Top Ten Tools

for
Back to School
 Top Ten Tools for Back to School

The new school year means endless meetings, countless hours of

preparation and the dreaded Curriculum Nightall resulting in major
stress! As veteran teachers, we understand the tension that Back to
School time brings and are here to help. Our FREE Top Ten Tools
for Back to School includes the following sample files:

1. Beginning of the School Year Checklist

2. Golden Keys to Success Responsibility Chart
3. Golden Keys to Success Parent Brochure
4. Routines and Procedures: Walking in Line
5. Icebreaker: Top Ten About Me
6. Common Core Reading Strategies Poster
7. Behavior Reflection Think Sheet
8. First Day of School Lesson Plan
9. Social Story: Following Directions
10. Parent Welcome Letter sample

Click on the links to be directed to our Astute Hoot store for more
cool tools, entire units, and additional resources.
 Beginning of the School Year Checklist
Click on links for more cool tools!
Culture
o Create classroom management plan (rules & consequences)
o Set up routines and procedures
Attending Morning Meeting/circle time
Gathering at carpet or general meeting place
Unpacking/Packing up
Gathering materials and cleaning up
Freezing at teachers signal
Activating active listening
Lining up
Checking cubbies
Creating seat signals (for bathroom, drinks, pencils)
o Set up student job chart
o Create parent packet including the following:
Introduction letter
Classroom management plan
Curriculum & assessment
Grading policies and homework guidelines
Class schedule and specials schedule
Student information sheet
Classroom wish list and volunteer sign up
o Create Meet the Teacher and Curriculum Night presentation
Icebreaker activity
Presentation format
Parent handouts
o Determine home-school communication logistics
Paper newsletter
Group email
Directory
Communication log
 Instruction
o Draft detailed lesson plans for first week of school
Icebreakers and classroom culture building activities
Rules and consequences
Procedures and routines
Pre-assessments
Introduction to content
o Develop curriculum map/long-term plan
o Set up assessment calendar
o Design data tracking system
o Read through student files
o Determine appropriate accommodations and modifications for
special education students

Organization
o Determine classroom theme
o Create and hang bulletin boards
o Set up classroom furniture
o Create a seating chart
o Organize student materials and supplies
o Organize teachers desk
o Organize a filing cabinet with instructional materials
o Construct a folder for each student including:
Contact information
Home-school communication log
Behavior log
Background information
Pre-assessments
IEP (if applicable)
o Set up classroom website
o Set up voicemail recording
o Create substitute folder with seating chart, transportation list and
emergency lesson plans
 Golden Keys to Success Responsibility Chart Name: Week of:__________
Keys to Success Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1. Be RESPECTFUL * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2. Take care of SELF * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3. Be PREPARED * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
4. Be PROMPT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
5. PARTICIPATE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Total Points:
Parents Signature:
1. RESPECT includes: 4. Being PROMPT includes: Home School
A. Listening to others A. Lining up quietly when the bell rings
Communication
B. Speaking and acting politely and honestly B. Staying in line quietly with the class
C. Keeping hands and feet to self C. Being unpacked on time
D. Taking care of school property D. Having materials ready and put away on time
E. Handling disagreements appropriately E. Getting to assigned places on time
F. Talking at appropriate times
5. PARTICIPATION includes:
2. Being responsible for SELF includes: A. Taking an active part in activity or discussion
A. Doing high quality work C. FollowingWORK
directions
B. Making safe decisions D. Asking for help when it is needed
C. Staying out of others business. E. Working together with partners
D. Demonstrating healthy habits F. Starting and staying on task to complete work
E. Taking care of materials
F. Walking in hallways and on sidewalks
Total Weekly Points: _____/100
3. Being PREPARED each day includes:
A. Having the school folder or binder. ____ 100-99 Gold Medal, Excellent
B. Paying cafeteria account before school ____ 98-97 Silver Medal, Great
C. Having this responsibility sheet signed daily ____ 96-95 Bronze Medal, Satisfactory
D. Completing homework neatly & correctly
____ 94-below Needs Improvement
E. Having required assignments or materials

Weekly Glow: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Astute Hoot 2013

Weekly Grow: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Parent Tips
Review the Responsibility Chart
with your child daily.
To help your child develop
Use the following discussion
responsibility and independence,
starters:
create a checklist of daily duties.

Loss of Star:
Why did you lose a star? Sample Checklist

Golden Keys
What is a better choice for _____Completed homework
tomorrow?

to Success
------- Silent reading for 20 minutes
What did you learn from this?
_____ Responsibility Chart signed
Classroom Management Plan
Kept All Stars:
What is your Glow today?
_____ Binder in backpack Parent Brochure
_____ Pencil pouch in backpack RESPE
CT
What key did you best
demonstrate? _____ Lunchbox packed PARTIC
IPATE
(in refrigerator) SELF
What are you proud of?

