Set it and Forget it: Classroom Activities & Systems To Prep For Year-Long Use
Love podcasts? Enjoy this post in the form of a podcast episode on The Classroom Commute
Greatest kitchen invention of all time?
The crock-pot!
There's nothing better than walking into your house after a long day of work and being welcomed by delicious smells coming from the crock-pot that you prepped that morning. Knowing that dinner is ready and all you have to do is sit down and grab a fork is such as good feeling, right?
The crock-pot invention is even better on those hectic week nights where you ended up having to stay at school late, run a bunch of errands, or encounter any other interruption that may arise and delay you from getting home to get dinner on the table.
When I know that I have something prepped and ready to go in the crock-pot, it's one less thing on my to-do list, one less thing to think about, and one less thing to scramble to get done.
But - I'm not here to talk to you about 10 easy meals you can prep in your crock-pot - nope - I'll leave that to another blogger.
What I AM here to talk about is what you can prep for your CLASSROOM now to have ready to use all year long. I'm not just talking back to school planning. I'm talking about planning stuff you'll use alllllll year long.
Over, and over, and over.
I'm about to save you TONS of time during the school year. No last minute, flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants planning and scrambling!
Having some activities and systems set in place before the school year starts will take work off your teacher plate, and let you worry about more pressing classroom decisions and tasks. AND - prepping these things in the summer when you have a bit more time makes it even easier. Let's take a look!
PREP A CLASS-SET OF STUDENT BIRTHDAY GIFTS:
There's nothing worse then having a student walk into your classroom, excited that it's his/her birthday and....dun dun dun...you forgot and don't have anything ready. YIKES! Now you're left ransacking your classroom cupboards looking for something you can pass off as a birthday gift. (hey- no judgement, I've been there!)
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a neat little box tucked up nicely in a cupboard filled with student birthday gifts just ready to go? If you prep all of your student birthday gifts in one sitting while you prep for the rest of your back to school stuff, you'll be ready in a moment's notice (Even if it slipped your mind! No one has to know! I won't tell!).
My favorite birthday gifts are take-home kits that I’ve created over the years. One is for take-home math games and the other is a take-home science experiment kit.
PLAN FOR PARENT COMMUNICATION:
You know the story - it's the last 5 minutes of the day and you're frantically trying to write several notes in your students' communication folders/agendas before they head for home. One kid needs a reminder note about a parent/teacher conference tomorrow, another needs a reminder to bring back their library books, AND tomorrow's picture day - you'll want to remind all parents about that too, right!?
The solution to saving your time and sanity?
Prep some parent reminder/communication cards that you can easily staple to a page in an agenda or slip into a communication folder. Your cards may include some generic text such as:
"REMINDER: We have a conference scheduled for (date) at (time)! See you then!"
Simply add the date and time to the card, send it home with the student, and you're good to go!
Here are some events and parent notes you may want to consider creating ready-to-go reminder/communication cards for:
parent/teacher conferences
state test
early dismissals
school picture day
fundraisers
field trips
Report cards
Need School Supplies Notice
Open House
Project due-dates
book orders due
special class parties
school-specific specials days/weeks (ex. field day, science fair, awards ceremonies, family night, spirit week...)
return library books
missing homeworks/reading logs/parent signatures...etc
volunteers needed for _________
Create several copies of each so that you have enough on hand when you need them. Be sure to replenish as needed. They can be easily stored in a pocket chart ready to go at a moments notice!
(Grab a bunch of reminder notes inside my Classroom Management Survival Kit)
In addition, you might find it helpful to prep some cards to communicate positive behaviors or academic milestones. Parents always love receiving a quick note stating that their child demonstrated good behavior or did well in a particular learning area. This also helps build stronger relationships. Consider creating positive behavior/academic communication cards for:
going up a reading level
doing well on a test/assignment
completing their homework for an entire week/month
helping out a friend
showing respectful behavior
being a positive role model by _________
CREATE FAST-FINISHER ACTIVITIES:
Fast-finisher activities are those activities that your students can complete if they finish a whole-class assignment before the rest of their classmates. They should be activities that do not require additional instruction from you. Many teachers like to prepare a set of drawers or activity tubs to organize their fast-finisher activities, making it easy for students to grab the activity materials and bring them back to their seats to complete. I've also seen teachers create small bulletin board displays illustrating several activities students can complete.
