Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 215. Here's EXACTLY What to Do in the First 20 Minutes on the First Day of School

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215. Here's EXACTLY What to Do in the First 20 Minutes on the First Day of School · Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

0:00
Heidi: This is episode 215 of Teacher Approved.
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You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
0:09
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
0:13
Heidi.
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Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
0:17
Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
0:20
strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
0:23
effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
0:26
each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
0:29
Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
0:32
the show.
0:36
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
0:39
episode, we are diving deep into the first 20 minutes of the
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first day of school, and we're sharing exactly how to use those
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crucial opening moments to set yourself up for a successful day
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and year. Plus, we'll share a teacher approved tip for
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handling those inevitable first day tears.
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Heidi: But let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share
1:00
a favorite quick win that you can try in your life right away.
1:03
Emily, what's our suggestion for this week?
1:05
Emily: This week, try giving yourself a compliment out loud.
1:08
I know it kind of sounds silly, but research shows that speaking
1:12
positive self talk aloud is more effective than just thinking it.
1:16
So tomorrow, when you do something well, maybe you handle
1:19
a tricky situation smoothly, or remember to send an important
1:22
email, say something like, Good job me, or I handled that so
1:27
well. It will feel silly, I'm sure, but your brain needs to
1:31
hear that encouragement, especially during busy times
1:33
like back to school.
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Heidi: I love this. This is so whimsical and it's effective.
1:38
And if you find that saying something out loud feels too
1:40
weird, you can try writing yourself a quick note in your
1:43
planner. Future you will appreciate the reminder that
1:46
present you is doing great things.
1:48
Emily: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
1:52
the podcast, could you take a minute and give us a five star
1:54
rating and review on Apple podcasts? That's one way that
1:57
new listeners find us. So every rating and review is just super
2:01
helpful.
2:02
Heidi: Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive
2:05
library of back to school products. So to help you find
2:08
the tools that will make the start of your new year easier,
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today we are spotlighting our back to school brain breaks.
2:15
Emily: Well, since today's episode is about how to make the
2:17
first day of school run smoothly, we wanted to share an
2:19
important tool for the first few days, your emergency time
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fillers. So until you get everyone into their new routine,
2:27
you have no way of knowing if an activity is going to take five
2:30
minutes or 25 minutes. And that's why you need to have some
2:33
ready to go time fillers that you can grab at a moment's
2:36
notice. And that's where these brain breaks come in handy.
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Heidi: We intentionally designed these to work without
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Unknown: You'll be so relieved to have these on hand at the
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technology, so that you can use these on the fly without needing
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to prep anything. You just print off the cards of the activities
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that sound interesting and you're all ready to go to fill
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any unexpected downtime, or, you know, to help kids get their
2:51
start of the year, but we also have brain breaks to help you
2:54
wiggles out if they've been sitting too long for all of your
2:57
rules and procedures.
3:03
manage your class all year long. So you can find a link to our
3:06
brain breaks in the show notes.
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Emily: Okay, picture this. It's 7:30am on the first day of
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school. You've been planning for weeks. Your classroom looks
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amazing, and you're as ready as you'll ever be, but then the
3:17
kids start arriving, and suddenly your mind goes
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completely blank. Where do you even start?
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Heidi: Yeah, that's a rough moment. When you're standing
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there with 20 something little strangers looking at you
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expectantly, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the 50 things
3:32
that feel like they need to happen at the exact same time.
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Emily: So that's why we're breaking down exactly what
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should happen in those first 20 minutes of the first day. Of
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course, we have some suggested activities, but we're also
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sharing the why behind each choice and how they all work
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together to create the calm, confident start that you're
3:50
looking for.
3:51
Heidi: Think of this as your game plan. Just like a football
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coach scripts the first 15 to 20 plays of a game, we're going to
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script those opening minutes so that you can focus on connecting
4:01
with your students instead of frantically trying to remember
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what comes next.
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Emily: Don't worry, you don't have to keep track of 15 to 20
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football plays. Instead, we're going to organize everything
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that needs to happen into five goals. Each of these goals
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serves a specific purpose in helping to make the first 20
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minutes the key that unlocks a happy and successful first day
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of school.
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Heidi: So first we'll talk about what those goals are, and then
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we're going to walk you through exactly how to achieve each one.
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So your first goal is to welcome each student and help them
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settle into this new space. Remember, some of your kids woke
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up so excited that morning, but others might have really been
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anxious about this moment for weeks.
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Emily: This is where greeting at the door becomes so powerful.
