The following lists of questions will help you think through all the important aspects of the first few days of school.

Planning for the First Day

  1. Are your room materials ready?
  2. Have you decided on your classroom procedures, rules,expectations, rewards, and consequences?
  3. Bathroom
  4. Pencil sharpening
  5. Locker (if applicable)
  6. Tissue
  7. Lack of materials
  8. Nurse
  9. Entry/Exit
  10. Location of materials (students)
  11. Group work
  12. Individual work
  13. Passing out materials
  14. Collecting materials
  15. Student work
  16. Asking for assistance from teacher/or another student
  17. Parent contact log
  18. Getting a drink of water
  19. Transitions into and out of class
  20. Student attention during presentations (teacher and student)
  21. Student participation (using popsicle sticks or raise your hand?)
  22. Volume
  23. What to do when work is completed
  24. Where students line up in hallway to minimize hallway obstructions
  25. Handing back graded work (binders)
  26. Are you familiar with the parts of the school that your or your students may use, and any procedures for their use?
  27. Do you have adequate numbers of textbooks, desks, and classroom materials?
  28. Do you have teachers editions for your textbooks?
  29. Do you know the plan for arrival and departure for the first day? For every day after that?
  30. Do you have your first day’s plan of activities ready?
  31. Do you have time-filler activities prepared?
  32. Do you know the essential staff members that can provide assistance if needed (i.e. secretary, nurse, social workers, media aide)?

Room Preparation

  1. Are your bulletin boards and walls decorated to create a warm, friendly, welcoming learning environment?
  2. Are the student’s desks arranged where you would like them (if you are not in a computer lab)?
  3. Does your computer work? Printer?
  4. Do the student computers work? (if applicable)
  5. Do you have keys for all cabinets/doors
  6. Do you have a pencil sharpener?
  7. Do you have a flag stand on a wall in the room?
  8. Does your intercom work?
  9. Do you have a list of all classroom/office extensions?

Accountability Procedures

  1. Where will you post assignments/homework?
  2. What are our standards for form and neatness?
  3. Pencil or ink?
  4. Colored ink?
  5. Type of paper
  6. Heading
  7. Due Dates
  8. Errors
  9. How will absent students know what assignments they missed? Where will they get necessary materials to complete missed work? How long do they have to make up their work?
  10. What are the consequences for late, incomplete, or missing work?
  11. What procedures will you use to monitor work that is continuing ( projects)?
  12. How are you going to grade assignments? Will grades be weighted? If so, how much?
  13. Do you know how to use the grade program ( currentlygradequick)?
  14. What records of student work will you retain, if any?
  15. What are your school’s grading policies and procedures?
  16. What kinds of feedback will you provide and when?
  17. How will you know when it is time to contact a parent about academic concerns?
  18. Will you assign extra credit?
  19. What will your procedure be when students are not doing their work?
  20. Where will you display student work?
  21. How often will you post grades (if applicable)

Planning for Instruction

  1. Where will you keep your plans (planning book, computer, binder, etc.)
  2. Where will you keep your plans (location in room)?
  3. What format will you use for your plans (objectives, materials, activities, assessment)
  4. Where will you notate your I Can…statements and objectives (on board)?
  5. How will you form groups when necessary?
  6. How will you make sure all students participate?
  7. What will you do if someone is not participating?
  8. How will you tell if the students understand the concept you taught?
  9. What will you do if the students do not understand the concept you want them to learn?