First Days

These are my plans at the moment. I'd love your feedback!


THURSDAY: First Day of School
*Enter like professionals
*Practice entering like professionals
*Review expectations/procedure for entering:
1. Boys on the wall
2. Girls on the line
3. Stand in a straight, single-file line
4. Wait until silent and facing front
5. Enter quickly and quietly
6. Immediately take your assigned seat
7. Copy down the homework assignment in your student planner
8. Immediately begin the Do Now
*I EXPECT EXCELLENCE, AND SO SHOULD YOU.
*To each student, hand a pen, #2 pencil, index card, contract/parent letter
*Do Now on board:
--Contact Card
--NO TALKING
*When done:
--Fall/Intro Survey
NO TALKING during individual work time
*Go over Bathroom Procedure (on chart):
--No requests first, third, fifth or eighth periods.
--Two requests MAX per period (second, sixth, seventh).
--Request ONLY during group work/individual work time.
--If you request during the lesson, or during independent reading, THE CLASS WILL HAVE A TEST THE NEXT DAY.


DOUBLE PERIOD
*ON LAMINATED CHART: What rules can we come up with to make sure our class runs smoothly and is a safe place for all of us?
*REMEMBER, WE EXPECT EXCELLENCE
*We will brainstorm our class rules and expectations.
(When we have a list up)
*In your table groups, choose a role (a recorder, a materials manager, a referee, and a presenter).
*Write on a chart paper about why each rule is important. (WHAT DO WE EXPECT?) Then come up with a consequence for breaking that rule.
*Share out from each table.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Part One:
Sign contract/parent letter.
Part Two:
One of your composition books will be your writer’s notebook. (We will discuss what that means tomorrow.) The writer’s notebook should reflect the writer--things that are important to him or her, things that represent him or her.
--Choose pictures, photographs, or drawings that you like.
--Feel free to use markers, crayons, pencils, or pens to decorate it.
--YOUR NAME AND CLASS NUMBER MUST BE CLEARLY VISIBLE.

FRIDAY: Second Day of School
*Enter like professionals
*Practice entering like professionals
*Do Now:
--Share your writer’s notebook designs at your table.
Why did you choose what you did? Why is it important to you?
--Share out to class: five students
*Activity:
--Set up Writer’s Notebook:
Title page, table of contents, numbers, seed ideas
--Set up Reader’s Notebook:
Lessons, Response, Word Log
*Go over Workshop Format
*Go over HW assignment
*Review HW Rubric (on chart)

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
Write an essay about yourself:
--What do you want me to know about you?
--There should be at least five paragraphs.
--Organize your thoughts.
--Do your best with spelling and grammar.


Homework Rubric
To earn an EXCELLENT/LEVEL 4, your homework must:
--Show that all directions were followed
--Show your best effort with conventions (spelling, grammar)
--Have a full, complete heading
--Be written on looseleaf paper
--Be legible

To earn a GOOD/LEVEL 3, your homework would:
--Show that most directions were followed
--Show a good effort with conventions
--Not have a full, complete heading.
--Not be written on looseleaf paper
--Be legible

To earn a FAIR/LEVEL 2, your homework would:
--Show that some directions were followed
--Show some effort with mechanics
--Have an incomplete heading
--Not be written on looseleaf paper
--Be mostly legible

To earn a POOR/LEVEL 1, your homework would:
--Show that few or none of the directions were followed
--Show no effort with mechanics
--Have an incomplete heading
--Not be written on looseleaf paper
--Be illegible