PR
O
Children arent perfect and

M
PT
ARE
chances are that they will

PREP
occasionally lose a star. This
occasional loss of a star doesnt
deem an additional home
consequence. However, if your
child loses stars frequently, set
consequences at home. Important life skills and
qualities that students
The Responsibility Chart should need to become
serve as a motivational tool.
Set a behavior goal each week successful citizens
(i.e., # of stars per week) and an
accompanying parent reward.
Astute Hoot 2013
Responsibility Chart
Overview
Each week your child will
receive a new Responsibility
Chart, a daily home-school
communication tool.
Your child must have his/her
Responsibility Chart signed
DAILY by a parent/guardian.
Stars
Children begin the week with
100 stars. At the end of each
day, children add up their
stars. If all 20 stars are kept
daily, they earn a Key Award.
Children add up their stars for
the week on their Responsibility
Charts and mark as follows:
100-99 Stars = Gold Medal
Behavior (Excellent)
98-97 Stars = Silver Medal
Behavior (Great)
96-95 Stars = Bronze Medal
Behavior (Satisfactory)
94 and Below=Unsatisfactory
Behavior
RESPE
CT
Negative
PARTIC
IPATE Consequences:
SELF
Loss of Recess: A deduction of 2
or more stars per day results in a
PR
O
M
10-minute recess loss and com-
PT
ARE
pletion of behavior reflection
PREP
sheet.
Positive Consequences
Call Home: A deduction of 3 or
more stars results in parent con-
Daily Key Awards: A raffle ticket for the
weekly treasure box drawing
tact along with loss of recess.
Study Hall: A deduction of 6 or
Weekly Behavior Certificates: A be- more stars for the week and/or
havior certificate given on Friday for
incomplete class work or home-
children who demonstrate Gold Medal work, results in a 30-minute Study
behavior
Hall session.
Weekly Celebration of Learning: A
Principal Referral: Extreme or
30-minute choice activity for children reoccurring behavior results in
who keep 95-100 stars parent contact along with prin-
cipal referral.
Weekly Key Club Induction: A special
week of activities that recognize a
childs excellent behavior or improve-
ment; Instructions will be sent home
with induction.
Quarterly Behavior Trophies or Medals:
An additional recognition for quarterly
Gold Medal behavior
Astute Hoot 2013
Walking in line
1. Teach point-to-point movement as students walk around the
campus.
a. Identify a location or action and students move to that point
and stop.
i. Please walk to the pillar and stop there.
b. If students arent quiet enough, walk them back and have
them do it again.

2. Challenge students to set goals and make sure you focus on speed.
Speed and order are the goals of lining up and walking in line.
a. Get a stopwatch and time them; record times to track
improvement and progress toward goals.

3. Read Who Will Be Mystery Walker? poem before line and reward 1-
2 students for great line skills (see below).

4. If all students are doing a great job, give them a Quiet Line Loop.
Loop these together to make a class chain. Determine how long the
change needs to be before the class earns a reward. If the class
earns a compliment while in line, add an additional loop to the
chain. These simple procedures reinforce efficient transitions and
also build classroom community as students must work together to
earn a reward.

Astute Hoot 2013

 Who Will Be The Mystery Walker?

Im choosing someone in my head

To see if you face straight ahead.

Are your hands down by your side?

Do you walk with a safe stride?

Is your voice off as you walk,

Not a bit of any talk?

If I see the answers yes,

A special reward for your success.

Astute Hoot 2013

Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________
Im The Mystery Walker!
Date: ____________

Astute Hoot 2013

We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________
We earned a Line Loop!
Date: ____________

Astute Hoot 2013

 T O P 1 0
ABOUT ME
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
AND #1 IS
2013 Astute Hoot, All Rights Reserved
READING STRATEGIES
DECODING ANIMALS COMPREHENSION ANIMALS

Point to each word Retell the key points or

while reading to help main ideas of the story
keep your place. (Who? What? When?
Where? Why?).
Pointing
PORCUPINE Summarizing
SQUIRREL

Use picture clues from Picture the story

the story to help read events, characters and
unknown words. setting in your head
like watching a movie
or T.V. show.
Detecting Visualizing
DEER VULTURE

Reread the sentence Ask questions to help

and try a word that understand the story.
makes sense.

Rereading Questioning
RACCOON QUAIL

Break words into Use picture and word

smaller chunks. clues to predict what
will happen next in the
story.

