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Back To School Insights For The New YearBack to school time is approaching. For some of you, summer break is over and you are heading back to school. For others, you have another month to go. Of course, as teachers, many of you are already thinking about the new school year and some of the things you will be doing. I hope you have had time to rest and recharge and that you will have a renewed energy and motivation to get started again. After an exhausting and unprecedented year of teaching through a pandemic, it will be great to return to the classroom again and back to some of the familiar routines and activities. Here are some insights and suggestions that I hope will help you based on what I have learned throughout the years.  Returning to school this fall will be a bit different since it is at the end of a very difficult year teaching during a pandemic. There will still be some uncertainty as to how things will progress. Will there be another wave, more online or hybrid teaching situations, or extra precautions needed in the physical classroom? Hopefully not, but we still need to be somewhat prepared. Take what you have learned from teaching virtually and use the good parts to enhance your in-person teaching. Have a plan for teaching using a mixture of in-person and online activities. That way, you can find a blend that works with the current situation. It may not be as overwhelming that way. Many teachers have decided that they will continue to use digital resources in the classroom to supplement their teaching this year. Preparing For Back To SchoolSetting up a special classroom environment for teaching is not necessary, but it will definitely make a difference to both the kids and you if it is inviting and well laid out. Just like people are attracted to different homes and designs when choosing a place to live, kids will have an emotional response to their classroom environment. I know it is not always easy to get into the room ahead of time and do decorating and arranging, but even small things like pops of color, desk groupings, messages on the board, and special centers will help create a positive atmosphere. Once school begins, the kids can perhaps help with adding special touches to the class decor.  Getting Ready For The First DayEvery school and district has it own way of getting classes organized and ready for the new year. In our district, the classes are determined by the numbers of students enrolled and a class size formula. That means that the classes are not finalized until the end of the first week of school. Instead of forming classes and then restructuring them all after a few days of school, the standard process is to have students return to their classes from the previous year. New students are added to classes of similar ages/grades. After the numbers are finalized, new classes are formed and the whole school is shuffled on the same day. This process works, but it does require some extra planning when deciding on what activities to do, what the classroom set up will be, and how to make the new students feel welcome and included in a class that is already familiar with rules and routines. When the reconfiguration is done, some students will move to different classes and some will remain in the same classroom. It is important that they feel special if they are staying with you. I will elaborate more in the next blog post.  School Rules and RoutinesIt is important to know what your must have rules are for the classroom and also which ones are flexible. During the first few days of school, if you are still not in the final class configurations, some of these rules can be introduced and practiced right away. Regardless of the different groupings, school rules can be introduced and practiced. There are different ways of doing this. One practice that we have used in the past, is to create family groupings of mixed ages and have them rotate throughout the day to different teachers for lessons on specific rules and expectations. That way, every student is getting the same instruction and information for each expectation. Another method is to have a school wide chart of expectations posted in each classroom and have the assigned teacher go over each of the expectations with his/her class. Or perhaps, buddy classes could combine to do these lessons.
