Where to start...

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Home : 2002 : September : 9

Where to start...
By Cindy

Well this is a tall order. First thing you should do is to get students into some routines such as what to do when you walk in the classroom.I liked to have some sort of independent activitiy to do while I took roll. This
could be as simple as a worksheet that you know they can do alone.When you are ready introduce yourself and tell them about you. Next do a get to know you activity like sitting in a cirle and saying your name and something you like that begins with the first letter of your name. Then I would give the students a tour of the class. This shows them where everything is and where things go.

After that we would tour the school to show where bathrooms are, office, where to line up and so on. By this time it should be close to recess. Give a few quick rules for playground use (go into more detail later).
The rest of the day could be more getting to know you activities. Like making a picture book about yourself. Playing games where students pair up and learn about each other.I like to spend the first week talking about school rules, learning routines, and doing assessments.
Do some basic assessments like finding out if they know all letters and sounds, concepts about print, writing numbers as high as they can and so on. This will show you where you need to go with them next week.
Find another teacher at the same grade level to share ideas with. Or talk to the K teacher about what they did last year. Use the rest of the staff for help. You are not alone. Good Luck!