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New Kindergarten Teacher
First Day of School
The first day in Kindergarten is unlike any other school day of the year! Although you will need to make plans and will have an outline of what you want to take care of that day, it will almost never go as you planned!
When the students arrive, many will walk right in and look at you and be very excited about their first day of school. There will be a few scared and/or shy students. Plus there may be one or two that cry and want their parents! I am going to provide you with my experiences during the last 10 years, and knowing what I know now, these are pretty consistent.
Planning for the first day, second day, and first week in Kindergarten-
First you have to outline your day around the school schedule, meaning around your lunch and specials schedule. The school master plan is usually given to all teachers during pre-planning. Teachers will know when their students are to be at specials and when they are to be at lunch. You will MAKE SURE to have your students at these places on time! Believe me, if you are late, other teachers will get angry, plus you could throw others off schedule. Before you can make your own class daily schedule or lesson plans, you will need to make a time outline.
It will look something like this:
8:00-8:15-Teachers arrive
8:15-8:35 Students arrive
8:35-8:40 Morning announcements/take attendance, and collect lunch money and notes.
8:40-8:55 Morning Journals/drawing/writing/handwriting
8:55-10:25 Reading Block (Plus Literacy Centers)
10:30-11:10 SPECIALS (and your planning period)
11:10-11:20 Snack Time
11:20-12:20 Math Block
12:20-12:50 LUNCH
12:50-1:30 Science/Social Studies/Thematic Block
1:30-2:15 Social Centers
2:15-2:30 Daily Discussion and Review
2:30-2:40 Pack and Clean up
2:40-2:45 Line up for Dismissal
2:45-3:30 Dismissal (2:45 Car riders, 2:50 Day care, 2:55 walkers and bike riders)
(Bus riders care called as each bus arrives)
As you can see, this is just an outline of a schedule. It may seem like a real schedule already, but you can see the differences soon.
Now its time to make a REAL schedule! This is where you will plug in the details and curriculum tid bits.
8:00-8:15-Teachers arrive
8:15-8:35 Students arrive
(students unpack, drop off their daily folders, wash their hands, put away their backpacks, and work on manipulatives) – I lay out unifix cubes, legos, shapes, counting bears etc. I let them do whatever they want with these. While the students are working on these, I check the daily folders for notes and lunch money etc, plus I mark who is present so later it is easy to take attendance.
8:35-8:40 Morning announcements/take attendance, and collect lunch money and notes.
(The TV is turned on and the morning announcements come on—the students say the pledge and listen for important announcements.)
8:40-8:55 Morning Journals/drawing/writing/handwriting
(Manipulatives are quickly picked up and placed back in their tubs. Each child has a writing/drawing journal. Each day I pass these out and give the students a prompt. Like favorite toy, family members, new friends, foods, etc. The students are to draw or write about these topics. I collect the journals and note many things like who can write/form letters, and who can just draw at this stage. Later in the year, these will work into sentences and we will work on mechanics of writing and sentence structure etc.)
8:55-10:25 Reading Block (Plus Literacy Centers)
This includes Literature, Music, Poetry, Whole Group Instruction on Phonics, Phonemic Awareness etc. Then is followed by small groups working through Literacy Centers.) While the students are working in small groups—I call a group at a time to go use the restroom, this way the other children are busy and I can help the students get into the restroom, and ensure hands are washed etc.. (This is done for a week or two—after that the students can handle this on their own and I can work with a small group myself.)
10:30-11:10 SPECIALS (and your planning period) LEAVE about 2 minutes early to ensure you are on time!
11:10-11:20 Snack Time
(Use hand sanitizer first! Plus wipe tables with disinfectant wipes. Pass out a small snack—usually a few pretzels or small crackers—and Dixie cups of water.)
11:20-12:20 Math Block
Whole Group instruction on a concept, followed by individual or group work with manipulatives to practice or learn the skill or concept.
Again—about 10 minutes before lunch, call students up a few at a time to use restroom and wash HANDS for lunch.
12:20-12:50 LUNCH—leave about 2 minutes early to ensure you are on time!
12:50-1:30 Science/Social Studies/Thematic Block
At my school we work on Themes throughout the year—we do this on MWF, on Tuesday we work on Science, and on Thursday we work on Social Studies. It is important to note that the theme of the week usually integrates science or social studies concepts as well.
1:30-2:15 Social Centers – This is when the students get to play—communicate—problem solve—get involved with socio-dramatic play--work on conflict resolution etc.
2:15-2:30 Daily Discussion and Review—I read a quick book to calm the students then we talk about our day—the favorite parts and what we learned—sort of a reflection!
2:30-2:40 Pack and Clean up—The students HELP pack their daily folders—they also help wipe the tables down and stack the chairs. They also use hand sanitizer before leaving the classroom for the day.
2:40-2:45 Line up for Dismissal—The first day this may take more time if you are a NEW K teacher. Make sure you have a good list ahead of time and know EXACTLY how each child in your class will be getting home that day!
2:45-3:30 Dismissal (2:45 Car riders, 2:50 Day care, 2:55 walkers and bike riders)
(Bus riders care called as each bus arrives)
Now that you have a daily schedule—You can create lesson plans. The difference is that you spell out exactly what skill you are teaching in each block of learning. You also list the resources you will need, and also write down the benchmark/standard that the lesson covers. This is easy once you have your outline! There will be sample lesson plans posted soon—keep checking back!
As I stated in the beginning—no matter how detailed your plans are—they never seem to work out the first day or even the first week. SCHOOL is new for so many of your students and each task takes so much longer than you expected. Plus there are tears here and there to deal with and other mild problems and situations that pop up.
