Tomorrow is our first day back from Winter Break. After two weeks off, there’s no doubt that we all be a little sluggish. The start of the new year also signals the half way point of the school year and is a good time for a reset and restart. There are a few things I do each year at this time that I’ll share.
1. The first day back from break we go around the room and share something about our winter break. It helps ease us back into being together again and the kids like sharing what they got for Christmas or anything special they did.
2. We do a clean out of desks and folders. I have students make a list of any supplies they’re running low of. It’s a good time to replenish.
3. I rotate my classroom library. I don’t put out all of books at the start of the school year so I can rotate them in to spark interest. By this time of the year, they’ve become bored with the books already out.
4. Change the seating arrangement. This is a good time to switch things up.
5. Student survey. I give the students questions using Google Forms to get feedback on what they think is working for them in class, what they are interested in learning more about, and to give them some choice on reading materials for whole group instruction. I like referring back to the surveys when I conference with students.
Have a great start back!
Thanks for the tips!
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