So after being out of school for 2 1/2 weeks, I am headed back for the afternoon. I teach at a small, Catholic school and this just goes to show what kind of awesome people I work with. This meeting is voluntary. We are meeting today, to see if we can figure out how to make things go more smoothly than they did the past year.
I have already started making my to-do list for the summer, to make things go much better than they did last year. This will start my 5th year of teaching, and every year I try to do a little more over the summer to get ready and try to make things run more smoothly.
Here's my to-do list:
Orientation slides - For the first time, we are having an orientation before school for just my class, to help the parents and students understand, how very different 4th grade is from 5th grade in our school.
Copies - I try to get most of my copying done before school starts.
Put Class Back together early - I don't have a choice about this. Orientation has been set, so my room has to be done about a week before everyone else.
Genre chains - Thank you to The Classy Teacher! What a great idea! We do several books together as a class, but I am also able to let my students read whatever they want and this will be a great introduction for what will be expected of them in the 6th grade.
Re-vamp Social Studies - This has been on my to-do list for the past couple of years. I try adding different things, and then having to go back and take things out, and revert to what has always been done. I don't like that but am going to try several new things this year. I am searching the blogs. I think I'm thanking the right teacher - thank you Mrs. O Knows, for the idea on Explorer's Cards and understanding community by having the students sit on the floor where they are near what they need. I started looking around the blogs before I thought about starting my own - so if I'm mistaken let me know and I'll give credit where it's due.
I saw several teachers writing about Spelling City and one of the things I hope I get to discuss today, is Spelling City. I think I can use it for several of my classes and hope to get my lists going maybe as soon as tomorrow.
I also need to do more rubrics for writing for my 5th grade English/Writing classes, write up timed math facts tests which will be shared by the other math teacher and I.
I taught Pre-Algebra the first three years I taught, then didn't need to teach it last year, but it's going to be back and I have different materials, and am going to need to teach class in a style more similar to what the Algebra teacher teaches so I have a TON of work to do there to get ready for that as well.
AND the final thing on the to-do list is have a discussion to help parent/teacher communication. I have something drafted and am waiting on approval - but that could add a ton of work for me before school starts, but it may be something which gets handed off to someone else come August.
Thank you to all those bloggers who started this before me! What do you do over the summer to make the school year easier for you?
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