Here is a more realistic schedule for the first day:
7:45-8:00 Teachers arrive
8:00-8:45 Students arrive—many are early and many have parents bringing them into your class!
YOU will probably miss morning announcements!
Make sure they wash their hands before playing with the manipulatives or touching everything in the room! I make this a daily routine and it really helps stop the spread of germs and illnesses!
8:45-9:15—taking attendance—digging through backpacks for notes and money etc. Also double checking how the kids go home and making a list for the office of students that you are unsure of-so they can call and double check. (Always do this early in the morning—do not wait until 5 minutes before dismissal!)
9:15—pick up manipulatives
9:20-9:35 Reading first day books like Kissing Hand, or Gingerbread man, etc.
9:35-9:45-Singing/Dancing—Music activities
9:45-10:00 Name Game—songs or something to learn names—not only for you but for the students as well.
10:00-10:20—Students color a school house or some other back to school picture—while you call a table at a time to use the rest room and wash hands.
10:20-10:30—Talk to the students about where they are going—what they will be doing and who/teacher that will be taking care of them until they return to you—
10:30-SPECIALS
11:10—Hand sanitizer when they return!
11:15-11:35—Talk about classroom and school rules
11:35-12:00 Daily review—days of week—months of year—calendar—counting, shapes, colors etc. Also discuss the numbers 0 and 1—and draw them on the board as you discuss them-maybe throw in a short number book!
12:00-12:20—Give them blank paper to go draw circles and numbers 0 and 1.
While they are working on that—call a table at a time to go to use restroom—and WASH hands!
12:20-12:50 LUNCH!
12:50-1:10—Restroom and wash hands—many will have to go again after lunch-plus you want them to all wash hands again because they were in the lunchroom with MANY other students and germs! (I promise I am not a germ freak—just realist!)
1:10-1:30 Theme of the week—First day at school—read a cute story—There are so many back to school books or first day in Kindergarten books to chose from—choose one you like—they really love to hear a book on tape! After the story—talk about the book—the cover, the pages, the pictures, and the words. Explain who the author is and the illustrator etc. They can then go to their seats and draw a picture of their favorite part of the story.
1:30-2:15 Social Centers—the first day is different—they do not know your rules well and may not know how to take care of things or put them back well. SO on the first day—I often assign a toy for them to go play with—with 2 or 3 in each group. If they seem to be getting bored—I quickly rotate them from one area to another.
2:15-2:30—clean up, then pass out their daily folders. Explain that this folder goes home wit them EVERYDAY—also they must return it EVERYDAY. Explain that starting tomorrow—all notes from parents and lunch money etc. MUST be in this folder, because you will not be checking through their backpacks the next day. (You should have told the parents this at open house and also send a note home reminding them. It will save you lots of time!)
They place their pictures or work from today in the folder—then they place their folders in their backpacks.
2:30-2:40—Everyone gets a baby wipe to help wipe down tables and counters and areas by the sink. THEY LOVE to help clean the room! Let a student wipe the door knobs and another wipe the shelves! It is not work to them—they beg to get to do this each afternoon. Also—ask everyone to check the floors for trash or crayons or anything else that may have been dropped.
2:43—Everyone gets hand sanitizer—before they leave—so they go home without our school germs!
2:43—Line up car riders—line up walkers and bike riders—line up day care students etc.
Stand by the door and wait for each group to be called or picked up.
Finally from 2:50-3:30—any bus riders left in the class can browse through books or use the computers while waiting for their buses to be called. MAKE sure you are listening because they will not even be aware of their bus numbers! YOU DO NOT want angry parents or even an angry principal! Make sure all your students get to their buses on time.
This is a typical first day. Notice it was mainly organization, maybe 2-3 books, a few songs/dances, some drawing and writing, maybe a color sheet, lunch, specials, playtime, 2-3 restroom breaks—and tons of handwashing! It may seem like a lot of handwashing, but this is so important, especially the first few days to get them used to thinking about germs. It’s the only way to protect you and your students and hopefully keep everyone healthy. It is OKAY if you do not get everything done on your list for the day. I used to worry and get upset about that! BUT NO MORE! If I was able to meet them all, get them to places, keep them occupied, control the tears, and get them all home the right way—then I did my job!
You will be TIRED at the end of the day! You really should not have much clean up after they have left. Lay out a few things for the next day and GO HOME as soon as you are allowed. You will need to relax and reflect on the day. Each day will get easier and the students will get used to your classroom procedures. It is important to be consistent! Always say—This is how we do this or that. They learn and will be doing things on their own. You will be amazed at how quickly they adjust to the schedule and how soon you will be able to have a normal teaching day with your kids!
Days 2 and 3 are similar. Talk each day about procedures and rules etc. Read lots of books and keep seatwork to a minimum. Your goal is to bond with them, to get to know each child’s needs slowly. SMILE, even when tired or worried or STRESSED! They will love coming to school each day.
By the beginning of the second week, you can count on getting more and more done each day and your schedule starts to form. You can start working on detailed lesson plans etc.
In a few weeks you will forget how this first day and week was! That is until next fall when you have to do it all over again. Teachers will say—“Its like childbirth, you just forget how hard it was!”
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Home
First Impressions
(Open House)
Start of the year
(forms and documents)
Daily Schedule
Homework
Managing time
Use of Centers
Involving parents
(communication)
Involving community
(guest speakers)
Collaboration with
Colleagues
Lesson Plans
Sub Plans
Emergency Plans
Assessments
Parent Teacher
Conferences
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