A Sneak Peek At My Lesson Plans for the First Two Weeks of School
Two Weeks of Read-Alouds, Community Building, Book Talks, and Brainstorming Autobiographies!
I love looking at what other people have planned for the first two weeks of school. While some people feel inventive and creative, I sometimes feel really pressured to make sure that the first two weeks feel…perfect. And I can guarantee that nothing feels particularly perfect this year as we head back-to-school with online learning. However, I told my classes today: “No matter where we are, we are going to learn and have a great time.” I meant it. I wanted to include my favorite resources, books, and the learning platforms that I am using for heading back-to-school. I know that my teaching will be forever changed due to the adaptations and modifications I am making for my instruction in the current moment. This post starts with my first day plans, and then it provides a simple-structured outline for the rest of the two weeks. I did not include any language regarding essential questions and standards. I wanted to focus on the main activities and the tools I used to plan those activities along the way.
The First Day of School
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
Welcome! Feeling check-in, 0-5 how are you feeling today about being back at school?
Would you rather with syllabus: Would you rather be the hero or the villain with the Despicable Me rules clip
Tour of Syllabus Slides 1-11 & 21-22
Family Homework Assignment
Flipgrid Introductions-Show how to join Flipgrid, play my Flipgrid video
Closing Read Aloud: The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (Read and prompt in chat)
Closing question: What is something we all have in common?
MY DESK AREA/WHITEBOARD BEHIND MY DESK
CLASS DIGITAL NOTEBOOK SYLLABUS-MADE WITH SLIDESMANIA TEMPLATE
*NOTE: The Family Assignment tab showed up odd in the cover image, but it was fine on the rest of the template’s tabs. The family assignment is my syllabus assignment. I have each student’s family write me a letter or email introducing their student to me. I find out the best information through this assignment!
Planning the First Two Weeks
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Activities from Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammad (Individual and class preamble lesson, identify prompts for Flipgrid introductions, autobiography assignment, and more)
Grading Ideas from Point-Less: An English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful Grading by Sarah M. Zerwin (Learning goals, new grading categories, and more)
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORMS
Week One Lesson Plans
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Book talk/First chapter reading: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (available on GetEpic.com)
What are you reading? Where do you get books? Review class syllabus slides 12-14
Login to GetEpic.com
Flipgrid reading assignment-Tell me what you are reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2-Social & Emotional Learning Groups Do Not Meet Week One
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Book talk/First chapter readings: Weird But True Books (Available on GetEpic)
Email etiquette review lesson/How to write an email
Send Mrs. Hampton an email-use the fact list to choose a fact and explain why it is interesting to you (Google Doc will have 50+ facts)
Time to draft email to the teacher
Week Two Lesson Plans
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Welcome! Overview of the week
Weekly motivation prompt (Show digital notebook location)
Learning goal lesson/Class preamble assignment
Review syllabus slides 15-19, grades and learning goals
Students choose 2 goals to work on
Show example beginning of the year reflection
Introduce reflection notebooks (under the class materials section in Google Classroom)
Closing read aloud: Intersection Allies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9-Social & Emotional Learning Groups Begin
Week Two
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
(This day is to catch all of my classes up with each other due to the off-days and half-days to begin the year)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Book talk/First chapter reading: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (available on GetEpic)
Recommend: The Story of September 11, 2001 (GetEpic)/Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Focused writing assignment: Brainstorm for autobiography project (Review digital notebook location)
Give an example of my own autobiography brainstorm
Give sentence starters/stems
Decorate digital notebooks
Show examples with pictures added to covers of digital notebooks