Get Ready for Back to School Before Summer

If you're anything like me, your room is already packed up 2 weeks before school is out and you are already making your plans and getting organized for the next school year! There is nothing I hate more than coming back to a mess after the summer...my brain is never fully turned on and I have trouble getting organized after giving my mind a rest over the summer. Anything I can get done before break is super helpful to the me that comes back after break! Haha! (Yes...I am maybe sometimes type A!)

Link to the Back to School pack is HERE

or click on the image below

There are more activities in the pack than what you see below, I just wanted to highlight a few :) 

1. All About Me - brochure

Just like I love the end of the year brochure made by my students, I love the beginning of the year one, as well! This brochure lets me get to know my students better, as well as see their level of effort. I tell my students the first day of school that this is their way to show me how much effort they put into their work. I love to compare these to the ones they do at the end of the year to show their improvement!

2. Mad Libs!

Everyone loves mad libs! This is a great way to review parts of speech early on in the school year! 

3. An About Me Inventory

There are many question on this inventory that help me to get to know my students on a deeper, personal level academically. They share things about school (their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses) that I don't think they would share if asked aloud or in person. This photo below shows you my favorite part of the inventory - I find this section the most useful! It's always funny how honest they are!

4. Goals bookmarks

As a Leader In Me school, we are big on goal setting. This is a great, easy way to goal set for something academics related because once the students color them, you can laminate them and the students can keep them all year long! They can keep checking back at their goal if necessary. I like to require them to make a reading goal here, this way the bookmark is usually out on their desk somewhere in their novel during that subject area where their goal applies. I can ask them to refer to their goal when necessary. 

*Side note: The goals bookmarks go really well with the application from the end of the year pack (in previous blog post). If your students from last year filled out the application, they can look back at it to see what their goals should be for the new school year. I love pairing these ideas together. It makes for great discussion! 

I hope you find these activities useful! Let me know if you have any questions!