Back to School Checklist:
1. Desk- class list, lesson plan book, pens, pencils, markers, tape, stapler, staple remover, rubberbands, paperclips, stickers, awards, folders, paper, clipboard, tissue box
2. Closet organized
3. Centers organized and labeled
4. Room Displays- classroom news, Circle Time, bulletin boards, Centers, toy labels, birthday chart, welcome bulletin board
5. Desk name tags
6. Cubby name tags
7. Sub folder with emergency lesson plans
8. Parent welcome letter
9. Students books and supplies
10. File folder system (i.e parent communication, school memos)
11.Student Welcome Package (i.e.- pencil, note)
Bulletin Board Ideas:
1. “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
Look Who’s in Our Room!”- Decorate board with palm tree. Put each child’s name in a coconut on tree. Use leis as border.
2. “Kindergarten is Tee-rific!”- Each child writes
his/her name on a tee-shirt pattern and decorates it. Hang tee-shirts on a clothesline.
3. “Kindergarden is the Place to Bee!”- Put childrens’ names on bees buzzing around a hive.
4. “Our Kinder-garden”- Take photo of each child and put in the center of a flower that the child decorates. Write child's name on stem.
5. “The New Crop Is In”- Place children’s photos in apples and hang on tree.
6. "Leaping into a New School Year"- Write child's names on frogs and display around large lilypad with class name or grade written on it.
7. "Blasting Off Into a New School Year"- Write student's names on rocketships.
8. "Putting Our Best Foot Forward"- Children trace their footprint on color construction paper and cut it out. Children dictate a school goal to teacher and teacher writes it on their footprint.
9. "What a Great Bunch!"- Put each child's name and photo in a grape. Form grapes into a bunch and write grade or class name on leaf.
10. "Kindergarten Circle of Friends"- Each child decorates a doll to look like himself/herself.
Books:
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Kindergarten Kids by Ellen B. Sensi
First Day Hooray! by Nancy Poydar
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!
by Nancy L. Carlson
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Clifford’s First Day by Norman Bridwell
When You Go to Kindergarten by James Howe
My Teacher's My Friend by P.K. Hallinan
Little Critter's This is My School by Mercer Mayer
Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell
Songs:
Hello Song ( Frere Jacques tune)
Hello, (student’s name), hello, (student’s name).
How are you? How are you?
We're so glad to have you,
We're so glad to have you,
Here at school, here at school.
Hello Song (Three Blind Mice tune)
Hello, (student's name),
Hello, (student's name),
How are you, how are you?
We're glad you're here to learn and play.
We know we'll have some fun today.
We love school every day
And so will you!
Who is Here Today?
( Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star tune)
Let's see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
Everyone sit close at hand.
Say your name and then you can stand.
Let's see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
*Children stand and say their names.
If You're Happy at School
(If You're Happy and You Know It tune)
If you're happy at school clap your hands.
(clap, clap)
If you're happy at school clap your hands.
(clap, clap)
If you're happy at school and you really want to show it,
If you're happy at school clap your hands.
(clap, clap)
...stamp your foot...
...turn around...
...shout hurray...
School Song
(The Wheels on the Bus tune)
The name of my school is ______,
________, __________.
The name of my school is _______.
That's the name of my school.
...name of room
...name of teacher
...name of principal
Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?
Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?
(student's name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar!
Who me?
Yes, you!
Couldn't be!
Then who?
(Student's name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar!
* I write the lyrics on sentence strips and place them in the pocketchart. I place name cards in the blank spaces. This way each child learns to recognize his/her name and gets a turn.
Wheels on the Bus by Raffi
First Day Activities:
1. Name Game- Toss a beachball to a child. Child says his/her name and what he/she likes before passing ball to next child. (i.e “I am Renée and I like reading.”)
2. Make a class constitution regarding class rules. Students sign their names at bottom.
3. Read The Kissing Hand. Create “The Kissing Hand” class book. Child dictates how he/she felt on the first day of school. Child trace his/her hand and glue a heart in the middle of it.
4. Read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten. Have each child draw a picture of how he/she got ready for Kindergarten. Turn pages into a class book.
5. Gingerbread Man Hunt-
To help students become acclimated with the classroom, create a "Gingerbread Man Hunt". Tell the class the Gingerbread Man has hidden hints at each center to help find him. The hints are as follows:
Run, run, run
As fast as you can!
You can't catch me!
I'm the Gingerbread Man!
I've run off to look at a book.
Come to the Library Center and take a look!
Yum! Yum!
I've got a growl in my tummy.
Look for me in the Housekeeping Center
Where the food is yummy.
Magnets that stick
Sure give me a kick!
Come to the Science Center
And you can see
What fun things there are to pick!
Clocks make sure that we won't be late.
I saw one in the Math Center
Along with some color shapes.
Puzzles and lacing beads
Are my next hint.
Look for some in Fine Motor Center
For your next lead!
Computers are fun and can teach you a ton.
Come and look for me
At your classroom one!
I've run off to make friends
With puppets and dolls.
When you go to Dramatic Play
You can too!
Look for me in the Art Center
Where you color and cut.
I like to draw there quite a lot!
I'm surrounded by paper, pencils, and chalk.
When you come to the Writing Center
We'll be able to talk!
After the children find the Gingerbread Man
Writing Center, serve them gingersnap
cookies and milk as a reward.
6. Letter and Number Assessment- The first week of school I meet with individual children to see what letters and numbers they can identify. I use a worksheet that has capital and lowercase letters and numbers 0-20. I cross out the letters and numbers the child can identify. I keep the worksheet in the child's portfolio for conferences. I assess the child again midyear and at the end of the year.
7. Crayon Resist Names- Children write their names using crayons. Children then paint over their names using watercolors. The wax will resist the watercolors so the names will show through.
8. Class School Bus- Create a large school bus using yellow chart paper. Draw the amount of windows on it to equal the number of students in class. Each child draws a picture of himself/herself in a window.
9. "Who is in Our Class" Graph- How many boys and how many girls are in class? Each child writes his/her name under "boys" or "girls". Another twist is child writes his/her name under the letter his/her name starts with.
10. Shaving Cream Writing- Students practice writing their names, letters, and numbers in shaving cream on the desks. It's messy, but fun and also cleans the desks!
11. Self-Portrait- I fold paper in half. Each half is labeled "September" and "June". Children draw self-portraits on the "September" side and store them in their portfolios. In June, we complete the other self-portrait and the children's growth in fine motor skills is revealed.
* The first few days of school should be spent getting acclimated to each other, class rules and routines, and centers. Activities should not be too long or too complicated until classroom management has been established. This doesn't mean you should not plan activities. In fact, I always overplan to make sure I have enough material. Also, make sure everything is prepared so you don't waste valuable teaching time and lose your students' attention. The first few weeks of school tend to be the hardest for both students and teachers, but remember that with time and practice a routine will be established! : )