Ericas Ed-Ventures

Primary Education Ideas

Back to School! Week One a Success!

School started for me on Tuesday with students coming in on Wednesday.  I have an awesome group of first graders this year.  I am also so lucky to have only 20 students.  My school was supposed to have three first grade classes and then when the budget passed we were able to get four!

A few people asked me for my schedule for the first week and I had emailed it to them over the summer.  I have updated it for this year and thought I would post it below.  Click on the photo of the plans to download.  Most of the activities in my plans are included in my Back to School Writing Prompts and Activities Packet on TpT.  I also incorporated Deanna Jump’s adorable Fun with Names Unit into the first week.

Read/Write the Room For Your Name (click {here} to purchase my Read/Write the Room Sheets). The girls are looking at an ABC File Folder Word Wall (click {here} to purchase them from TpT).  They are sitting in bean bag chairs purchased from Big Lots.

Art Center
This center is from the book below: 

My classroom jobs (Click {here} to purchase from TpT).  Every student in my class gets a job.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Trees and “___ my name is ___ and I like____.”  Both activities are from Deanna Jump’s Fun with Names packet.  Click {here} for her post. 
My Warning Board – I made the name cards by placing labels on bright card stock paper, cutting, and laminating.  The font is called Going Nuts and can be found by clicking on the Lettering Delights button to the left.  I add the “We are having a great day! We are following the rules to a polka dot scrapbook paper sheet and laminated.  To save money on laminating, I had to place two of the 20 students sideways.  This does bother me a bit, but I really did not want to have to pay to take it to Staples, when I have my own menu size laminator at home.  So, then I added velcro to the name cards and “We are having a good day” board.  To create the Warning Board, I used a small sheet of bright poster board I purchased from JoAnn’s Fabric.  I then mounted my warning labels onto the same black and white polka dot scrapbook paper.  I had to have this board laminated at Staples, because it was too big to fit in my laminator. 
These labels are included in my Polka Dot Classroom Labels and Signs packet from TpT.
This behavior system is based on Lee Canter’s Assertive Discipline

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Comments

  1. There is nothing that makes me more happier than seeing a child with a clipboard hard at work.. :o) happy 1st week to you!!

    i start my 5th week on Monday.. I think we are finally settled in :o)

  3. Erica,

    I just love your blog and the things you share. I found out in June that I was transferring to another school and then first grade due to budget cuts. I was shocked! I had been 3rd grade and before that 4th grade. Reading your blog has helped give me an idea of what to do. Seeing what you do the first three days is great. I'm going to look at it and see if it gives me more ideas. We started this week, too. I survived the first three days! I am amazed at all of the behavior teaching that a first grade teacher needs to teach. This is so hard for me to do! I really like getting these students in a couple of years.

    I have bought many of your things. I discovered TpT in the spring and used some of them with my 3rd graders. I have recently bought some of your polka-dot things since I wanted to use polka-dots, too. I put the leveled circle labels on the DRA leveled books. Those really brighten up the room. I also put the owl sign on my door with the kids' names. How cute and simple. Others at school were commenting on it and even asked where I got them. Thanks for letting us know where you got your polka-dot papers. I'm new to making things using background papers. I went to an Apple training and showed them what I want to do, so now I can do a little bit of making things look nice. I also am new to blogging because I want to be a part of the postcard exchange. My blog is probably a little boring since I don't know how to post things, but I'm learning and hope it will get better.

    Thanks so much for all of your help as I learn how to teach first grade. You do give me some inspiration and hope that I'll figure out this grade!

  5. I just finished my first three days also! Glad yours went well. Kiddies look like they are engaged and having fun in centers 🙂 I like your Read/Write the Room pages. Lots of different activities! Thanks!

    Amanda
    First Grade Garden <–new blog

  7. I would love to own book bins like you have. I have been stalking Big Lots in hopes of finding some, but no luck. Have you seen them anywhere else?