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When you stand at your classroom door and personally welcome each
4:46
child, you're sending the message that they belong here
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and that you're genuinely happy to see them.
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Heidi: to be able to say good morning and send them off onto
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their routine, but on the first day, your students don't know
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anything. So you need to be situated where you can explain
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exactly what they need to do when they walk into your
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classroom.
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Emily: So as you greet each student, you're also giving them
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their first mini lesson. Good morning, Sophia. Hang your
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backpack on any hook with a green dot, then choose a lunch
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from the chart on the board and find your desk.
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Heidi: Keep it simple and specific. It will be helpful to
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post these steps on the board, and if you really want to take
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the stress level down, consider adding picture cues next to the
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words for anyone who might be feeling a little shaky in their
5:29
reading ability at that moment.
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Emily: And still be prepared to repeat these directions to each
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student individually as they arrive. It is tedious for the
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teacher, but it's better than leaving kids wondering and
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confused. That will only amp up their first day nerves, and we
5:45
do not want that.
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Heidi: If it's handy, you can have name tags with you at the
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door, or you can have them waiting on your students desks.
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Consider what makes the best sense for your situation.
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Helping your students get their name tags on can be a calming
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point of one on one connection, but on the other hand, it might
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further complicate an already complicated morning, if you're
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holding up the flow of traffic and you have a big line of kids
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trying to get into the room. There's not a right or wrong
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answer for this, just make sure that you are thinking about the
6:13
pros and cons of your different options well in advance.
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Emily: Yeah, do yourself a favor by making as many decisions as
6:20
possible ahead of time, because you've got enough on your plate
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without having decision fatigue draining your energy on that
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first day.
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And then once you've welcomed your students, your second goal
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is to provide an activity that calms nervous energy while
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keeping everyone engaged. And that is where we circle back to
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one of our all time favorite strategies, which is pattern
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blocks.
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Heidi: If you have been with us for a while, you know we are
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obsessed with pattern blocks for this exact moment. In fact, we
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are so passionate about this, we would recommend investing in a
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class set of blocks, even if you never use them a single time to
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teach math. And Emily and I really don't recommend spending
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money on much for your classroom.
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Emily: Yeah, but pattern blocks can be your secret weapon for
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inside recess, keeping the siblings of your students
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entertained during parent conferences, rewarding your
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class with a fun and easy activity, and so much more.
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Everyone loves pattern blocks. I've even had to drag teenagers
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away from playing with them. They're so versatile, but let's
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talk about what makes them especially perfect for the first
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morning of school.
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Heidi: Well, we have a list of reasons. Of course we do. First,
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pattern blocks require zero explanation. Kids see blocks on
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the table, they immediately know what to do. Little kids are
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going to dive right in. Big kids are going to maybe act like
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they're too old for them, but they still get drawn in. There
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are no complicated directions for you to give or for students
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to follow, and that is crucial to your success when you're
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creating new arrivals every few minutes.
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Emily: The second reason that pattern blocks are so amazing is
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that they're naturally calming. There's something about the
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tactile nature of the blocks and the way they invite pattern
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making that just settles kids down. Even your most anxious
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student can find success building with blocks, and if you
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can afford it, a set of wood pattern blocks is even better
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than plastic. It just adds to the relaxing vibes.
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Heidi: The third reason that pattern blocks are ideal for the
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first morning of school is that they are completely open ended.
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That means at no point will you have to answer the dreaded, 'I'm
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done, now what' question. No one is going to race to the end and
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start pestering their neighbors. Kids are happy to keep exploring
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and creating for as long as you need them to.
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Emily: And the fourth reason is that the prep of pattern blocks
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couldn't be simpler. Get some dollar store trays, put a pile
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of blocks in the middle of each table or on each desk, and
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you're good to go. Really, any container will work for this.
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But if you have kids sharing the blocks, it's easier for them to
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reach into a container with low sides instead of having to dig
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the blocks out of one of those bins.
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Heidi: You really, really do not have to stress over this step. I
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have gotten as low key as dumping them onto sheets of
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paper because I didn't think ahead to get containers. And you
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know what? It worked great. Pattern blocks for the win every
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time. And look at that. You have your first morning activity
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planned, prepped and ready to go in about two and a half minutes.
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Emily: If you want to add a little more structure, we do
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have a set of back to school pattern block mats that we
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designed specifically for back to school. So there's a school
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bus and a backpack and all that fun stuff, and there are two
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versions of each map. One is more open ended with a blank
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outline of the shape so students can explore and see which shapes
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can fill the space, and then the other version has outlines of
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the specific shape blocks.
