First Days of School New school, new

Grade 9 English teachers, new names,

LL new faces, new
FU classes, new rules,
a classroom created
for success.

By: Krysten Cripps

Classroom Set-Up: U-SHAPE
Inclusive: everyone can see each other
Open space in the middle for activities
Behaviour: can easily monitor students and
they can monitor each other
Versatile: Students can move chairs around the
desks for quick transition into group work
 Building Relationships
Greet students at the door every day
Get to know you games
Ex. Write down one unique thing about yourself
(bring up a few each class to finish within the week
- have one for yourself too)
Group work (change groups frequently)
Take pictures of the students with name tags to get to
know names - post the pictures in the classroom
Rules & Routines - Student Management Plan
Late slip bin when you walk in
Communication centre
In box/Out box, electronic device, scrap paper, golf
pencils, behaviour slips
Fingers Up: 1 = washroom, 2 = question/need help, 3 =
need to get something in the room (pencil, paper, stapler...)
Give me five - everyone raises their hand to gain
attention
Start class with Question of the Day and end class with an
Exit Slip (or something similar) every day
 Cognitive Practices
Question of the day (QOD) - to start each class
with structure and get students critically thinking
about what is going to be covered that day.
Use a tool such as Poll Everywhere frequently, so
students can answer anonymously (to the class,
but the teacher can see if they wish) to allow for
maximum participation from ALL students in a
LOW-RISK environment.
 Learning Goals
Day 1: I can identify rules and procedures of the classroom using
technology and working well with others.
Day 2: I can write a short essay using proper grammar, spelling,
and structure from a prompt picture.
Day 3: I can understand media texts, such as magazines, and
how they are used to create meaning.
Day 4: I can read with fluency and for meaning while
understanding the form of the text to respond to questions.
Day 5: I can use effective reasoning to argue a point while
listening to my peers opinions and responding appropriately.
 Day 1:
Have sticky notes on their desks for seating plan (done
for the entire first week)
QOD: Whats your name? Whats your favourite thing
about English class? Whats one interesting fact about
yourself? (PollEv then do this in a sharing circle)
Do a scavenger hunt of the classroom to learn about
rules and routines (use QR Codes)
Co-create success criteria and talk about
rules/routines
Finish with Exit Slip with other ideas for our
classroom routines and success criteria
 Day 2:
QOD: What elements do you need to include when
writing an essay? (ex. paragraphs) (on PollEv)
Give everyone one picture to write an essay on
Have them brainstorm before their writing
Then write their essay (30 minutes total)
Play a name game/get to know you activities
Exit slip: What was the easiest part of the writing
task? Where did you struggle the most?
 Day 3:
QOD: How do media texts (ads, commercials, etc.) influence
the audience they appeal to? (PollEv & Class Discussion)
Group Activity: Analyzing media texts
Choose a piece of media text and brainstorm the purpose,
who you think it is intended for etc. on a white board
Rotate around the room to each different media text and
add to the white board
Finish with a class discussion when you get back to
where you started
Exit Slip: What surprised you about some of the media
texts? What did you learn from your peers? Whats
something you still have questions about?
 Day 4:
QOD: If you had to choose one thing to read for the
rest of your life what would it be? Why? (PollEv)
Read a news article
Respond to short answer and multiple choice
questions (to check for students level of
understanding)
Would you rather activity (active - L/R side)
To find out students likes/dislikes in English
Exit Slip: What was the easiest part of reading/
understanding the article and the hardest?
 Day 5:
QOD: Should physical education class be
mandatory throughout high school? Why or why
not? (answer on Poll Everywhere)
Debate question (topic is open to discussion)
Divide the class into for and against
Give 15 minutes for the groups to discuss their
side before the debate
As the teacher, monitor the debate and observe
their oral communication skills
End with Exit Slip: one area you could improve on
 Conclusion
-The learning goals provide an initial assessment of
the 4 strands in the English curriculum for the
teacher and the individual students while working on
getting to know each other and building a strong,
positive learning environment.
-Rules and routines will become a habit from
consistent use and signals will cut down on
interruptions.