The excitement (and stress) of preparing for a new school year is upon us. Having a plan for workshop week can save time, reduce overwhelm, and have you ready to ROCK the first week of school.
After many back to school seasons, I have developed a system that helps me feel organized and confident! Read my 5 phases of back to school prep.
Phase 1: Set Up Your Classroom.
Display posters that are geared towards the levels you are teaching. I could go on and on about this step for days (and I did, HERE!)
- Spanish 1? A set of subject pronoun and the super siete high frequency verbs posters are perfect for you.
- Spanish 2? Check out these communication phrases bulletin board display.
- Spanish 3 or 4? Encourage students to stay in Spanish with this set of circumlocution posters.
Then consider where to put them. Display in areas that are easy for students to see from all directions and desks. (Pro teacher tip: also in a spot you can easily cover for testing!)
Find a spot for student materials. You may want to consider locating this area in a spot that will avoid congestion (and/or mischief). I like to put extra pencils, markers, colored pencils, scissors and glue in a spot semi-near my desk so that students focus on grabbing the materials they need, not chatting with their friends.
Know where students will turn in work and label it by class. I have used many different types of turn in bins over the years, but I find myself preferring a traditional paper tray so that I can see what things are full. I used to use drawers and I regularly forgot work there (lo siento, estudiantes).
Phase 1 Checklist
✔ Review courses for the new year
✔ Select visuals that help those courses
✔ Create student station with student materials
✔ Set up your turn in bins
Phase 2: Prepare for Back to School Events.
Do you have an open house? Meet the teacher? Back to school night? Or any other funny way to rephrase this event?
Students and parents will be excited to meet you! They may have lots of questions about Spanish class like what materials they need, how much Spanish they need to know before, and your grading policy.
I like to communicate everything that is important to me with this back to school night handout for Spanish class. There are half page and full page options, so depending on how much I want to say, I can 😂
Phase 2 Checklist
✔ Review school calendar for back to school events
✔ Prepare handout with your information
✔ Make copies for open house / meet the teacher / etc
Phase 3: Prepare First Week Activities.
AHH! The first day!!! So exciting yet so nerve wracking having a room full of teenagers staring at you. Like what, am I in charge or something? Oh yes. Guess I am.
My best tip? KEEP IT SIMPLE. Focus on community building and low stakes opportunities to use Spanish. This two day ice breaker activity is perfect for the first week – on day 1, students get a mini all about me sheet. The teacher collects the mini sheets and tapes them on the wall for day 2. On day 2, students answer comprehension questions about their classmates. I like to have each class period’s mini sheets on different colors of copy paper so I can keep everything straight.
Other fun print and go options are my all about me banners. Lower level students can draw their responses and upper level students can write phrases or full sentences in Spanish. This table tent name tag activity is fun, too, and perfect for learning names!
Always plan a bonus activity or two so that when one class finishes early, you are prepared. I like keeping school objects vocabulary coloring pages on hand. Again, another low stakes chance to engage with Spanish.
Phase 3 Checklist
✔ Get to know me activities planned
✔ Name-learning activities organized
✔ At least one extra activity for fast finishers
Phase 4: Plan Your First Speaking Activity.
An object in motion stays in motion. A student that starts speaking Spanish stays speaking Spanish. I’m pretty sure that’s what the phrase is…
I do conversaciones as my bellringer every single day, and the first day of school is NO exception! I teach expectations, go over unfamiliar words and phrases, and students speak for 3-4 minutes in Spanish on the first day.
Conversation cards are a fun and engaging way to get students moving during the first week of school. These sets have two versions – just the question or with a scaffolded response. See how I use them here! The best part about conversation cards is that I can reuse them throughout the school year.
Phase 4 Checklist
✔ Pick a speaking activity
✔ Plan at least two speaking activities for the first week
✔ Prepare slides / cards
✔ Link in your lesson plan
Phase 5: Prepare Emergency Sub Plans
Your future self will thank you. Have a class set of sub plans printed and in a folder for that time you get a flat tire, wake up with a cold, or your flight gets delayed. The last thing you want to do in any of those situations is also somehow figure out sub plans!
This is a scenario where I lean into Spanish speaking countries. For example, show your students all about the culture of mate, gauchos, and fútbol with this Argentina Slides and Guided Notes set. It comes with supplemental videos for students to explore, too!
If you teach higher levels, have this set of Latin Music Genre reading passages ready to go! This is one of my favorites because you can also encourage students to listen to music in that genre. So fun!
Phase 5 Checklist
✔ Prep a set of emergency sub plans for each of your classes
✔ Make copies for all of your students
✔ Store in a safe spot (and let a trusted colleague know where they are!)
No matter where you are at in the journey for BTS prep, I hope this checklist gives you some useful information and guidance in this busy time of year!
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