It’s Back to School Activities time, and there is so much to do! From meticulously planning that first week to building relationships with your new students, assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and teaching those ever-important classroom procedures. Whew! All in one short week!
This is when I turn to Back to School Review activities!
Back to School Review activities are the perfect mix of review, assessment, and fun.
Here is Why I Love Back to School Activities:
Back to School Activities Help to Reinforce Foundational Skills
Starting the school year by reviewing last year’s concepts helps reinforce the foundational skills necessary for success this year. It ensures that students have a solid understanding of key concepts and are prepared for the new topics they will encounter.
Back to School Activities Help to Bridge the Summer Learning Gap
By reviewing last year’s curriculum, you can identify any gaps in students’ understanding of prerequisite concepts. Tackling these gaps right from the beginning is key to helping your students build a solid foundation. By doing so, you are minimizing the chances of your students’ facing difficulties when they come across more challenging tasks this academic year.
Back to School Activities Help to Refresh Memories
Students may have forgotten some of the concepts and skills they learned last year over the summer break. A quick review serves as a refresher, bringing those concepts back to the forefront of their minds and improving their retention of important concepts.
Back to School Activities Build Confidence
Reviewing last year’s standards at the beginning of the school year allows students to regain confidence in their abilities. It reminds them that they can understand and apply difficult concepts, setting a positive tone for the rest of the year.
Back to School Activities are Perfect for Teaching Classroom Procedures
Before any new learning can begin, new relationships need to be formed, and new classroom procedures need to be taught. Reviewing last year’s curriculum allows you, the teacher, to complete all three important goals without sacrificing teaching new concepts.
How Can You Use Back to School Activities in Your Classroom?
Independent Learning Packets – Independent Learning Packets can have a place in the upper elementary classroom, especially during the first weeks of school.
Back to School activities in the form of independent learning packets give you time to assess other students in a small group setting. They foster independence by giving students the opportunity to work through problems on their own. Finally, independent work packets let students set their own pace when working through a packet.
Building Community – Pairing up students or putting students in groups is a great way to build community in your classroom. Teaching students how to work cooperatively and how to help each other without giving away the answer are crucial skills for students, especially if you are in a self-contained classroom with many different levels and little support.
Homework – Many parents want homework from day one. If that is the norm in your district, a Back to School Review is a perfect resource to send home.
Small Group Refresher – If you have a handful of students that need to relearn and refresh last year’s skills, a Back to School review will get them learning right away! After assessing your students, pull a small group to work through a few pages with you to support them.
Fast Finishers – Our favorite group, right? A Back to School Review packet is a great answer to the question, “I’m done. Now what?” You can never have enough independent, engaging, and meaningful worksheets on hand for this crowd.
As you can imagine, I wouldn’t dream of starting the school year without a few Back to School Activities in my teacher toolbox, and I hope you won’t either.
Here are a few of my Back to School Activities if you want to save some time and energy! They are based on the prior year’s standards, including both independent and cooperative activities, and will give you the time you need to teach the things that matter.
Grab this FREE Welcome Back to School Booklet! Perfect to have on your new students’ desks when they come in the door that first day of school!
