Getting Ready For the First Day of School with #2ndaryELA

First impressions matter. Maybe that's why teachers obsess over the first day of school so much. We're all hoping that a good first day will lead to a great year. As you prepare to go back to school, check out 11 of our past #2ndaryELA chats for ideas and advice on how to make your school year great. Click on each linked blog post below for more information.

Creating Your Classroom Environment
Take a peek into the classrooms of 25+ secondary English Language Arts teachers for decoration ideas, desk arrangements, how to showcase student work, and technology must haves.

Setting Up a Secondary ELA Classroom

During the school year, your classroom is a second home to you and students. You want it to be functional but also comfortable and welcoming.

Preparing for the First Day and Week

Think about collecting student information to inform instruction, syllabi, supplies, first day & week activities, and must teach routines & procedures for the first day & week.

Additional Ideas for the First Day and Week

Read through for even more first day activities and first content-based lessons of the year to draw in students, routines and procedures to keep your classroom running smoothly, and ways to begin building relationships with students.

Engaging Students From the Start

Find new and exciting back to school ideas and activities for middle and high school teachers.

Getting to Know Your Students

To prepare for going back to school, middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed collecting student information, what to include in a syllabus, important routines and procedures for the first week, forming relationships with students, and building partnerships with parents. 

Building Your Classroom Library
It's all about the books:  students' favorite reads, building, organizing & managing a classroom libraries, and matching students' interests.

Getting Organized From the Start

Get tips on how to organize the teacher desk, student supplies, paperwork, student work, and books.

Establishing Routines & Procedures

It is essential for teachers to establish effective routines, procedures and learning structures in their classrooms starting the first week of school.  

Preventing Problems & Handling Them When They Happen

Consider routines & procedures, problematic student behaviors, successful classroom management strategies, support from colleagues & administration, and valuable classroom management resources.

Communicating With Parents

Learn best practices for parent communication for positive and negative academics/behaviors, technology tips, and ways to involve students in the process.

Get caught up on all of our past chats here:

On My Bookshelf: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The basic plot from Amazon:  At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

Why I liked it: A Monster Calls features two interwoven plot lines. One follows Conor and the battle

with breast cancer that his mother is losing. The other is centered around the interactions between Conor and a monster who takes the form of the yew tree in his backyard. I loved the three tales that the monster tells to Conor, as they each cause him to question what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. 

Classroom application: The tales told by the monster could be used as excerpts to supplement a twisted fairy tale unit.

Conor's struggle to accept that his mother is dying and the isolation he feels at school are fortunately not experiences I have ever had to face, but I think that the author presents these issues realistically and students who are struggling with either or both would be able to relate.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of A Monster Calls for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.