The start of the school year is just around the corner. With that comes the energy and excitement of getting ahead, so let’s talk back-to-school tasks that you can knock out these last weeks (…or days) of summer. (And if you don’t need this right now, x out, and enjoy the rest of your summer!)
You are limited to doing pretty general tasks without class lists, and maybe without access to your actual classroom, so these are tasks you can complete mostly at home and ideally in front of Netflix.
1. Emergency Sub Plans
You will never regret having an emergency substitute plan on hand. Remember these are emergency plans, so you are planning for a middle of the night stomach bug with no notice. Since you don’t know when you will be out, I recommend picking a skill that your students are already familiar with and planning for lots of practice problems. For example, if you teach 6th grade, I would pick a 5th grade skill. Once you get back to school, print plenty of copies, label, and store in an easy-to-find place. Grab a substitute binder here.
If you are an All Access member, you don’t have to deviate from your unit plan if you need to be out unexpectedly. Your students can watch the next lesson using our student video library.
2. Digital Clean Out
Nothing says “ready for another year!” than a cleaned out email inbox, desktop, and downloads folder. If you are up for it, organize the “Shared with Me” folder in Google Drive. Save what is important and delete what you no longer will use.
3. Write Your Syllabus
Need a new syllabus that is succinct and will stand out amongst all of the other first day of school paperwork? Use ours! It’s free and editable.
4. Brainstorm and Prep for Homeroom
Don’t scramble right before your homeroom! These free slides will get you through a week of homeroom. They can easily be recycled with a few tweaks for the remaining school year.
5. Decide on Your Classroom Management System
Whether you are a new teacher or wanting to try something new – you have to implement a system on day 1, so making a decision now + making the accompanying materials now is a good use of your time. I like systems that are whole group tracked. You can read more about some of the systems I implemented here: Classroom Economy | Kindness Challenge | 20 Creative Middle School Incentives
6. Find a Reliable Curriculum
No surprises here! Maneuvering the Middle’s All Access membership is the best way to set yourself up for a great school year. Get your time back! Make lesson planning easier! No searching for relevant materials that are aligned to your standards. We have done all of that for you.
WHAT IS MANEUVERING THE MIDDLE?
If you find this information helpful, consider checking out more of our resources! At Maneuvering the Middle, we design and develop standards-based math resources for grades 5 – Algebra 1. Our curriculum provides high quality, engaging resources for students and provides teachers with planning resources and plenty of training.
- All Access: standards-based, on-level curricula available for grades 5 – Algebra 1
- Maneuvering Math: a skill-based intervention program for middle school math students
What back-to-school tasks are you knocking out? How are you spending your last few weeks (days) of summer?