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Heidi: We did include both sets so you can differentiate as
9:38
needed. But when Emily and I taught preschool, we used the
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open shapes with our preschoolers, and they can
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handle it fine, so I definitely think any elementary age student
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should be able to handle it without a problem.
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Emily: Plus, the more open ended the task, the more engaged they
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will be. And we need to keep them busy for a few minutes so
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we can get this new school year underway.
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Heidi: One thing I love about this back to school pattern
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block set is that each of the mats has a get to know you
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question at the top. The questions relate to whatever the
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shape is. So for the pizza slice, the question is, what's
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your favorite lunch?
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Emily: Yep, and that's a simple way to help kids feel welcomed
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in class. If they can read, they could talk about the questions
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with their neighbors as they work, or when you're walking
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around as the kids are creating, it gives you an easy way to
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initiate conversation.
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Heidi: And we also included some editable slides. If you want to
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have something posted for the kids to do, you can easily add
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your welcome message and then direct the kids to explore with
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the blocks until it's time to get started.
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Emily: Okay, that's a lot of information, but don't feel like
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you have to remember all this. We also include a Teacher's
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Guide to walk you through all the whys and hows. In the show
10:41
notes, you will find a link to the pattern block set and to our
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Lego activity mats. It has similar activities to the
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pattern blocks, but might be a little more appealing to your
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older kids, assuming you have access to a bunch of basic
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Legos.
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Heidi: Yeah, but it actually might be easier to track down a
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tub of loose Lego pieces than to buy a class set of Lego blocks.
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Emily: Good point.
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Heidi: You could probably even get donations from your
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neighborhood if you want to do this as cheaply as possible.
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Emily: But you really aren't obligated to use either pattern
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blocks or Legos. Any calming and engaging activity will work as
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your first morning of school activity. The key is just
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choosing something that's open ended but doesn't require a lot
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of setup or explanation from you.
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Heidi: Now, once you've welcomed each student and offered them an
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engaging activity, the third goal of your first 20 minutes is
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to teach the most important procedures. These are the ones
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that your students absolutely need to know to be successful
11:34
today. And we've said this before, but it bears repeating,
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the first thing you need to teach is not your attention
11:42
signal.
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Emily: We know lots of class management experts recommend
11:45
starting with your attention signal, but we disagree, because
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we have weirdly strong opinions about this and many other
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things. Don't start with your attention signal. Start with
11:55
your bathroom procedure. There's always at least one kiddo with a
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nervous tummy on the first day, and you definitely don't want
12:01
them sitting there worried about what to do if they need to use
12:03
the restroom.
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Heidi: Plus teaching the bathroom first sends a message
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that you care about their comfort and well being. This is
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actually a really welcoming way to start. You're essentially
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saying, I want to make sure that you feel safe and taken care of
12:17
here.
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Emily: Keep it simple and clear. Teach the routine you want to
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use all year. Make sure they know where the restroom is
12:23
located and how to re enter the classroom without causing a
12:25
distraction.
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Heidi: And you can really just play up the silliness. Get your
12:30
most serious face on and tell students you're going to teach
12:33
them the most important thing they're going to learn all year.
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Just pause and really let the drama build, and then tell them,
12:40
let me tell you how to get to the bathroom.
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Emily: Yeah, that's a sure fire way to break the ice with kids.
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And once that's out of the way, then you can move on to your
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attention signal. Choose something that feels natural to
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you. Maybe it's a chime, maybe it's a clapping pattern, maybe
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it's just raising your hand. The key is being consistent about
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how you introduce it.
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Heidi: You can try something like, when you see me raise my
13:02
hand like this, that means stop what you're doing, look at me,
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and raise your hand too. All right, let's practice. You keep
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building with your blocks, and when you see my signal, remember
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to stop, look and raise your hand.
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Emily: We did a deep dive into attention signals in Episode 98
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where we shared all of our best tips and troubleshooting hacks.
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Definitely make sure to go back and check that one out if you
13:21
want some pointers or if your attention signal needs some
13:24
help.
13:25
Heidi: Practice your attention signal a few times while
13:27
students are working with the blocks. This gives them a chance
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to experience success with the signal while doing something
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they enjoy, rather than feeling put on the spot.
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Emily: Once you've taught about the bathroom and your attention
13:38
signal, tell students that they have five more minutes to finish
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their designs while you handle the fourth goal, and that is to
13:43
get your administrative tasks out of the way so you can focus
13:46
on your students. So this is when you handle all of your
13:48
teacher tasks, like attendance, lunch count, any forms that need
13:52
to go to the office, all the behind the scenes stuff that
13:55
keeps the school running.