Remember Self CareIt is important to remember self care as you return to school. Get lots of rest and give yourself some slack. I remember how exhausting the first few weeks of school was. Even though you intellectually know it will be tiring, it still comes as a bit of a shock when it actually happens. Being well planned will help you to get through this. Brain breaks and physical movement will not only help your students as they adjust to being in school all day, it will give you a mental break and perhaps help you to get through the day better as well.  Next time I will focus more on the first week of school and ways to start the year off positively.   Related Posts
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Time for a well-deserved breakThe last year has been one of the toughest and most unusual teaching years for most teachers. Surviving a year of uncertainty, constant change, strict protocols for engagement and contact, and a pandemic has been a challenge. It is now time to take a more than deserved break to relax and recharge.  So many questionsAs we headed into the school year last fall, there were so many questions and concerns about how to make all of this work. Nobody knew what to expect and teachers were constantly adapting and changing their teaching styles, lessons, and means of sharing information and ideas with their students. They had to learn to teach digitally, in person, and in hybrid situations and still engage students and help everyone to feel safe.  You made it!Well, my friends, you made it. It may have been ugly at times, and you may not have felt the same joy and satisfaction as in other years, but you need to congratulate yourselves for making it through the year and doing the best you could under the circumstances. Being retired, I was on the outside looking in most of the time, listening to my colleagues and teacher friends share their experiences and difficulties, but I did get a bit of the experience with how difficult it is to teach online. My husband and I spent the last several months trying to teach our ukulele students on Zoom. I have to admit, it was very unsatisfying, and we just learned that it is not always a very reliable way of assessing how the kids were doing. Because we were not able to actually hear the kids in a group situation, we had to trust that they were playing correctly and that they understood what we were showing them. We struggled with screens freezing, kids turning off video, kids saying they were playing, but weren't really, and many other things. When we had them send in videos of their pieces for a virtual concert, we discovered that they didn't always know their own parts, and that they were struggling more than they let on. Luckily, some of the restrictions were just relaxed and we were able to do some one on one sessions this last couple of weeks and fix some of the problems and salvage the season.  Looking aheadI am sure that many of you are looking forward to returning to a more normal teaching situation in the fall. Here's hoping this is true and we can move on. For the next few weeks I will be focusing on getting ready for a new year and providing some tips and ideas for classroom management and the first weeks back at school.  For now, relax, refresh and enjoy your summer break. You deserve it.   Related Posts As we are about to begin a new year, it is a great time for a fresh start. This year we have all had many challenges and we need to find some renewed energy and hope. Sometimes that can be a breather just to take time with family, or maybe it could be changing things up from the regular routine.  I don't know about others, but I found it difficult to get motivated lately. Even though it is supposed to be a festive season, most days seemed to be the same and it was hard to find moments of anticipation and joy. So many of the things we look forward to at this time of the year were missing due to the pandemic.  For many of my teaching friends, the challenges of teaching during a pandemic have been daunting and they are rapidly burning out and feeling overwhelmed. I hope that the holiday break has given them some time to relax and recharge so they will be refreshed for the start of the new year.  This next season will probably be a mix of online and in person teaching and learning as we continue to get through the pandemic. Here are some ideas for starting out the new year. Hopefully these will bring some laughter and smiles to your day and give you some joy as you return to teaching.  Do a photo booth. If you are teaching in person, you could add some New Year's hats and blowers, fancy glasses, etc. Have your students create fun poses and take photos of them and then have them write about their goals. If you are teaching online, you could create some interesting picture frames and then take screenshots of your students and add them to the frames. If they have some fancy accessories at home, perhaps these could be added to their images.  If you are looking for materials to help you through the winter season, here are some that might work for you. Sight word games and activities, word work, parts of speech silly sentences and other literacy games can be fun when they have a winter theme.  Here are some literacy items in French in case you need them.  Here are some free products that might help. New Year's Goal Setting Templates 3 Stars and a Wish Snowy Days Compound Words Winter Sports Task Card Templates  Goal setting for the New Year Goal setting is not only good for children, it is also good for us as teachers. Think of some things that you are proud of and things you would like to work on (3 stars and a wish) Come up with a goal for home, school, and something personal. This is the same format that can be used with your students.  If you are looking for some novel studies that are good for the winter season, try these.  Creative writing ideas Start a statement and see how many crazy ideas you can come up with. (This could be done orally first, and then developed into a written story.) I was so frozen my fingers were like popsicles but they didn't taste as good. I was so frozen ......... It was so cold ........ When I woke up I couldn't believe my eyes..........  If you are looking for some winter math ideas, you can find them here. I hope you find these suggestions and resources helpful as you return to teaching in January. Thank you for all you do for your students.   