First Week of School

Well, the first week of school is coming and I wanted to share some housekeeping things that I do. Hopefully, it'll give you some ideas you can use.

There are 4 categories: 
1. Papers to give to send home 
2. For the students to do
3. Papers for the students
4. For the room


Three papers to go home...
1. I send home a press release provided by our district in the event I want to post on my twitter (@anfmathgr6) or on-line some of the things we do in class.
2. I send home a Donors Choose press release in the event I want to put up a project. See the filter for more information on Donors Choose.
3. I send home a Parent Contact Form. I need parent names, phone numbers, and email addresses in case I need to get in contact with them. I also created a google form, which is the electronic copy of the Parent Contact Form. The paper copy has English on one side and Spanish on the other. The google form has both English and Spanish as well.

Three things for the students to do...
1. Student Profile with Learning Styles Survey - I want to get to know as much as possible about my students at the onset of the year so I can know the best way to play according to their learning styles. So I created a Student Profile Google Form and the last question is a link to an online learning style quiz. They have to enter their results (Auditory, Kinesthetic, or Visual) on their form before submitting.
2. Since I teach 6th grade in a middle school, I don't have the privilege of knowing the students prior to their arrival. So I ask (in the student profile) where they went to elementary school and what is the name of their 5th grade math teacher in the event I need more information on the types of learners they are.
3. I want to know how their parents communicate. Since I'm in a predominately Hispanic building, I need to know which of my parents speak English or Spanish, which of them read English or Spanish, which of the can understand English or Spanish, and which of the can do all of the above. I need to know how to communicate with my parents.

Three handouts for students
1. Standards of Mathematical Practices on a half sheet - The students have this in the front of their interactive notebooks (composition books) as a reference.
2. Walking Word Wall - Most classrooms have Word Walls. As students travel from one class to another and even when they go home, I wanted them to have access to their math vocabulary at any time.
3. School Supply List

Three things to post in the class
1. A list of websites that students will use during the school year.
2. Class Signs/Labels - Objectives, Homework, Today's Topic, Agenda, etc.
3. My alma mater paraphernalia - Banner, Pennant, Admission Requirements, etc. - Let's get the students thinking about college. It's never too early.