13:56
Heidi: Here's where having a clear script for the day really
14:00
pays off. Write yourself notes like, send attendance, in all
14:04
caps, so you don't forget in the chaos of the moment. Trust me,
14:08
you don't want to start off the year with the front office
14:10
having to track down your numbers.
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Emily: Okay, so you got that taken care of. Good. Now here's
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a real veteran teacher hack. Don't be in a rush to jump into
14:20
the day. Once you've sent in your attendance and dealt with
14:23
your tasks, just take a moment and pause. This is our fifth
14:26
goal. If the kids are still engaged with their activity,
14:28
take two minutes to step back and just watch.
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Heidi: Yeah, this might be your last quiet moment until three
14:34
o'clock. So make it count. Observe how things are going.
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How are the kids interacting with each other, who seems
14:41
comfortable, who might need some extra support? Maybe even snap a
14:44
quick candid photo of the last moment when it's all still
14:48
peaceful.
14:50
Emily: And this is the perfect moment to give yourself a little
14:52
internal high five. Look around at your beautiful classroom, see
14:56
your students engaged and calm, and acknowledge how much work
14:59
you put in to make this moment possible.
15:01
Heidi: You prepared for this, you planned for this, and it is
15:04
working. You can imagine Emily and me there in spirit cheering
15:08
you on. You deserve to take a few seconds to appreciate that
15:11
success before diving into the conveyor belt of busyness that
15:16
is about to kick off.
15:18
Emily: When it's time to transition, prepare students
15:20
with a cue in advance. In one more minute, we're going to
15:23
clean up our blocks. This preview of what's coming reduces
15:26
anxiety and gets them into the rhythm of listening for
15:28
directions.
15:30
Heidi: Once the minute is up, make use of that attention
15:32
signal you just taught. Make sure everyone is focused on you,
15:35
and then explain how you want them to clean up and what they
15:38
should do after. This transition becomes your first opportunity
15:41
to practice following directions as a group, which sets you up
15:44
beautifully for the rest of the day.
15:46
Emily: So let's recap what those first 20 minutes might look like
15:50
when you put all five goals together. First, you're
15:53
welcoming and settling. You're going to greet students at the
15:56
door, give them clear directions for what to do when they enter,
15:59
and then they're going to be hanging up backpacks, making
16:02
lunch choices, and managing anything else that needs to
16:04
happen.
16:05
Heidi: Next you're making sure everyone is calmly engaged. That
16:08
might be sitting down to explore pattern blocks or Lego mats or
16:12
another open ended activity.
16:13
Emily: Once everyone is in their spot and the bell rings, wait
16:16
for any announcements, and then start your third goal,
16:19
establishing essential guidelines. Teach your bathroom
16:22
procedure first and then your attention signal.
16:24
Heidi: Tell your students they have a few more minutes to
16:26
explore with the blocks while you attend your fourth goal.
16:30
Handle administrative tasks, take attendance, make your lunch
16:33
count, and observe how the group is settling in. Don't forget to
16:36
pause to appreciate this moment that you have worked so hard to
16:39
create.
16:40
Emily: And as your first 20 minutes wrap up, cover your
16:43
fifth goal and set students up for a successful transition. Use
16:47
your attention signal to bring them together and give them
16:49
clear directions for cleaning up and transitioning to the next
16:53
activity.
16:54
Heidi: And just like that, you have accomplished five crucial
16:57
goals. Your students feel welcomed and safe and you're
17:00
ready to move into the rest of your carefully planned day.
17:03
You've set everyone up for success and opened the door to a
17:06
calm and confident first day of school.
17:09
Emily: We'd love to hear your best first day of school
17:11
suggestions. Come join the conversation in our Teacher
17:14
Approved Facebook group.
17:17
Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
17:20
actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
17:22
simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is have a
17:26
plan for first day tears.
17:29
Heidi: Oh yeah, you know how it goes. No matter how perfectly
17:32
you plan those first 20 minutes, someone might still end up in
17:36
tears. That is just to be expected.
17:38
Emily: Yeah, especially in the younger grades. First, remember
17:42
that tears on the first day are usually about big feelings, not
17:45
about you or your classroom. Kids might be sad about leaving
17:48
mom, worried about making friends, or just overwhelmed by
17:51
all the newness.