It was 40 years ago that Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope Run. This run continued after Terry died in 1981 as a tribute to what he had started and it has raised so much money for cancer research.  Here is a repeat of a blog post from 2 years ago. I feel very strongly about this, so I felt it was important to bring it to the forefront again. The Marathon of Hope began many years ago when Terry Fox was a young man. He lost his leg to bone cancer when he was 18 years old. On April 12, 1980 he started his Marathon of Hope for cancer research. He was determined to run across Canada and raise $1.00 for every Canadian. He began his run on the east coast by dipping his foot in the Atlantic Ocean.  Terry ran every day for about 42 km (26 miles). Imagine running a marathon distance every day. This is hard enough for someone with two strong legs, but Terry did it with a prosthesis on his one leg. He did this for 143 days.  Terry Fox was unable to finish his Marathon of Hope. On September 1, 1980 he had to stop because cancer appeared in his lungs. He returned to his home and began treatment for the cancer. He was determined to continue fighting. On June 28,1981 his battle ended. He was no longer with us, but his legacy continues on. Every September cities across Canada and worldwide run in Terry's memory to continue his Marathon of Hope. Click here to find out more about Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.  Here are some free activities to use with your students if you do a Terry Fox run in your area. I know it is very important in our schools and children still learn about our Canadian hero. Click on the image above to get your copy.  Using glyphs for math activities is engaging and very useful when teaching about data. Glyphs are not just pictures. They give informative data about a variety of topics. One picture can provide insight and data for comparing, classifying and counting activities. This can be a great way for sharing details about individuals anonymously as well.  I used glyphs often in my class throughout the years. It was especially fun to use them when preparing for student led conferences. Sometimes I did activities that were interactive with the child and parents. Then we would look at the glyphs later as a class and work with the data. I found using glyphs to be valuable when sharing details about my students anonymously with others. Nobody knew who created the glyphs, but there was lots of information on each of them. These baby blocks were done during one of my conferences. The kids were excited to learn about themselves as babies and it was fun to make comparisons as a class the following day.  Back to school is a great time to introduce glyphs. Bookmarks and name plates can be glyphs. All about me activities can also be done with glyphs. Here is one that I created that might be fun to try at the beginning of the school year, especially when we are possibly using more technology than usual right now.  Glyphs can be seasonal as well. I like to do one with pumpkins in the fall, turkeys around Thanksgiving, and snowmen in the winter. These are just a few suggestions. There are so many different topics that can be used.  Creating the glyphs can be fun, but in order to really appreciate their value, it is important to see what data they provide. Sometimes I ask the children to come up with the questions that could be asked, other times, I will provide a list of questions and we will find the answers together.
Here are some sample questions that might fit different symbols and what they represent. Here is a blank form that I would use when generating questions with my students. I sort the questions out into 3 categories: counting, classifying, and comparing. These different categories provide so much information. The children are always amazed at how much a simple picture can tell. These are all included in my Steps and Templates For Creating Glyphs. Sign up for Diamond Mom's Treasury email list and get your free copy.  You should really give it a try. I am sure your students will be amazed at some of the information they learn through this activity. Subscribers have access to all products on my free resources page. Don't wait, sign up now and get your free resources.  Related Posts
When returning back to school, building relationships with our students, either in person, or virtually, is key to having a successful year. People are emotional creatures and they need to know they are cared about and valued. It is important to build a foundation of trust and respect with our students and their parents so that we can work successfully together. Check out this post for some tips for getting to know your students.  Developing a good working relationship with our colleagues is also very important. We need to feel that others are there for us when we have difficulties, to support us, and even to be our cheerleaders. We also need to be there for others when they are struggling and to celebrate with them when breakthroughs happen or special moments happen.  This year, it is especially key for a successful year. There are so many stressed out teachers, co-workers, parents, and children because of all the unknowns with the pandemic. There are so many unanswered questions. Here are just a few of the ones floating around.  Teachers: What is my classroom going to look like? How am I going to ensure that social distancing happens? How do I engage my students when they are not able to work together and share materials? How do I find a balance between in person and online teaching/learning? What resources will I need to make this happen? How do I help my students feel like they belong and they are important? How do I keep everyone safe?  Students: Will I be able to play with my friends? How will I be able to get help when I don't understand? Do I need to wear a mask all day? What happens when I need to go to the bathroom? What if I get too close to others or I forget to leave space? What if I can't remember all the rules? Who will help me if I need it? Will my teacher and classmates like me?  Parents: Should I send my child to school or home school? Will my child be safe? How will I be able to help if I keep my child home? How do I prepare my child for what to expect at school? What are they doing to ensure social distancing and a clean environment? Is it better for my child's mental health to go to school or stay home? How can I support my child and the teacher?
