The first few moments of class are critical for a variety of reasons, but the main reason for really focusing on those first few minutes is your entire lesson could be a success or failure depending on whether or not your students are engaged from the beginning. I love talking to teachers about warm-ups. I love hearing different strategies and ideas. One of the most powerful pieces of teacher advice I have to give is there is power in sharing the why or purpose behind your lesson right away. Our brains are hardwired for the information of “why am I here?” to feel safe and to create a sense of belonging. On another level, your warm-up helps unlock your classroom environment. You make students feel welcome with a warm-up.

So, how do you start class?

I have started my middle school English Language Arts class in a variety of ways. I sometimes rotate my warm-up strategies based on the grading marking period or trimester. I sometimes keep things that work well, and then I toss out other things that don’t. I almost always come back to some form of creative writing or choice reading with conferences.

I love all things paper. A new notebook, journal, or planner is enough to get me to feel motivated about my goals. Fresh pages that are blank are sometimes all you need on a rough day to feel like a fresh start is in order. However, maybe like me, you have also had a notebook or office supply obsession get out of hand over the years. While I love a fresh notebook or journal, I will be the first to admit that I am one of the first people to not finish a notebook or journal and move on to something new. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that because of the inspiration that a new notebook brings, but I also know many of us are on the hunt for notebook, planner, or journal peace where we find a system that works for us in all ways.

If you check out examples in the planner and journaling communities, you can see a variety of journal types, writing and typography, designs, layouts and spreads, and ideas for organization. New notebooks make us feel good. Half of the fun in this journaling journey is the trying out of new ideas and systems to see what will work for us. If you are like me, you know what definitely doesn’t work for you. This post proposes different styles, types, and considerations when trying to find a journal or planner peace. The goal of this post is not to present you with a correct option, but show you the options that I have encountered along the way so that you find what works best for you.

I love looking at what other people have planned for the first two weeks of school. While some people feel inventive and creative, I sometimes feel really pressured to make sure that the first two weeks feel…perfect. And I can guarantee that nothing feels particularly perfect this year as we head back-to-school with online learning. However, I told my classes today: “No matter where we are, we are going to learn and have a great time.” I meant it. I wanted to include my favorite resources, books, and the learning platforms that I am using for heading back-to-school. I know that my teaching will be forever changed due to the adaptations and modifications I am making for my instruction in the current moment. This post starts with my first day plans, and then it provides a simple-structured outline for the rest of the two weeks. I did not include any language regarding essential questions and standards. I wanted to focus on the main activities and the tools I used to plan those activities along the way.

What a time to be a teacher! I finally got a chance to relax a bit in July, and then August snuck right on up to say hello. It’s August. Officially. What this normally means in my mind is that I need to start getting around for Back-to-School. Like an alarm that went off in my mind, I woke up early on August 1st ready to start thinking about school. I even walked outside to let out our dog, Laker, and saw that the bush that turns fire-engine red in the fall indeed had three new red leaves. It was crisp in the air. Fall decided it was going to show up early. Like other teachers this summer, I never really shut my brain down long enough to feel like it was summer. Earlier in June, I participated in moving an in-person writing camp to an online format, and I finished up an online summer book club with The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson for all middle schoolers in my district. Summer flew by. It always does. I went from being eager and anxious about my district announcing the Return-to-Learn plan on August 3rd, and then I spent some time this week processing what it would mean for me for the upcoming year.

I do know August 3rd still has not provided a ton of answers. My district is offering two main options for students: 1.) A tiered return approach and 2.) A fully virtual option. The tiered approach will work by trimester or every 12 weeks. The first twelve weeks will be online, the second twelve weeks will be a hybrid model of online and in-person learning, and the last twelve weeks will be fully in-person five days a week. This is all contingent on the phase or status of COVID-19 here in Michigan. I wanted to spend the first week of August figuring out how I am handling my own morale and motivation considering returning to the classroom, and I wanted to focus on the items in my routine that are favorite things to use. This post is an August products favorites haul of sorts and inside peeks into the day-by-day schedule that I am using with my new Daily Passion Planner.