17:52
Heidi: The way to manage this is to have a comfort plan all ready
17:55
to go. Maybe it's a special stuffed animal in your classroom
17:59
that gets to sit with the student. Maybe it's a quiet
18:01
corner with soft pillows, or maybe it's just sitting next to
18:03
you while the rest of the class continues with their activity.
18:07
Emily: Keep in mind that often the best comfort is just a calm
18:09
routine. When that crying child sees other kids happily building
18:12
with blocks and following simple directions, they usually start
18:15
to feel more secure too.
18:17
Heidi: Trust the process. Your thoughtful planning and calm
18:20
energy will help even your most anxious students settle in. And
18:23
remember tears on day one don't predict how the rest of the year
18:24
will go.
18:24
Alright, to wrap up the show, we're sharing what we're giving
18:24
extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
18:32
credit?
18:33
Emily: Well, I've got some high art to tell you about, because
18:36
I'm giving extra credit to the new Netflix family movie, K
18:39
Popdemon Hunters. I had heard all the buzz about it, and my
18:45
daughters both watched it on their own, and they're nine and
18:48
15, and they both loved it. So I was like, Okay, let's just watch
18:51
it. So we watched it last night for movie night, and I have to
18:54
say, I went in with very low expectations, but it was
18:57
actually really good.
18:58
Heidi: Good.
19:00
Emily: The characters are like interesting and nuanced, and the
19:02
music is super catchy. But the biggest surprise for me was that
19:05
it was actually very funny. I rarely find kids cartoons
19:10
actually funny, but this was legitimately funny. So if you
19:13
need an idea for family movie night, check out k pop demon
19:16
hunters. And even without kids Heidi, maybe you should give it
19:19
a watch.
19:19
Heidi: I didn't realize it was animated.
19:21
Emily: Oh yeah. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
19:24
Heidi: Well, I'm giving extra credit to not an animated movie.
19:29
It's very different. I'm giving extra credit to my new Laurel
19:32
Denise planner. I have not had an official planner, planner,
19:36
grown up planner, since I started teaching, and that's so
19:39
funny, because all through high school and all through college,
19:42
I was a dedicated Franklin Covey girl. I had the binders for each
19:45
year, the whole bit.
19:46
Emily: Oh yeah, I think I still have some of those in my closet
19:49
at mom and dad's house, like the past, the past years, because it
19:53
was so important to keep my what I wrote on them in high school.
19:56
Heidi: Oh, absolutely, of course it was. But since then, I just
19:59
haven't found anything that I could keep up with. I think when
20:02
I was teaching, I just used my plan book.
20:05
Heidi: And I've tried different things over the years, but what
20:05
Emily: Yeah.
20:08
I ended up using was just a notebook that was basically one
20:11
long row for the week with like, a to do list for each day. And
20:14
that worked well, but I hated that I didn't have a calendar
20:18
that I could reference. Stuff would catch me off guard all the
20:20
time, because I couldn't see the month at a glance. So I would
20:27
have to, like, remember to look at my phone and see what's going
20:28
on, and I didn't always see that. But this planner keeps
20:28
that same format with the long row for the week, with the
20:31
little to do list at the bottom, but there's a monthly calendar
20:34
at the top. It's exactly what I needed, and I have actually been
20:38
able to stay on top of using it. Haven't fallen to my bad planner
20:42
habit of, like, trying something for a few weeks and never
20:44
keeping up with it.
20:45
Emily: Oh yeah, every time for me.
20:47
Heidi: Yeah. But I am like, six weeks into this one, and it has
20:51
been great. I love it. There's a link to it in the show notes if
20:54
you also need a grown up planner.
20:57
Emily: Maybe I need to check it out.
20:58
Heidi: Yeah, I will say it does take up a lot of space on my
21:01
desk, so that is the downside. I would, like half the size would
21:04
be perfect.
21:04
Emily: Yeah.
21:05
Heidi: But you know how things go.
21:08
Well, that's it for today's episode. Remember that being
21:11
intentional with those first 20 minutes can help the rest of the
21:14
day flow much more smoothly. With clear goals and a solid
21:17
plan, you can create a calm, confident start that sets
21:20
everyone up for success.
21:22
Emily: And make sure to check the show notes for links to our
21:24
back to school pattern blocks mats, first day Lego mats, and
21:27
our brain breaks to help you avoid any unexpected time.
21:30
Because when you've planned this thoroughly, you can focus on
21:33
what really matters, which is connecting with your students.
21:37
Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
21:40
Heidi.
21:41
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
21:44
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
21:47
episode.
21:48
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
21:50
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
21:53
Bye for now.
21:54
Emily: Bye.