Summer is here, and that means relaxing, going to the pool, sleeping in, and doing ALL the things you love! But if you’re looking forward to binge-watching your favorite shows this summer break, don’t forget that this is the best time to do some back to school prep! I know, I know… you want to relax! I’m all for it! That doesn’t mean you can’t spend some time relaxing and getting some things ready for next year!
Here are a few easy back to school prep ideas that will save you time during la rentrée !
Think about your classroom space.
I have taught in tiny classrooms, huge classrooms, and strange rooms that I’m pretty sure were not classrooms when they were designed. I have to admit that I didn’t always make the best use of my space. Things are SO busy when we go back to school, and I just usually didn’t have the time once August rolled around. Some years, my classroom just was not a space that felt comfortable to me, but I was too tired to care once I realized it.
While you’ve got some time over the summer to do some back to school prep, think about what you want your classroom to be like. I mean, you are spending a LOT of hours there each week, so you deserve to make it a space you want to be in.
Things to consider:
- Is your classroom a comfortable space for you when you get to be alone in it? If not, what would make it better? For me, bringing in a small desk lamp so I could turn out the lights during my planning period was a game-changer!
- What creature comforts would make your classroom more comfortable for you? For me, it was getting a mini-fridge and a coffee pot! (Of course, this might require admin approval, so if you think you need to check, do that before you buy anything!)
- Do you want students to sit in groups, in pairs, in rows, or some other way? It’s a good time to start playing around with seating chart ideas.
- Do you want to try out learning stations? Think about what that would look like in your classroom. (And no, these are not just for elementary students! I have done them with high school French classes, too!)
- Do you need new posters, word wall cards, or visuals to support student learning?
Cut and laminate French games, word walls, and conversation prompts.
I love catching up on my favorite tv shows, and I’ll admit I have had quite a few back to school prep sessions where I binged my favorites all day long! It’s a great time to cut out and laminate all those pieces we don’t always have time to get to during the school year.
French conversation prompts are such a handy cards to have on-hand to get students speaking! Here’s what you can do:
- If you have a spare five minutes, just grab some cards and do a quick Q and A session.
- Put them in photo boxes on student tables and have them spend five minutes per day talking to their classmates.
- Put them up around your room and have students move around talking to classmates.
Grab these French ER verb speaking cards here at my TpT store.
Think about your own organization system.
For one of your back to school prep sessions, think about how your organize your desk, your digital files, the papers you collect, etc.
Things to consider:
- What kinds of organizers do you want for your desk or closet? Now is a great time to hit the dollar stores or your office supply place to find what you want. I like having a tray for each hour where I store all my papers to hand back.
- Do you like your current turn-in system? If not, take time to reflect on what would make it easier for you. I have one tray on my desk, and at the end of each hour, I put all papers together with a binder clip.
- Do you feel like students are always asking for make-up work? It might be time to try out a new plan for absent students. For me, making an absent folder with any missed printables was an easy way to do this. You can make one folder per class or one for each day of the week.
- Do your digital files need cleaned up? Take time to go through and delete old files, rename them so they’re easier to find, or organize them by unit.
Reflect on your classroom procedures.
Do you have some procedures that don’t quite work? Now is the time to make some adjustments! For me, back to school prep has often been about reflecting on my successes and struggles so I can make it even better for the next school year!
Things to consider:
- Do your students constantly say << J’ai fini >> ? Do they sit there with nothing to do while they wait for classmates to finish? If so, consider having some activities like French task cards on-hand so they can work quietly while they wait.
- What is your procedure when students need to borrow a book, a pencil, or some other classroom supply?
- Are you constantly writing hall passes? If your school allows, making and laminating your own to put on lanyards can be a big time-saver!
- Starting each class with a bell-ringer is an easy way to get all students ready to work. If you aren’t using something at the start of each class, you’re missing a great opportunity to engage students while you take attendance!
Find bell-ringers for the entire year for French 1, 2, or 3 here at my TpT store.
Get some meals ready.
This one is always one of my favorite back to school prep activities, because I love cooking when I’m not pressed for time (like during the first few weeks of school!) Summer is the perfect time to make some dinners you can store in your freezer so that when you are way too tired to make dinner, you have a meal ready-to-go!
It’s also a good time to make batches of muffins or pancakes for breakfast so you aren’t grabbing a cereal bar everyday (or searching for something to feed your kids!) My husband LOVES chocolate chip cookies, so I freeze batches of unbaked cookies so I can just pop them in the oven anytime I want to give him a treat during the school year.
Find something fun for your first week of school.
Maybe you’re not too excited about getting back to lesson planning. I get that! You’ll have all year to think about objectives, standards, reteaching, etc. Right now, just focus on the fun stuff for your back to school prep sessions!
These ice-breakers are a fun way to learn about your students. Use the conversation cards for an in-class speaking activity and use the writing page with the same questions so you can read and learn about your students over the first few weeks.
It also includes other fun activities like find someone who and two truths and a lie so you can use the same resource with multiple grade levels.
Find these French icebreakers here at my TpT store.
Don’t stress about back to school prep! Make it fun and relaxing so it doesn’t feel like work! Watch your favorite show as you prep games, make supply shopping a fun outing with kids or teacher friends, or put on some of your favorite songs as you meal-prep. You don’t need to do a lot over summer, but your future self will thank you for anything you do!
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