Starting the School Year by Ashley Garcia

Book #1

amgar116 — 2025-04-24 00:06:26 UTC

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

Mean Jean is mean during recess, no one gets to have fun until she does. Her intimidating presence keeps the other children in check and afraid of her. However, a new student, Katie Sue, appears and does as she pleases because she's unaware of mean Jean. When Katie gets confronted, instead of reacting angrily, she acts out of kindness and invites Mean Jean to play. This book teaches students about bullying and how they can include students in a friendly way. It focuses on behavioral expectations and ways for students to react when they see someone being mean.

Book #2

amgar116 — 2025-04-24 00:06:31 UTC

Book: All Are Welcome - Alexandra Penfold

"All Are Welcome" takes place in an environment where students from different backgrounds and cultures are embraced. It went from morning routines, what they wear, what they go to school in, and much more. It reinforces a sense of belonging and unity. This book encourages empathy and Kindness. It shows children that have all sorts of backgrounds being accepted. Instead of judging, it shows us to celebrate other students, no matter where they come from or what they have or don't have.

amgar116 — 2025-04-24 04:06:29 UTC

Why do you think Mean Jean acted that way during recess?

Do you think she was just mean or was there another reason to her behavior?

Why was Katie Sue's kindness more powerful than Mean Jean's actions?

How is being kind different from just following the rules?

What could the other kids have done to help Katie Sue stand up to Mean Jean earlier?

How can we work together to make sure everyone feels safe at recess?

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:21:53 UTC

What does it mean to make someone feel welcomed?

Can you give an example of what you've experienced or seen in the book/outside world?

What can we do if we see someone who feels different or left out?

If you were new to this school, what would help you feel like you belong?

what could each of us do to help new students to feel welcomed?

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:29:54 UTC

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:30:43 UTC

Resource

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:36:37 UTC

It's a teaching approach that focuses on creating a positive classroom community while helping students build social-emotional skills. The activities and structures in this program encourage kindness, empathy, and working together in a supportive way.

Resource

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:47:57 UTC

Offers a good amount of articles and videos that aim to support new teachers who are embarking on their first school year of teaching. It covers essential topics like classroom design, assessment strategies, and much more. It also supports teachers who have been in the field longer.

Resource

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:55:15 UTC

This helps support creating lesson plans for the beginning of the school year, especially if you find yourself stuck trying to create inclusive activities for the students. It won't always be perfect, but that's why you go over it and see what you will change and keep based on your students' needs. It's a great educational resource that can be used to help me set clear expectations and foster a positive classroom culture.

Resource

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 03:58:02 UTC

Class Dojo is a free platform that students, parents, and teachers can use to stay connected and informed about school information. It allows you to reward good behavior, track student progress, and create a supportive environment. It's a great tool to use at the beginning of the school year and all throughout.

Resource

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 04:31:33 UTC

This article gave me tips on what I could do as a teacher during my first year and the students' first year in the grade level they are in. This was mostly for classroom decor, which can be helpful if you plan on creating an effective and helpful classroom layout for the students. It helps us create a welcoming classroom for the students.

Activity #1

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 04:36:15 UTC

The point of this activity is to get students to get up and find where things are in the classroom. This allows students to get familiar with the classroom layout and allows them to find things quicker throughout the school year. The objective promote student comfort and ensure smooth transitions.

Link: https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/first-day-of-school-activities/

Activity #2

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 04:46:49 UTC

Would You Rather

This activity works to get to know the students on the first day of school and allows me to build connections with my students. For this, I could have my students sit at the community circle and ask them student-friendly would you rather questions, which allows the students to get comfortable with the classroom and encourages engagement. You could have thumbs up for one and thumbs down for the other option.

Activity #3

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 05:07:31 UTC

This activity involves students completing an "All About Me" book, allowing them to share personal information such as their favorite things, family, and hobbies. Displaying these books in front of the class fosters a sense of community and helps students feel valued and seen.

Narrative Summary

amgar116 — 2025-04-30 05:34:23 UTC

I chose the start of the school year because it's what helps you build the structure of the school year, and how you will do your lectures based on your students' needs. It allows you to get to know your students and helps you create a community with all the books, resources, and activities that you include. It's important to teach this because this is, like I mentioned, where you create a community in your classroom; you want your students to get a clear idea of the expectations, rules, routines, and what their classroom environment is like. It is up to us as educators to make sure students feel safe and valued. I would start with the books I have and create activities related to the books. Practicing the routine will be big in the first few weeks, and the rules will be laid out within the first week.

Questions:

How can I make sure I’m meeting the needs of all learners right from the start, especially those who are shy or need extra support?

How do I adjust my plans if students take longer than expected to learn routines or if behaviors become a challenge early on?

What challenges do you expect during the first week, and how might you handle them?

I want to get different POV's to make sure I don't miss anything.