinds of things in between camping and canoeing. I will not teach my first lesson till the second day. The first one will be kinda of rules etc....

[km693]

I'm in a unique position that tomorrow is my first day of school, but the children have been going for two weeks. They don't even know that their sub. won't be there! I'm teaching a K-1 special ed. and I'm not sure what to expect on attention span and ability level. My plan: break up my teaching of procedures and routines with stories, songs and math games that fit with the regular schedule for the day. I overspent on buying my own materials because I'm nervous that they won't have anything to do and will start climbing the walls. I only got really simple things like a water table, play dough making materials and a jobs chart. I loved Wong's book The First Days of School, but how can you teach procedures all day when children can't be expected to sit in full class activities for a long time?

[aalong02]

I have taught for a year and a half. First day and procedures were definitely a concern of mine.

My principal sent me to a conference that was awesome and laid this all out very well. It was from the author of _CHAMPS: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management_ by Randy Sprick. This is THE BEST teaching book I have ever seen! It costs about $45 but it is well worth it.

The basis of this book is that you need to have detailed procedures for every aspect of the school day: morning, transitions, teacher guided activities, group activies, independent work, etc.
He basis the procedures for all of these on the accronym CHAMP.

Conversation (Can students talk to each other during this activity?)

Help (How do students get the teacher’s attention and their questions answered?)

Activity (What is the task/objective? What is the end product?)

Movement (Can students move about during this activity?)

Participation (How do students show they are fully participating? What does work behavior look/sound like?)

What I love is that it makes it so clean cut not only for the students, but for me.
I ended up making a bulletin board with this on it. We would discuss expectations and post a picture of it on the bulletin board before each activity/transition. Soon they learned exactly what was expected. If they weren't sure they could check the board to remind them.

The book lays out exactly how to teach the procedures at the beginning, how to evaluate whats working, and reteach problem areas.

Implementing this system made a world of difference when school started last year. The principal even brought down other teachers to my classroom to show them how it worked.

Definitely start out by focusing on teaching procedures the first week, but do bring in as much curriculum as you can so they get a feel of what the year will be like. Just don't stress out if you dont accomplish as much as you want to.

[orlandoteacher]

That CHAMP idea sounds really good! I may have to look for that book. Thanks for sharing!

[cherieberry]

HEY! Ms Champion, it would be great to correspond with you. Im in my 2nd year teaching, however its my first year in my own home room, Grade 6. (Notice the run on scentence. lol) My first year I taught Computers, the Grade 6 is going to be something totally different, and Im looking to exchange ideas! PM me if your interested.

[hassell]

My best piece of advice would be to not be their "friend". A friend is some one you go out with, meet at the movies, cook out and invite over to your house. Your students are your students. You can be nice, polite, etc. But not their friends. You have rules that have to be followed and there are consequences if they break the rules. After they get used to the routine, you can back off. But my grade level team is always tough at first, then we back off. It seems to work for us.

[Zookeeper]

I also agree with setting routines - I work on this for about 3 weeks. (1st grade - 10 years) 5 rules seems to be the best bet. I will be trying something new with my first graders this year - the daily 5. This teaches the literacy routines for the first 5 weeks. Be very consistent! Remember to enjoy your students also. We have first day conferences with the parents and students meeting with the teacher in small groups. These conferences last app. 1 hour and we go over classroom expectations and curriculum. The parents have really enjoyed this and it takes a lot of stress and anxiety away from the students. Have a good year.

[teach1027]

Try to stay positive and keep a smile on your face. YOu should just repeat, repeat, repeat, the routines

[Chef Dave]

Also, any advice? Thanks a ton!

I was an elementary teacher for 17 years. I am now a high school chef instructor.

I would like to offer the following advice:

Be aware that work has a tendency to expand and to fill whatever available time you have. If you aren't careful, you'll find yourself coming in early, staying late, and taking lots of work home to work on over the weekend. My suggestion to you is to adopt a time management plan. Begin by assessing what you need to do on a daily basis. Differentiate between "must do" tasks and "wishful thinking" tasks. Prioritize what needs to be done. Set a time limit for yourself and work down your list.

Part of good time management is making sure that you get down time. You have to take care of yourself. Eat nutritious meals. Get some rest. Enjoy some time off - especially on the weekend.

It's easy to spend every waking moment on the job - but if you're not careful, you'll wear yourself out. Pace yourself and remember to take time to "smell the roses."

Best wishes,

Chef Dave