Back to School 2023!

Something about this school year just feels different. I am starting at yet another new school (see this blog post) and this year the idea of change is exciting.

I am going to be teaching 4th grade and wanted to share some of the things that I am creating to get started with this crazy time of year.

Digital Planner

I've been using digital planners for a few years now and each year I always think of things to change/add. This year I started from scratch. I put some thought into the things that I truly would use and came up with this design. I usually use one slide per week, but opted to go for the 2 slide format. The slides are also already 8.5 by 11 inches, so if you need/want to print them off it is easy to do!

My favorite thing about using a digital planner is that I can easily link my lesson plans and materials directly to each day/subject in the planner. My second favorite thing is the ability to easily move things to a different day/week because we ALL know that things never go as planned, especially during the first few weeks of school.

Leave me a comment of things you would like to see in a digital planner so I can update this one!

Passport to 4th Grade

Need a fun open house activity? How about the passport to 4th grade to organize the different information and activities you need your parents/students to do during open house!

This has an airport theme that allows for different "destinations" to visit based on the information you need to share. As students/parents enter the room, they will sign in and receive their passport. Destination #1 is all about transportation. Parents let me know how students typically arrive at school and go home from school and if it will be different on the first day. Each stop also has a sticker (or you can use stamps) that students will add to their passport to show that they have visited all of the destinations.

  

Meet the Teacher

Part of the open house stops that I mentioned above include a meet the teacher newsletter that I give to parents with a little bit about me as well as my contact information. I created this design in Canva and then saved it as a jpeg. Then I used Google Slides. I changed the page size to 8.5 x 11 inches, and made the jpeg my background on the slide. Insert text boxes where you want then print!

Class Lists

When I was departmentalized a few years back I had 3 different classes to keep up with. I created this simple list with check boxes that I used for SO many things. First thing I did was take a quick attendance so I could keep up with the students who may be absent each day from each class.

The second main use for these class lists was for grading assignments. If a student turned in the assignment I would check off their name and sometimes even write their score next to it. This allowed me to easily see which students had not turned in the assignment.

I don't know how intermediate teachers keep track of multiple classes! I struggled with only 3 haha!

Random Grouping Cards

I created these FOREVER ago, but haven't used them since the pandemic. However I decided to bring them back and give them a face lift and share them with you all!

These random grouping cards allow you to create random groups in your classroom in a fun way that gets students up out of their seats. I enjoy using these because it eliminates the groups of friends that join together when you ask students to pick their own partners or groups. I don't like that there are always a few students who are left out because they are new or do not have friends in the classroom.

The first few times you use them it can take longer than expected for students to figure out the groups. I often start using them during the first week of school so students are comfortable using them after a month or so. Just as an FYI, I do not use these every time I group students together. As mentioned, it can be time consuming and let's be honest, sometimes I want to create specific groups.

The version that I use with my upper elementary students has multiple grouping options on one card. I like that I only have to keep up with one set of cards.

The grouping cards can be used to create groups of 2, groups of 3, groups of 4, and groups of 5. You can also use the numbers in the middle to create different groups as well. For example, odds and evens. The top right images are for partners/groups of 2. The top right images are for groups of 3. The bottom left images are for groups of 4 and the bottom right images are for groups of 5.

Some of the cards are customized for the area that I teach in. I used 3 local universities, 3 local professional sports teams, and the state I live in with the surrounding states. There are slides at the end that include a blank space so you can customize them.

I also created cards that have individual pictures on them for each group. These would be better for younger elementary students who may get confused with multiple images on a card. You can find the links to those on the second slide of the file.

Click below to get your FREE copy of these random grouping cards!

Random Grouping Cards

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@mrspotterteach