3 Keys for Back to School Success in High School

Key #1: Orient students to your academic and social expectations

One of the best ways to do this is with a clear and focused syllabus. Download a free editable ELA syllabus here:

Key #2: Build Classroom Community

You need to get to know your students and they need to get to know each other so they can feel comfortable in academic activities like peer editing, sharing their work, and being vulnerable in their writing.

Create your own community building activities or check out my No Prep Back to School Icebreaker Pack:

Key #3: Assess Reading, Writing, & Presentation Skills

The trick with first week assessments is to make them both engaging and community building. You can hit all three informal assessments by creating an assignment that requires some grade-level reading, a writing sample, and a brief presentation.

In my classroom, students read about Indian mandalas, create their own representative mandala, create anecdotal writing explaining their mandala, and present to the class!

Check out my One-Week Back to School Unit Plan here:

Looking for something different? Check out this One-Week Back to School Growth Journey Unit here:

Share it:

Email
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter

You might also like...