As we head back into the classrooms this fall, we’re all thinking about that first week of school and how we will get started. I would love to share with you some of the things that I do on those first few days of school.

First, I think to start, we need a little recap of what is important to me as an educator. I am a middle school English Language Arts teacher. I value getting to know my students, ensuring that they understand the expectations of my classroom and creating & fostering a genuine love of reading in the beginning of the year and throughout.

With those things in mind, let me tell you about all of the things that I use to start my school year.

1. Cooperative Learning Groupings – Seating Chart Challenges:

I don’t know about you but creating seating charts is probably my least favorite thing to do! But letting students sit wherever they want is not really an option for me either #middleschoolproblems so whenever I discovered Seating Chart Challenges on EdWeek.org, I thought I would give it a try.

Well, I was hooked within the first ten minutes of class!

With this premise, students seat themselves according to very specific directions from you. You circulate and observe as a way to get to know your students: their strengths, weaknesses, personalities, etc. Then, after a few days, you can keep one of the seating charts you have crafted (with some tweaks, I’m sure) or use what you’ve discovered about your students to make your own.

Since starting to use this practice, I have also used it as a way to make flexible groupings for cooperative learning activities and group projects. I start the year with at least a full week of different challenges every day. This tells me soooooo much about my students in the first five minutes of the class period. I will never do anything else to start the year again.

If you’re not quite sure how it works, try this out. It is a very similar concept! As students walk into the room, you’ll give them a card with an author’s name, picture and a couple of facts about them. They have to match the card to a desk in the room. On that desk, you’ll also have directions for them for how you want them to research and write about the author. This will depend on your level and I’ve done all of the work for you. Just let me know that you want it by clicking here.

2. Growth Mindset + Goal Setting with Real Life Bucket List:

By the time my students get to me in 7th grade, they have heard a lot about having a growth mindset and setting goals already. They know what we want them to say when asked about it. I always get some variation of the school answer to “get good grades” or “make it to school on time.”

I have started presenting these things to them in a way that has more “real life” implications. We look at Growth Mindset by analyzing what is expected of them in school that year. What are the grade level expectations in ALL of their classes? And what pre-requisites do they need to have mastered already in order to accomplish those expectations?

When it comes to goal setting, we make real life bucket lists! I tell my students about paying off my student loans by creating a side-hustle on a blog (hey) and Instagram. HA! I show them what I have been able to accomplish by setting aside an extra hour every day that I would have spent scrolling. I tell them what I am working towards now (we’ve got three trips planned for next year and they’re not paying for themselves!). Then, I encourage them to set their own REAL LIFE GOALS. Not only does it resonate with them at the beginning of the school year, it is also a great set up for the huge Genius Hour project we will do later on in the school year.

3. A Classroom of Readers

Finally, I start to build the foundation of our classroom of readers from the very first day. The very first assignment my students do independently is a mini-research project on middle grade and YA authors (You can get it for free here!). We preview books. We go on a scavenger hunt of the classroom library & visit the school library. I give a book talk every single day for the first couple of weeks and then more sporadically throughout the school year. I challenge my students to read at least 40 books of various genres (a la Donalynn) and offer them prizes every time they finish a book. We set specific reading goals for in class and at home too.

I get my school on board as well. Every teacher has a little poster on their door that displays what they are currently reading. My team provides time for reading during our advisory class, in addition to the time that our students get in my class. And my principal offers prizes to the school when they read enough collectively.

The beginning of the school year can get bogged down by rules and expectations and sheer overwhelm but, as you’re planning for that time, you have to remember what your priorities are when it comes to the entire school year. Don’t get stuck just reading your syllabus and never letting the kids talk and interact with the things that will be most important — you, each other and, of course, BOOKS!