Begin the School Year Strong #1: Warm Ups

The beginning of the year causes many emotions. Happiness, excitement, nervousnesses, anxiety, and so many more. I don't think I can stress enough how hard it is to transition back to teaching after nearly two months off. This sounds like a first-world problem (for lack of better words), but it is true. So how do we deal with the beginning of the year blues?

The morning routine is one of the most important parts of your day as a teacher. It literally sets the tone for the school day. If you don't stick the landing for this, the following can happen:

• Your students won't know what to do to successfully start their day.

• They get off-topic and chat before learning has actually begun.

• By having the students begin the day without a routine, you have to settle them down before the day even begins.

• You welcome stress into the day of teaching that didn't have to be there.

The morning routine is so important. I have a product that can make the first week's morning routines a little easier.

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Warm-ups should be more than busy work. They should be-

Meaningful. Rigorous. Engaging. Easy to Grade.

As a teacher, the latter is something that I definitely think about. Look below to see what is in this product, as well as why this feature is important.

• Skill practice (inference, text evidence, author's purpose)

Having warm-ups that are skill-based is essential for more than one reason. First, you want to start the school day with something that prepares a student's mind to begin the school day. Second, it provides a chance for students to practice skills they may, or may not, have mastered. Finally, having skill-based warm-ups allows you to get anecdotal information on student learning.

• Writing (favorite book and first day)

Writing and reading go hand-in-hand. Writing is especially important when you think of how standardized testing and how much students have to write now. Being able to read and respond to texts is a great way to see what students understand, as well as what gaps may still be present in their learning.

• Handwriting

Thankfully, the writing we now do in classrooms and on standardized tests is now on the computer, but being able to write by hand is still important.

• Word work (short vowels, vowel teams, doubling rule)

I'm guilty of not seeing the importance of word work, but word work is important to nearly every aspect of learning. It can help with spelling, sounding out, and even vocabulary questions on tests. Word work is essential, so starting your day with a little bit of word work, is beneficial for students.

• Mechanics

Mechanics are so important, especially when it comes to standardized testing. Knowing when to use a period, comma, or semicolon can be the difference between getting max points on an ECR and getting own partial credit. It may seem like a small things, but mechanics matter in the grand scheme of things.

• Cloze Sentences

Cloze sentences are an easy way to scaffold learning for students that struggle with either writing, stamina, or motivation. A student that struggles to write could be overwhelmed by the task of having to write an entire paragraph. A student with low stamina may be able to write, but may become overwhelmed by the task.

• Word Search

Warm-ups should be rigorous and skill-based, but they should also be interesting and a way to "soft-launch" into the day. Everyone loves a challenge, so allowing students to complete a low-stress word search can help students ease into the day with less stress.

• Coloring Page

Most students enjoy both drawing and coloring. Now, this product doesn't have a coloring page on every worksheet, but for the pages that do have it, it allows students the chance to relieve some stress and prepare for the school day.

• Unsrcramble

Again, students love a challenge! This feature is a great way to engage student minds. It can be especially beneficial for students that struggle without spelling, because they have to arrange the letters in their head to find the correct word.

There are so many features of meaningful warm-ups. Aren't you so glad you found a week full of warm-ups for cheap? Look below to buy. Begin the school year strong

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