The beginning of the school year is filled with possibilities—but also a lot of planning, prepping, and let’s face it… a little chaos! After more than 30 years in the classroom, I’ve learned that a few smart moves early on can make the entire year smoother, more engaging, and a lot more joyful—for both you and your students.
Whether you’re a brand-new teacher or have been at it for years, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite strategies (and classroom-tested resources) to help you kick things off with confidence. (Not ready to think about back-to-school yet? Pin any of these images to revisit later!)
Back to School Ideas
Students learn best when they feel safe, seen, and valued. That’s why I focus on building relationships and classroom community from the very first day.
Here are a few simple ways to get started:
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Morning meetings are a powerful way to establish routines and connect.
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Use math tasks with a social twist (like my back-to-school problem-solving challenges) to get kids collaborating while easing into content.
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Try “get to know you” interviews, interest surveys, and student-created name tents to start learning about your students as individuals.
Want ready-to-use tasks that build community and get kids thinking?
Speaking of building community…I seriously love this back to school pennant project–and it’s WAY more than a craft project. While doing it, my students learn about my expectations for work quality as we build an anchor chart together. As we work, we get to know each other and start to build classroom community!
Don’t Wait to Start Teaching!
It can be tempting to spend the first week doing only community-building and review, but students are ready (and eager!) to dive into meaningful learning early on.
Some things I always prioritize in the first week:
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Launching math with real thinking—open-ended tasks, number sense work, and math talk routines.
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Getting books in kids’ hands on day one. Whether they’re browsing your classroom library or hearing a great read-aloud, early exposure builds excitement and habits.
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Starting writing in low-pressure ways like journaling, quick writes, or collaborative anchor charts.
Growth Mindset
Check out this video preview for my growth mindset toolbox…I use this a TON at the beginning of the year, but then I follow up all year long to keep students really focused on mindset. Students need the language to effectively talk about growth mindset in the classroom, the books they read, and the world they live in. See what you think!
Getting Ready for a Year of Reading
There are so many amazing books out there, but I love to start my year with “Fish in a Tree”. It is an amazing story with great characters and TONS to talk about. You know I love to push students, and this Fish in a Tree Novel Study resource is no different. I give you everything you need from teaching points to writing opportunities–all focused on getting students to think deeply and prove their ideas with text evidence. (Need a copy of this great book? Here you go!)
Looking for forms and lesson ideas to help establish reading in your classroom? From checklists to posters to anchor charts, this reading resource can give you a TON of ideas to get independent reading off on the right foot. It’s such a time saver for planning those first weeks of reading instruction! It’s like a “launch” ready to use!
One of the most impactful ways to kick off learning is by helping students take ownership of their growth—and the Student Reading Goals Collection: Learning Targets for Focused Instruction makes this so simple. Packed with clear, scaffolded reading targets, it’s perfect for introducing students to self-assessment and reflection routines during the first weeks of school. You might begin by displaying 2–3 learning goals (like “I can identify the main idea” or “I can ask questions about the text”), then guide students in selecting one they want to focus on for the day.
Pair it with reflection time—either verbally during a share-out, or in writing—so they can recognize their progress and set actionable next steps. This strategy not only establishes a growth mindset early on, but also models metacognitive thinking that supports all academic areas throughout the year
Back to School Ideas: Math Lessons and Activities
Setting routines for math is so important…learning how to work in partners, learning how to access resources in the room like math manipulatives and paper, learning how to persevere and make sense of problems all need to be a part of those early weeks. Here are a few resources I use in those early weeks to help students learn to TRY, to work together, and to realize that challenge can be fun! Also available with digital slides!
Want to dig in right away and try a more open-ended back to school challenge? Thinking that you might want print AND digital options? Check out this differentiated back to school shopping challenge!
(Want to read more about this task? Here’s a blog post all about it!)
I love using this as a bulletin board that doesn’t take up much space but this challenge can be done without a display as well. It’s GREAT for helping students realize that there can more than one answer to problems, that organizing work helps, and that there are different strategies that can be used when tackling computation tasks. My students love it–and it’s easy enough to differentiate with the help of teamwork or calculators. Big puffy hearts!
Whew! I hope some of these ideas spark your enthusiasm for the start of the year. By the way…check out THIS BACK-TO-SCHOOL POST for more ideas!
Want to grab a FREE MATH GAME for back to school?
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