Better Chinese Teacher - First Six Weeks of School
As the old saying goes:“ Well begun is half done. ” All great teachers always try to find a way to start their year strong. One useful tool many schools have adopted is called the Responsive Classroom. The goal of the Responsive Classroom is to help students grow both socially and academically and it believes that the first six weeks of school help lay a solid foundation for a safe and positive classroom environment. Here's a quick summary of each weekly goal.
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Picture source: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/[/caption]
Week One
The goal of week one is for everyone to start getting to know each other, especially names. Students will have a chance to share their individual interests and extra curriculum activities. They are also going to learn about school day routines, including but not limited to: arrival, lunch, transitions, signals, lining up and walking in the hallway, bathroom procedures, recess, clean up and dismissal. There will also be discussion about everyone’s hopes and dreams for the year.
Week Two
The most important goal for this week is to set up the structure of the classroom through rules and routines. Students will start practicing working in small groups, pairs, individually and as a whole group. Academic lessons are now layered into the classroom community building activities that were started from the first week. Students will participate in various teacher-supervised activities.
Week Three
The goal for this week is to teach students to develop critical thinking skills about possible ways to follow the class rules if there is more than one. Logical consequences will be introduced and applied this week. The teacher will use reflection and redirection as much as needed.
Week Four through Six
After the practice of the first three weeks, most students will be able to stay on task and work individually because they will be familiar with the classroom routines and expectations. They will be able to generate meaningful discussion about classroom rules and logical consequences.
Reference
Denton, Paula, and Kriete, Roxann. (2000). The First Six Weeks of School. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
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