Safety seems to be the number one thing that concerns everyone. It is important that protocols be in place to ensure the safety of everyone as we navigate through this new way of learning. Working together we can make this happen. I don't know if anyone has the answers to all these questions, but I do know that we all want what is best for the emotional and physical well-being of those involved.  We need to focus on some of the positives of being together again. Anxiety only increases stress. Try to enjoy being together. Find ways to build those relationships and have a successful year. Here are some tips that still hold true even with the unusual year we are about to begin. I wish you all the best as we navigate this school year together. Stay safe, stay calm, and have fun.  Related Posts
Here in Canada, summer vacation is nearing an end and teachers are preparing their classrooms for a new year. In other places, some teachers are already back at school. It is always exciting to freshen up a classroom, prepare for the new students, and just begin a new adventure. However, this year is a different start up because of the pandemic and it will be filled with excitement and trepidation. The uncertainties can be stressful, but together, we will get through it.  With the possibility of a hybrid model or more online teaching, the resources will be somewhat different than in the past. More digital materials are required and ideas for engaging students from a distance are important. Here are some samples of some bundles and resources. Click on the images to see more about them. Check out the categories in my store for more ideas.
Back to school activities help children get back into learning mode. Here are some ideas for the first few days that will help engage them and get them started. Decorating up the room makes it feel inviting and fresh. Here is a rainbow themed kit that might work. It is available in French as well.
Taking care of your students' well being is important right now. Positive encouragement and recognition of feelings are key. This self esteem kit can help. When it comes time to report on how things are going, student-led conferences empower the children as they share their learning with their parents. This format has worked well for me for over 20 years of conferences.
Working with measurements is fun for children because it involves concrete activities and it can be directly related to real world situations. Money is sometimes confusing for children. I created this Money Lessons for Children unit with my grade 3 class a few years ago. It was amazing how much we covered as we learned together.
I love doing projects with my students. It give them hands on experience and also allows for sharing knowledge in different ways. This 3D community unit evolves with each class as the background knowledge and the types of communities chosen can be different to fit the group of children involved. With the solar system project I am always amazed at the different ways children come up with sharing their understanding.
Even after retiring, I still continue to go into the school to volunteer with guided reading groups. I have created several guided reading study guides and supplements as well as emergent readers and other literacy materials for use with the class and small groups. Here are a few examples.
When I retired, I began tutoring in French. I found that it was easier to make my materials so I could customize them for my students. The cool thing was, that I made them in French first and then discovered that they would work well for my students in English so I created English versions as well.
Distance learning is sure to be happening in many places. I have been working hard to create some digital activities that work for online instruction. Here are the ones I have done so far. Most of them are Boom cards, but I am slowly working on adding some activities for use with Google Slides and Google Classroom. I am also working at using the Digital Overlay Tool from TpT to make some of my regular products usable for distance learning as well.
 Enjoy your time with your new students and returning ones too. Don't forget to get lots of rest also. I always forget just how tired a teacher can get the first few weeks of school. Stay safe.
I wish you a very happy and rewarding year. It's that time of year again. But it is also different this year. Normally teachers would be planning and creating in a renewed state, eager to start off a new year with new students and exciting activities. This year, there is a lot of uncertainty and stress as teachers fear going back to school and the difficulties it will bring. Teachers need to support each other through these difficult circumstances. Self care becomes very important. I posted some ideas for self care in my last post. You can check it out here.  As teachers and students return to school, there will be some excitement, and apprehension as new protocols are put in place to deal with the ongoing pandemic. It will be important to help put children at ease as they adjust and learn to engage in a different way. Start by doing activities that help your students get to know each other and and create relationships. Mixers, groups, and partner activities can still happen, but in a different way. Maintaining social distancing while doing these activities can be a challenge, but as creative teachers, we finds ways to make them happen. That is our super power.
First week activities help students to ease back into learning and following routines. Here are some resources that might help.
