Even though summer has just started for many of you, I know the teacher's brain is never at rest. Many teachers are thinking about what they can be doing to greet their students in the fall. My first blog on my official instructional facilitator blog is to help you generate some ideas to greet the new school year through building rapport with not only students, but parents and substitute teachers as well.
Students | Parents | Substitutes |
Sub Tub: hanging files of plans Sub Folder: Welcome, Class Expectations, Rosters/Seating Charts, School Phone Numbers Sub Report pdf |
Students
I like to initiate the rapport prior to the first day of school. I create a video that introduces myself to students and explains the main "First day of School" lecture points. This allows me to do an interactive activity on the first day and get my students collaborating and problem solving from the first meeting. After seven classes, the last thing they want is another read through of a syllabus on day 1. I also post this video to my class website and use it as I get new students throughout the year. This assures that every student that joins my class has the same introduction presented in the same way.
When I send the video, I also send a Google Form Survey that gathers student comfort levels with technology in the classroom and a little information about the students themselves and their likes and needs for an effective classroom. I use these results to browse through the upcoming students and start to get to know them. Based on the responses, you could create an individualized ice breaker for each class on the first day back.
I also always had a website to communicate to my students. I set it up as a blog site using www.weebly.com. I start using this link to build the student habitual use of the site for all information. Anything that they ask me about, or need throughout instruction is posted onto the site. I caution teachers to be aware of copyright laws and post full texts and literature to a Learning Management System such as Google Classroom or Edmodo , which are protected, rather than directly to the website.
Parents
I attempt to include parents in the educational team early on in the year. Prior to the school year, I send my first Parent Newsletter. I introduce class policies, expectations, my grading and teaching philosophy and any upcoming due dates of which to be aware. I like to use www.smore.com and just update the same template newsletter each month. I do recommend printing or taking a screenshot of your parent news each month, so that you have record of your communication. If you parent communication were to ever come into question, you would be prepared. (I did have to print out and show in a parent meeting with an administrator that I have had regular contact with parents, even if the parent does not open the link to the newsletter). My newsletter has regular categories of important dates, what we are doing in class, dinner table questions for families and grading notes. After collaborating with my friend and educator, Cheryl Morris, I decided to also send parents a "Back to School Form" to fill out. This helps me get to know their child prior to the first day of class. I found this form helpful because it helped me understand what was important to parents in the education of their child. I have a link on my website for parents. This is the Parent Website. I include fast links to the newsletter, curriculum, back to school handouts and student calendar. I also have sections that explain my grading (through video explanation), links to technology resources and help, and articles that discuss practices that I use in the classroom and how parents can help students with grades, stress and preparing for college. Please feel free to use any of these links for your own parent website. One thing that became easier by having a parent website was answering parent emails. When they would have questions, I could direct them to the website and specific links. Then tell them to let me know if they had further questions. They rarely had more questions. It was similar with my student website. I was able to save time by directing them to the information that I already had provided online. Finally, I send the parents the same video that I send the kids. I let them know that students also have a pre-school assignment to watch the video and complete a form. Many watched the video with their kids. I caution you not to expect full response to the form and video. Parents are similar to students. You are broadening your class reach by including parents and should not expect more of them than you do of your students. However, I did have a strong response to the survey and video. The parents that came to conferences and back to school night all mentioned how much they liked the newsletters and contact home, because they knew what I was doing in class rather than just knowing their kid's grade. They felt included. After having my own child, I realized that secondary ed parents are truly left out. They go from regular updates, seeing their kid's work and volunteering at the school, to sending their kids off to us and not really seeing anything but a letter grade. One way to help share student work with parents is by using Google Docs. I never have students turn in work on paper, only digitally. This gives me access to their work and ability to share with parents when requested. Another way to put students in control of the sharing is to have each student develop a slide deck on Google Slides that has fours slides: 1) Their name and hour 2, 3, 4) examples of their work. Have them choose three of their favorite assignments and copy and paste or link them. You can even have them write what they learned from each one. Students using Google Drive are able to have access to all of their work and will be able to link it easily.
Substitute Teachers
The first week of every school year I make sure to compile my substitute resources. The first is a hanging files tub that I call my "Sub Tub." I have my emergency sub plans with directions, rosters, emergency contact numbers, printed out student passwords and class codes. My emergency sub plans are basic. They are in the case that I cannot get up to the school to create my own due to illness or family emergency, which has been the case more than one time. I usually select an article for reading. I put in the directions for students to mark it using AVID marking strategies and then have students write a reaction. Articles for all content areas can be found through avidweekly.org with a paid account, www.kellygallagher.org, or Harvey "Smokey" Daniels' books . I also have a binder that is my basic sub info for a normal occasion. It saves me time in prepping for a sub. The sub tub is for emergencies, the binder is for a normal absence. I have a generic intro letter for the sub that explains anything that makes my classroom different from another classroom and which teacher nearby they can ask questions if they need help. My expectations for class and specifically my technology expectations. I have a tab for each of the following: rosters (with marked students that would be helpful), school phone number list for teachers, seating charts, emergency plans for fire, tornado, and ALICE. Class codes and student passwords for websites we use (newsela.com, readtheory.org, READ180), Information about the class website and Google Classroom basics, Schedules and Lunch Times, Supervision and Plan directions. This makes it very easy for me each absence to simply write up the lesson plan directives and make some basic copies. I tend to just make assignments on Google Classroom and make sure the sub has computer lab access. This way I leave a video for my students explaining what I want them to do and link all the necessary handouts and work in one place. I had a bright colored file folder that I put the directives and handouts in for the sub. I always say that the less interaction students have with a sub the less opportunity for a problem. I also ask that my subs fill out a sub sheet for each hour that explains how things went. I had lots of compliments from subs on this form and my resources. They said it made their day easier.
