Getting+Started-+The+First+Days+of+School

= Getting Started: A First Year Teacher's Guide to the Basics =

Welcome to Branden, Ian, Jeff, and Kei's guide to starting your first year with a bang! Check out the different tips and tricks for keeping your classroom running smoothly and your life sane.

__**The Homework Life Cycle**__ NOTE: All of these tips must be modified to fit the physical set up of your class. Do you have table groups? Rows? Socratic Seminar Circle? The physical layout will determine which strategy you will want to go with.[|The Cornerstone -]


 * Passing Out Papers:
 * 1) **Door box**- Have the papers that students need for that day's lesson located in a strategic spot near the door. It must be a practiced expectation that students collect the needed materials before they sit down.
 * 2) Specify a **table or row leader** who knows to grab the papers during the first few minutes of class. Allowing the student to walk up themselves can be beneficial movement!
 * 3) In the first weeks of the school year, use a timer to practice a method selected by the students. Make it a game! How fast can the class hand out the materials? What are the best methods? This can be a team building exercise. The time that you use doing this will be payed back 100 fold during the year.


 * Collecting Homework or in Class Assignments:
 * 1) KEY: Handle each paper only ONCE!
 * 2) **Color coded In/Out box.** At the beginning or end of each class period the students know to turn their papers into the IN BOX and collect the graded papers in the OUT BOX. The negative to this is that the papers will not be in alphabetical order, and therefore, entering the graded work into the grade book can take too much time. You will need to sort the papers from a massive stack.
 * 3) **Homework Folders** - Use an alphabet accordion folder (THINK DR. COWAN-PETRE!!) If you choose individual folders, check out this resource: [|Homework Folders.]
 * 4) **Exit Slip** - Using an exit slip each day has the added benefit of staggering the students getting up to turn in their work. It prevents the "logjam" of everyone running up to turn in their work, and saves some time for final thoughts.
 * 5) **Individual "Mailbox" -** Each student gets a small box, much like a teacher's mailbox. This can be an expensive option if you have a large number of students. It is a good option for small classes.


 * Things to Consider About Grading
 * 1) **Record a "Hard copy"** - If you are using a computer to record grades, you might consider first recording the grade on a printed student spread sheet. This means that you will be recording the grade twice, but a hard copy can more easily be taken with you as you circle a room, or hold individual conferences. It also is great for excused late work. It acts as the ultimate back up copy as well
 * 2) Three things you need to know: Rubric, Rubric Rubric!
 * 3) [|Stanford University -Fair and Conflict-free grading]
 * 4) [|Teach HUB -Grading Overload- 12 tips]
 * 5) [|Strategies for more efficient Grading]


 * Passing Back the Graded Papers
 * 1) **2 important Questions:** Do you want to go over the assignment? Is the feedback on the papers important for future lessons? If the answer is yes to wither of these questions, you may want to hand the papers back while the students do an entry slip, or some other form of bell work. This also allows you to make short verbal comments about the students' performance.
 * 2) **OUT BOX/ Homework Folder** - For assignments that are summative or do not require time in class, an outbox or replacing the work back in a student folder is a good way to get the work back. This format increases a students responsibility, but remember to practice the desired behavior during the first few weeks.
 * 3) **Portfolio/ self grading graph-**Another option is to either give back the papers yourself, or have them look at their own folder, then have them record their own grade, but keep all of the work together in a Portfolio that stays in the classroom. This can help with motivation, as students will physically see the results of their work pile up in a three ring binder. Here are some resources for portfolios:
 * 4) [| Education Consumer Guide Office of Research -Student Portfolio]
 * 5) [|Michigan State University - Portfolio samples]
 * 6) [|Hints for Creating a Classroom Portfolio]