These fast-finisher activities might include:
FAST FINISHER: Choice Boards With a Variety of Activities to Complete
These take up very little space and could be swapped out often to keep them fresh. Consider prepping monthly or seasonal choice boards to have on hand. (check out these choice boards for nonfiction and reading activity choice boards)
FREE Fast Finisher Choice Board
We all have those students who finish an activity before everyone else. Keep them engaged and learning with these simple choice boards that you can customize to meet your students needs and interests.
They're simple to prep and easy to implement!
FAST FINISHER: Math and Literacy Games
Store these in file folders or small tubs for students to grab and take back to their seats. You can swap these out throughout the year. These games should review skills already learned so that students aren't trying to learn them on their own without support. Here's a set of 5 FREE math center games that are ideal for grades 3-5 as they review basic skills such as place value, basic geometry, number sense, measuring, money. They work great as fast-finisher activities for the beginning of the year!
FAST FINISHER: "Roll & Write" Writing Prompts
My students LOVED the silly stories that they could create just by rolling the die 3 times to determine their characters, setting, and plot. This fast-finisher takes up little space and is also easy to switch up throughout the year.
Download a “Roll & Write” Writing Prompt Template
Turn traditional writing prompts into a game with this fun Roll & Write activity. Using this freebie and a simple die, students have endless ideas for their next story!
Put it at your next writing center or use it with your fast finishers for an easy-prep activity!
If they love them, then you can snag this pack of 5 "Roll & Write Prompts" with a variety of themes and ENDLESS story options! Simply store each writing prompt sheet in a page protector for safe-keeping and place them all in a prong folder. Make it more fun by including some great writing stationary for students to create their stories on. Done!
FAST FINISHER: “Just for Fun!” LINKtivities
Want something that's truly NO PREP? Try a "Just for Fun" LINKtivity. LINKtivities are digital activities that students can complete from any digital device. My "Just for Fun" LINKtivities cover a wide-variety of high-interest topics like:
🔎History's Mysteries (ex. Loch Ness Monster, Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Lost Colony of Roanoke Island)
🤯Crazy, but True Facts about animals, food, gross things, historical disasters, and more
💡High-Interest Topics like: Baseball, Sharks, Amusement Parks and more!
All LINKtivities are easily accessible through a link. Prep these ahead of time by creating QR codes on different index-sized cards and place the cards on a ring. When students want to access a LINKtivity as a fast-finisher, they can simply scan the QR code from their device and start exploring!
What’s great about these LINKtivities is that they do not require any prior knowledge - so students can use them at any time of the school year and in any order.
See my entire collection of "Just for Fun!" LINKtivities HERE
PREP YOUR SUB TUB:
If you wake up sick one morning, the last thing you'll want to worry about is putting sub plans together! That's why prepping a tub (or binder) with ready-to-go materials for a last-minute sub is essential! If your sub-tub is prepped, all you'll need to focus on is getting better!
Here's what you might consider adding to your sub tub or binder:
Your daily schedule
Your daily schedule
A list of helpful staff for the sub to reach out to
Behavior management plan (rules, consequences, etc.)
List of special needs for individual students
Detailed plans for the day
Back-up plans for the sub (in case the lesson ends early)
Class lists (include pictures, if possible)
Schedules for students that get special services
A map of the classroom that includes where to find things
Student seating charts
Procedures and routines for your classroom as well as school procedures (arrival/dismissal, fire drill, assemblies, emergencies)
A feedback report that a sub can leave for the day
A list of problem behaviors or situations that may arise
A map of the school and details about key personnel
GET YOUR CURRICULUM MAPPING IN ORDER:
Listen - it's tempting to just dive in to the school year without making long-range plans. After all, creating a year-long curriculum map is time-consuming and it's easy to say "I've been teaching for years, I know what I'll be teaching!"
But - even the most seasoned teachers can benefit from having a road map to refer to keep them on track and moving forward. It's also a way to hold yourself accountable to your teaching schedule.
Check out this video to help you get started:
PREP YOUR STUDENT DATA BINDERS
Data, data, data! You can't ignore it! Collecting data has crept in to every nook and cranny of teaching. Do yourself a favor and create a system for collecting and organizing student data NOW. And - it doesn't haven't to be complicated. Not sure what to include in your student data binder? Here's a visual to help you get started! (click picture below to enlarge to see more detail!):
The sheets that are shown above should be duplicated for each student in your classroom. You can keep individual student data separated by dividers inside your binder so that all of your data is in one place.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: HOW TO SET UP A STUDENT DATA BINDER + GRAB A FREE TEMPLATE (shown avove)!
There you have it, activities and systems that you can prep NOW to last you all year long! Now, get to it! :)