I like to initiate the rapport prior to the first day of school. I create a video that introduces myself to students and explains the main "First day of School" lecture points. This allows me to do an interactive activity on the first day and get my students collaborating and problem solving from the first meeting. After seven classes, the last thing they want is another read through of a syllabus on day 1. I also post this video to my class website and use it as I get new students throughout the year. This assures that every student that joins my class has the same introduction presented in the same way.
When I send the video, I also send a Google Form Survey that gathers student comfort levels with technology in the classroom and a little information about the students themselves and their likes and needs for an effective classroom. I use these results to browse through the upcoming students and start to get to know them. Based on the responses, you could create an individualized ice breaker for each class on the first day back.
I also always had a website to communicate to my students. I set it up as a blog site using www.weebly.com. I start using this link to build the student habitual use of the site for all information. Anything that they ask me about, or need throughout instruction is posted onto the site. I caution teachers to be aware of copyright laws and post full texts and literature to a Learning Management System such as Google Classroom or Edmodo , which are protected, rather than directly to the website.
Parents
I attempt to include parents in the educational team early on in the year. Prior to the school year, I send my first Parent Newsletter. I introduce class policies, expectations, my grading and teaching philosophy and any upcoming due dates of which to be aware. I like to use www.smore.com and just update the same template newsletter each month. I do recommend printing or taking a screenshot of your parent news each month, so that you have record of your communication. If you parent communication were to ever come into question, you would be prepared. (I did have to print out and show in a parent meeting with an administrator that I have had regular contact with parents, even if the parent does not open the link to the newsletter). My newsletter has regular categories of important dates, what we are doing in class, dinner table questions for families and grading notes. After collaborating with my friend and educator, Cheryl Morris, I decided to also send parents a "Back to School Form" to fill out. This helps me get to know their child prior to the first day of class. I found this form helpful because it helped me understand what was important to parents in the education of their child. I have a link on my website for parents. This is the Parent Website. I include fast links to the newsletter, curriculum, back to school handouts and student calendar. I also have sections that explain my grading (through video explanation), links to technology resources and help, and articles that discuss practices that I use in the classroom and how parents can help students with grades, stress and preparing for college. Please feel free to use any of these links for your own parent website. One thing that became easier by having a parent website was answering parent emails. When they would have questions, I could direct them to the website and specific links. Then tell them to let me know if they had further questions. They rarely had more questions. It was similar with my student website. I was able to save time by directing them to the information that I already had provided online. Finally, I send the parents the same video that I send the kids. I let them know that students also have a pre-school assignment to watch the video and complete a form. Many watched the video with their kids. I caution you not to expect full response to the form and video. Parents are similar to students. You are broadening your class reach by including parents and should not expect more of them than you do of your students. However, I did have a strong response to the survey and video. The parents that came to conferences and back to school night all mentioned how much they liked the newsletters and contact home, because they knew what I was doing in class rather than just knowing their kid's grade. They felt included. After having my own child, I realized that secondary ed parents are truly left out. They go from regular updates, seeing their kid's work and volunteering at the school, to sending their kids off to us and not really seeing anything but a letter grade. One way to help share student work with parents is by using Google Docs. I never have students turn in work on paper, only digitally. This gives me access to their work and ability to share with parents when requested. Another way to put students in control of the sharing is to have each student develop a slide deck on Google Slides that has fours slides: 1) Their name and hour 2, 3, 4) examples of their work. Have them choose three of their favorite assignments and copy and paste or link them. You can even have them write what they learned from each one. Students using Google Drive are able to have access to all of their work and will be able to link it easily.
Substitute Teachers
The first week of every school year I make sure to compile my substitute resources. The first is a hanging files tub that I call my "Sub Tub." I have my emergency sub plans with directions, rosters, emergency contact numbers, printed out student passwords and class codes. My emergency sub plans are basic. They are in the case that I cannot get up to the school to create my own due to illness or family emergency, which has been the case more than one time. I usually select an article for reading. I put in the directions for students to mark it using AVID marking strategies and then have students write a reaction. Articles for all content areas can be found through avidweekly.org with a paid account, www.kellygallagher.org, or Harvey "Smokey" Daniels' books . I also have a binder that is my basic sub info for a normal occasion. It saves me time in prepping for a sub. The sub tub is for emergencies, the binder is for a normal absence. I have a generic intro letter for the sub that explains anything that makes my classroom different from another classroom and which teacher nearby they can ask questions if they need help. My expectations for class and specifically my technology expectations. I have a tab for each of the following: rosters (with marked students that would be helpful), school phone number list for teachers, seating charts, emergency plans for fire, tornado, and ALICE. Class codes and student passwords for websites we use (newsela.com, readtheory.org, READ180), Information about the class website and Google Classroom basics, Schedules and Lunch Times, Supervision and Plan directions. This makes it very easy for me each absence to simply write up the lesson plan directives and make some basic copies. I tend to just make assignments on Google Classroom and make sure the sub has computer lab access. This way I leave a video for my students explaining what I want them to do and link all the necessary handouts and work in one place. I had a bright colored file folder that I put the directives and handouts in for the sub. I always say that the less interaction students have with a sub the less opportunity for a problem. I also ask that my subs fill out a sub sheet for each hour that explains how things went. I had lots of compliments from subs on this form and my resources. They said it made their day easier.