One Teacher's Adventures

  The start of the school year always feels like a fresh notebook, crisp, full of possibilities, and maybe just a little overwhelming. Over the years, I’ve learned that the routines I set up in those first few weeks shape the tone of the entire year. Middle school students thrive on structure, but they also need room for independence. The trick is finding that balance. Here are a few back-to-school routines I’ve found make the biggest difference: 1. Entry and Exit Routines How students enter and leave the classroom sets the tone. I always establish: Where to put backpacks and devices so walkways stay clear. In my school, students have lockers outside the room, so their backpacks stay out of the classroom altogether. A starter activity (a question on the board, a quick reflection, or even a riddle) to get them engaged right away. Consider Rebus Puzzles as a great thinking activity! A clear exit process so students aren’t rushing or leaving behind chaos, this could be ...

As the summer winds down, the back-to-school season looms large. For middle school teachers, the challenge is to reignite students’ interest in learning while creating a classroom environment that feels fresh and exciting. We all know that the typical icebreakers and get-to-know-you activities can feel a little stale, so let’s explore some ideas that won’t just survive the first week back, they’ll thrive. Here are some creative, effective, and - most importantly - not-boring ways to kick off the school year with your middle schoolers. 1. The Classroom Redesign Challenge Instead of walking into a fully set-up classroom, invite your students to help design the space. Give them the freedom to arrange desks, create bulletin boards, or even choose themes for different corners of the room. This activity not only helps students feel a sense of ownership but also serves as a great team-building exercise. Plus, you won’t have to spend your time in the summer planning and decorating your classro...

  Looking for a great Back to School activity for middle school? This 3-day lesson asks your students to choose one word to act as their motto to drive them forward this year. Students will create a poster and a paragraph to explain why they chose their word and how they are going to use that word to help them reach their goals. Students begin by brainstorming a list of character traits that they admire in other people and answering questions such as "What have you always wanted to be able to do?" and "If you had the resources, what would you do for someone else to change their life for the better?" These questions help students to connect with their values and what is important to them. Next, they work through the writing process to draft and revise a paragraph and poster to share their word to with others. I have also used this as a back to school activity and as a New Year's Resolutions activity and I always get amazing results from the students.  To download...

This summer, I'm back in school as a student.  I'm participating in a Personalized Learning Summer Institute at the University of Victoria as some summer Professional Development.  Our first assignment was to create an Augmented Selfie. We had a lot of freedom over how we wanted to put it together, we just had to make sure that it introduced who we are, what we are interested in, and our strengths. Some ideas were to create a collage, a video, or a photo essay. I decided to create a word cloud for mine. I used words to describe my character, interests, and important people in my life. The whole time I was creating this, I thought about how I was going to use it as one of my first activities this fall with my new Grade 6 students! What do you think? I can't wait to have a display in my classroom with all my new students' augmented selfies!

I've just finished my newest French unit for TpT.  This unit is designed for beginner students (Grades 4-7) and would be a great way to start off your year!   This complete unit includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities.   You'll get: -Vocabulary list -Create your own flash cards activity -Vocabulary crossword with answer key -Vocabulary quiz with answer key -Fill-in-the-blanks activity with answer key -5 pages of être activities (present tense, positive and negative formation, with answer keys) -Place prepositions vocabulary (dans, devant, derrière, près, etc.) -Preposition listening activity with variation ideas for differentiation -Reading activity (dans mon sac a dos, il y a...) -School dialogue activity Click here to download! If you don't need the whole unit, you can buy pieces of it separately.  Click on the pictures below for more information.

My feet are sore, I'm exhausted, and I already have a cold, but I made it through the first week back! Tuesday was our first day back with the kids.  I am teaching Math, Science, and French to two groups of Grade 8's this year and both classes seem like great kids.  One group is much more active and energetic than the other, but the kids seem really nice and respectful towards each other and to the adults in the school, which is a huge relief! Our school is a 6-8 Middle School, so my kids this year are the oldest.  I have been reminding them daily that they are setting the example to the 6's and 7's of how to behave at school, and they are rising to the challenge of being leaders already. I wanted to start the year off with my homeroom group with expectations for the year.  I really like the My Job/Your Job model of establishing classroom rules and expectations.  Students write down what the teacher's job is and what the teacher's job isn't, and ...

    After 3 months of striking, we finally returned to school this week!  Our start date was pushed back by 3 weeks to September 22! Before the students arrived on Monday, I put numbered cards on the desks.  As the kids came in the door, I gave them a numbered popsicle stick and asked them to sit at the matching numbered desk. In our district, elementary teachers keep their classes from the previous year for the first few days, so I decided to have the outgoing Grade 5's write a book of advice for the new Grade 4's. I grouped them based on the colours of their cards to create lists of things that Grade 4 students needed to know.  When we had a list of about 18 ideas, the students broke up into pairs to make pages for our advice book.    Be a participant. Do your best! Your work will get harder, but you can always ask your teacher for help. Math is a bit harder but you can do it! You are a leader, the younger...

When I was a kid, I always loved Back to School shopping!  My mom would take us to the store and we would each grab a separate buggy to fill with supplies (because, heaven forbid, any of my stuff got mixed in with my sister's or brother's!).  When we got home, my sister and I would pull out our bags and quickly set about labelling all our pencil crayons and markers well into the late hours of the evening.  I'd pack them into my new backpack and wait anxiously for the school year to begin. Now that I'm grown up, I still shop for school supplies, and it's still so much fun!  I always get the same question from the cashier when she sees my full buggy: "How many kids do you have going back to school?"   This year I haven't stocked up on everything, but I did get a great haul at a great price from Walmart. Here is a recap of my trip: Binder paper was only 10 cents a pack, so I had to grab 10.  Total: $1.00 The notebooks were 5 cents each, so na...

I realized that I have zero "Back to School" products in my TpT store , so I decided to make some! The first product I've made is a foldable mini book to introduce yourself to the class.  It would be easy to make with students from grade 2-6! To make this "Me Book," I created a template. The template looks like this: It will turn into a mini book, by following these steps: Feel free to create a template of you own to fit with your class, using any of the page ideas that I have included.  If you'd like to use my template, you can download it here ! To see more great "Back to School" ideas, click on the picture below!