2. Establish a Consistent Bell-Ringer Routine
As you head into a new school year, consider establishing a bell-ringer routine as a consistent way to build routines and reinforce a wide range of ELA skills! I recommend mixing up the focus by rotating between grammar, vocabulary, figurative language, quote response, and video journals to keep students engaged while providing a low-pressure space for practicing essential skills. Not only that, but bell-ringers are an excellent way to help settle the class in those first few minutes to help you maximize your instructional time. Grab 4 free weeks of bell-ringers here to get you started.
~Bonnie from Presto Plans
3. Devote Time to Building Classroom Climate
It's a buzz phrase repeated often. However, in this case, it deserves to be repeated because relationships are everything. They are the foundation on which everything else you do with your students will be built. So it makes a great deal of sense to devote time to creating the climate in your classroom, rather than rushing to start checking off curriculum outcomes.
Relationship and skill-building are not mutually exclusive either. By designing activities that allow students to get to know you and each other while also building ELA skills, you can build that solid foundation in a way that sets everyone up for success. Every year, I spent up to a week on climate-building activities (not cheesy icebreakers) that set the norms and expectations for the classroom and helped make students feel like Room 213 was a pretty good place to be.
You can grab one of my first-day activities here for free; it's part of the whole bundle of activities that I used to get the semester off to a great start. Regardless what you use, I encourage you to spend time creating your community before rushing on to cover curriculum!
~ Jackie, from ROOM 213
4. Create a Yearlong Pacing Guide for Your Class
One of the best ways to get a head start on the new school year is to map out your entire year. I'm not talking about day-to-day lesson plans for your classroom, but creating a broad overview of the entire year. Planning our your secondary ELA curriculum is helpful because it helps you plan the rest of the year. For example, I like to start with short stories, literary analysis, and narrative writing, so I might allocate 6 weeks for that unit!
To help you plan out your entire school year, The Daring English Teacher has a free Secondary ELA Pacing Guide for you! It's completely editable so that you can easily adjust it to your own classroom needs! You'll save time and stress with this free pacing guide.
~ Christina, The Daring English Teacher
5. Classroom Management Routines Made Easy
A simple and effective way to start the year is using a digital daily agenda slide to display your class agenda, daily bell-ringers, learning objectives, homework reminders, etc. Because they are digital, you can easily prepare them ahead of your classroom and add in any last-minute information. Grab your FREE 2025-2026 agenda slide HERE!
- The Classroom Sparrow