These are also available in a bundle that includes start up forms and a back to school kit. I also have several poster sets and theme kits in my Back to School category in my store.  I wish you well as you begin this new year. Stay safe and try to enjoy your time with your students.   A Different Kind Of SummerSummer is here and this is usually the time for picnics, barbecues, family and friends gatherings. Because of the pandemic, things are definitely not the same. instead, we have to monitor who we visit, how we visit, and where we visit. Even the smallest group of people could be at risk if we don't take precautions. This is enough to create a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. People are social creatures and it is difficult to isolate oneself and have minimal contact with others.  Here are some tips to help you take care of yourself as you prepare for Back to School.  As we approach the end of July, some teachers are already making plans to head back into school. Others are still about 6 weeks away. The uncertainty this year is creating added stress for teachers, parents, and even children. No one knows what to expect.  Self Care Is ImportantSelf care is really important now. If we want to be able to help our students through this, we need to take care of ourselves first. Take time now to do things to relax and refresh your spirit. Go for walks, explore nature, read books, do a craft or hobby. Do something for yourself. You deserve it. Don't feel guilty about it either. If you don't take care of yourself and add some positive moments to your day, you will not be able to recharge and stay healthy.  Stop focusing on the news about the pandemic and all the worries of what it will be like when you go back to school. I know this is easy to say, but it is important to do. Negativity builds more negativity and this leads to worry and anxiety. Stress is bad for your health. We have so much negativity around us right now that it is easy to get caught up in it and sometimes it is difficult to get out. We need to protect ourselves from this.  It may seem difficult at the moment, but try to focus on some positive things that are happening because of the pandemic. Many people are getting a chance to spend some time with their children or parents because they are home instead of running around trying to get through life. As my husband and I go for walks each day, we notice many people taking time to work on their gardens, or do some renovations that have been on hold for awhile. People are keeping their distance, but still saying hello and waving as they pass others along the way. Many people are getting outdoors and enjoying the summer weather, but in a different way.  Teachers, parents and children are stressed out from the online learning this spring, the uncertainty about school re-opening and what it will look like, and the worry surrounding the virus. It is so important that everyone do things to de-stress. For each person it will be different. Perhaps families should discuss what they think might help in their situations. Teachers can find support with their families or colleagues. Whatever it takes, find ways to enjoy life and de-stress.  We often feel guilty when we do things for ourselves. Taking care of yourself is not selfish. We need to take care of ourselves in order to give our best to others.  I hope you find these tips helpful and that will have a happy and successful year with your students. I would love to hear from you. If you have any things that you would like to share or add to this list, leave a comment below.  I would love to be able to connect further with you through email and blog updates. If you are interested in joining my email list, I have a special gift for you. Click on the image to get your copy. This is a set of calming strategy posters that may be helpful when your students are stressed out. They will also work for adults!  Related Posts
Going back to school can be exciting for many children, but it can also be a bit scary for some. Here are some tips for getting to know and understand your students better so that the transition will be a little easier.  Getting acquainted with your students and their families will make communication and understanding easier. Parents have a totally different perspective of their children and they feel included and heard if you give them opportunities to share this with you. They will appreciate you asking for information and getting to know and understand your students better. Communication Is Key Communication is key to gaining support as you progress throughout the year. Times may arise when difficult situations need to be shared and worked through. If you have open communication regularly about progress and successes or concerns, these difficult situations will be easier to work through. Hopefully no difficult situations will come up, but being prepared helps just in case.  Get AcquaintedAt the beginning of the year, I gather information to help with getting to know and understand students better. I only get to see a small part of who they are while they are at school. The Getting Acquainted form above is helpful for gathering more information about your students from their parents. It is important that the parents know that this information is only for the teacher. It is for getting to know and understand your students, not meant to be shared with the class. Note: You can download this form for free by clicking the image.  Use Interest Profiles Or Activities Doing an interest profile with the students is another way to get more information about them. When I begin writing activities with my class, I start with them filling out a heart of things that are important to them. Not only does this make early writing experiences easier, it also provides lot of insight into what they care about.  There are several different versions of this type available for use in the classroom. Doing an interest form or a "This is Me" type of form helps you gather more information for getting to know and understand your students and what is important to them. These are just a few ideas. What kinds of things do you use for getting to know and understand your students? Let me know in the comments below.  Related Posts
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About Me Charlene Sequeira
I am a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 9, and a retired primary and music teacher. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer at school and teach ukulele. 
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