Chunking Predicting
CHIPMUNK POSSUM

Stretch the word out Make a connection to

slowly and put the the story by linking it
sounds together to to something in your
make a word. own life, a book youve
read before or an idea
Sounding Out Connecting you have.
SNAKE COYOTE
2011 Astute Hoot, All Rights Reserved
 Think Sheet
Name____________________________________ Date ______________________
What were you feeling?

What happened? (Can be dictated to adult)

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

What did you want?

o Attention o To cause a o Control o To get out of
problem work
o Challenge a o To get even o To talk to a o Other:
teacher or revenge teacher ________________

How did your behavior make other people feel?

o Happy o Sad o Confused o Angry
o Scared o Unsafe o Worried o Frustrated

Did you use a coping strategy? Yes or No If yes, which one? If no, which
one could you have tried?
o Take 3 deep breaths o Ignore o Count backwards
o Move elsewhere o Self-talk o Do something else
o Think calm thoughts o Talk to teacher o Chill-take a break

What do you need to do now to correct the problem?

o Apologize (say sorry) o Clean up o Complete work
o Make a plan o Problem solve o Do something nice

Adult Signature_____________________________________________________
Astute Hoot 2013
 First Week of School Lesson Plans:
The first week back can be stressful and overwhelming, but
dont succumb to the pressure. This first week is time to focus on
establishing procedures, explaining expectations and building
classroom community.

Developed by veteran teachers, these engaging, interactive

lessons and activities embody this focus while creating an
organized, efficient daily schedule. Daily pre-assessment time is
build into these plans to ensure that you are able to determine
each childs baseline skills.

Highlighted fields represent lessons and activities included in this

unit. Some materials and activities are used each day (i.e.
Unpacking procedures and chart); these are included after
Mondays lesson plan.

Daily lesson plans and accompanying activities are color-

coded to help with planning and organization.

Suggestions for Use:

Read through the lesson plan framework and modify
according to your schedule, grade-level and needs.

Prep and copy materials and place in daily containers to keep

your classroom organized.

Make Back to School student folders to hold these

materials and activities; students can take home at the
end of the week and share learning with parents.
 Monday: First Day of School
Focus: Show respect
Listening to others, speaking and acting politely and honestly, walking in
hallways and on sidewalks
8:30-8:45 Warm-Up: Word Search
Students work quietly at desks while teacher figures out
transportation and attendance

8:45-8:55 Play announcements and say pledge

8:55-9:30 Teach unpacking procedures and sort school materials
9:30-10:00 Teach gathering at carpet procedures;
Complete respect overview lesson
10:00-10:30 Complete active listening activity
10:30-11:00 Practice lining-up/walking in line procedures (Marshmallow Toes);
Take school tour
11:00-11:20 Create cafeteria respect guidelines
11:20-12:00 Lunch
12:00-12:15 Practice freezing at teachers signal procedures
12:15-12:30 Play Back to School Bingo 1 (practice freezing at signals while
students rove)
12:30-12:45 Create Friendship Web
12:45-1:30 Read Recess Queen and complete accompanying activity
Take individual photos of students faces for tomorrows
homework
1:30-1:45 Recess
1:45-2:30 Read First Day Jitters and complete accompanying activities
2:30-2:50 Explain school binders:
Homework (Me Bag)
Communication (newsletter)
Welcome to 2nd Grade Folders (parent homework)
o Curriculum, grading, homework, behavior policies and
procedures
Pass out goody bags
2:50-3:05 Teach packing up procedures
3:05-3:10 Organize students according to transportation
Dismiss siblings
Dismiss parent pick-up and Kids Express kids
Walk students to buses
 Following Instructions

Sometimes the teacher tells me to do

something. I may not want to do it. I
will not get upset. I will say Okay
and listen.

Astute Hoot, 2013

Dear Families,
Welcome to second grade! This year you will see tremendous
progress in all areas. Children will become fluent readers, published
authors and skilled mathematicians with a repertoire of strategies.
Our school is on a six-day schedule, which can get confusing. A
master copy is attached and a specials schedule will be sent home
monthly.
Your involvement plays a vital role in your childs academic success.
Alone we can do so much, but together we can do so much more.
Please make sure your child completes his/her homework and weekly
reading. A volunteer sheet is included; please fill out and return if
interested.
Attached are the homework and behavior policies along with a
curriculum overview. Please keep these in a safe place as they are a
great reference throughout the year. Complete and return the paperwork
in the left pocket of the folder by Friday, July 27th. (Send in all paperwork in
this folder.)
I look forward to working with your family!

Sincerely,

Jessica Murphy
murphy.jessica@cusd80.com
(480) 812-7500
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Jessica Jennifer Tina