In the August Issue:
Starting the New School Year
Veteran teachers know that the first few weeks are crucial to setting the right tone for the rest of the year.
“Planning is essential,” says Grace Marie Greeno, Director of Literacy and Title 1 Programs at the Revere Public Schools. “Teachers and administrators need to plan to get their routines established from day 1 and to provide consistency of management and instruction.” Since the ability to read is integral to the learning experience, literacy specialists and teachers must develop their plan of approach before school begins. Here are some tips to get started.
As soon as possible, find out as much as you can about your students. Getting to know your class is essential and will help you effectively collaborate with your students in the classroom. By evaluating students’ class ranks, previous test scores, and strengths and weaknesses, you can pinpoint the best teaching methods to use for each child and determine what is appropriate for whole-class instruction.
Consider your environment as you prepare for school. Assessing the space and the number of students should help determine how to set up your classroom or computer lab. Decide what you want to do and make sure your environment is set up before school starts.
Your computer lab environment is as important as the classroom. Lexia software centers can be extremely effective for tailored, small-group instruction. You can reward students by hanging posters around the computer lab listing the students who have completed a level or program. Equally important is making sure that you have the technology tools you need and that they all work properly. Confirm that all your computers work and that the appropriate software is loaded. Check each workstation and make arrangements for hardware and software upgrades or for technical assistance if necessary.
Another tip is to seal headsets in plastic bags with each student’s name written on it. Organize these bags alphabetically, last name 1st, so students can easily identify their own headset as they prepare to work on the Lexia software. This saves time, promotes hygiene, and facilitates smooth transitions.
Plan how you will manage and control your students and their environment. Veteran teachers know that they need to have a plan before their 1st student walks in the door. Take charge of the class, establish the class routine, and maintain consistency while also providing necessary flexibility when circumstances change.
According to Greeno, “Routines are a big part of managing your classroom successfully. From the 1st day of school, teachers should set expectations and define the consequences if expectations are not met.” She advises teachers to develop routines for students to go to the Lexia lab with their headsets in hand, for returning the headsets, and for using the classroom computers.
Greeno also encourages teachers to create class rules and to consistently enforce them from the start. When students are involved in determining some of the rules, they develop an understanding of the reasoning behind them and feel responsible for following them. Rules can range from what students should do when they enter the classroom to how they complete their homework or how they treat one another.
Effective teachers make sure that students know the rules and help them follow clear and appropriate procedures. The more successful you are in setting up solid routines and establishing clear expectations during the 1st days and weeks of school, the more likely it is that students will become academically successful.
To clarify expectations, communicate a daily and weekly agenda. You can review the agenda orally with students, post it on the board or in some other prominent place, or hand it out. It is also helpful to create a process to summarize what students have learned and accomplished each day.
Everybody is excited about the beginning of the school year. Make it a special time for you and for your students. Be prominently visible as you greet students and parents and be available before and after school to answer their questions. Above all, enjoy the 1st few weeks as you get to know your students and they get to know you.
Updated Management System – available in September
Lexia Learning Systems has prepared for the new school year by adding new features and functionality in an upgrade to our software’s common management system. Benefits of the Administration 1.4 upgrade include:
- Improved Class and Student Sorting – The class sorting feature helps teachers manage multiple classes and enables students to find their names easily in Lexia programs. You can add middle initials to student names to avoid confusion when your class includes students with the same name.
- Automatic Leveling – As your students progress through the programs, completed levels automatically deactivate and the next level automatically activates, keeping your students focused and progressing sequentially.
- Program Enrollment Features – You can specifically assign individual students to specific Lexia programs and remove them from others.
In addition, new administration features and utilities help network administrators manage Lexia programs, and back-end modifications boost database reliability and performance on the network.
Customers with an active support plan can start the school year with an effective way to manage all of their Lexia programs in one system by upgrading to the Administration 1.4 tool. Customers not presently on a Lexia software support plan should sign up now to benefit from this upgrade. If you are not yet using Lexia to manage your class reports, call your local representative to see how you might benefit from this new upgrade.