Back to School Review: The Smart Way to Start the Year
If you’ve ever jumped right into your curriculum during the first week of school, only to realize your students were not quite ready, you’re not alone! I know firsthand, it’s so tempting to dive in, especially with pacing guides looming! But here’s the secret many experienced teachers learn the hard way. . . The smartest way to start the school year is by slowing down. By choosing to focus on review before diving into new material, you’re giving your students the best possible start to the school year. Let’s walk through why it’s a great idea to begin with a review period, what those first two weeks can look like, and which no-prep resources can help you make it happen with confidence!
Why Review Must Come First
I know, I know, you’ve got a LOT to cover this year! Those standards are a mile long, and you’re expected to teach a lot of new skills in a very short period of time. But here’s the thing. . . what if I told you review could actually save you time? Yes, really! When you take the time to review before you teach, you’re giving your kids a super solid foundation to build on. Ultimately, this will save time, frustration, and energy! Here’s why:
1. It Builds Confidence
Primary students enter the classroom with nerves, big emotions, and sometimes rusty skills after a long summer. We all know the summer slide is a very real thing, and it’s quite possible they have forgotten much of what they learned last year! Starting with review allows students to feel successful right away, and that confidence sets the tone for the entire year. When they get something “right” on Day 1, they start believing they can handle anything Day 2 brings. This is an awesome feeling to instill in your students right off the bat!
2. Review Lets You Observe
Another fantastic reason to start with review is the time it gives you to simply watch. As your students work through familiar content, you’ll gain insight into many important things, such as:
- Academic skill gaps
- Behavior patterns
- Fine motor strength
- Stamina and attention levels
This informal assessment gives you a head start on planning small groups, adjusting your pace, and supporting kids where they really are. This will be invaluable to you as the year progresses!
3. It Provides Room for Teaching Routines
Let’s not forget, you’re not just teaching reading and math. You’re teaching how to behave in your classroom and school environments, too! Starting with review allows you to also teach classroom rules, expectations, and procedures at the same time. You can easily pair review activities with lessons or reminders on:
- Where and how to find supplies
- What to do if your pencil needs to be sharpened
- How to share school materials
- How to use scissors and glue, and more!
Review materials help free your teacher-brain to focus on routines, expectations, and classroom management, without piling on academic pressure. We ALL need this during the hectic back to school season, right? I know I did!
What to Review for First Grade
If you’re wondering what you should be covering in your review, think back to kindergarten standards and what they should have learned. And remember, even if your students “learned it” last year, they might not remember it this year. Start the year out right and practice the basics! Here’s what to review before introducing new curriculum:
- Letter names and sounds
- High-frequency sight words
- Counting to 100
- Number sense to 20
- Simple addition and subtraction
- Writing first and last names
- Basic sentence structure
- Scissor skills and pencil grip
- Proper care of school materials
I know, these are super basic, but they will help your kids be successful all year long! And remember, we’re after those quick wins too! We want our kids to feel successful on day one and build up confidence in their abilities. Focusing our efforts on these skills will help us do so!
Spend Two Weeks on Smart Review
All right, ready to see what this looks like in action? Let’s talk about how you can spend the first two weeks of school reviewing important skills in a fun way!
Week One: Routines & Confidence Building
When those new students walk into your room on the very first day, I’m betting your goal is not to drill and kill right off the bat. Oh no! Instead, our focus is on making students feel welcome, building up their confidence, and nailing those routines that will make the year flow smoothly. For this reason, I suggest planning accordingly when it comes to your lessons. Start the day off with some friendly meet-and-greet activities, engaging read-alouds, and of course, review!
Below are the big things I focused on during the first week of the year.
Take a Classroom Tour and Learn Expectations
I’m not talking about a quick walk around the room, pointing out the different spaces. No, this is a week long tour that happens a little every day. Each day, we pick one or two areas in the room to explore in depth. While there, we also learn about the expectations for that area, how to use supplies, and anything else that will make that part of the room run smoothly.
In my room, I was very intentional about setting up my classroom in a way that was supportive to students. I’m talking about all the labels, rule posters, educational supports, hand signal charts, and more! In my opinion, you can use classroom decor to your advantage by being selective about the types of things you include. Make sure to read this blog post to learn more about how to do that and plan on spending a good deal of time touring your classroom and learning about where things go, how students can get what they need, taking care of materials, and more. This will pay off so much in the long run, and hopefully, many of these concepts will also serve as a review for your students from last year!
This is also a really great time to talk about what your “best work” should look like and model expectations for this. Children in the primary grades need examples, so spend some time showing them exactly what star students should be turning in. This will help build confidence and pride in their work and set everyone up for success!
Nail Your Morning Routine & Weave in Review
In my room, the most important part of our day was our morning routine. Why? It sets the tone for the entire day and ensures that we’re off to a great start. The last thing I want is to feel like a chaotic mess first thing in the morning. No, thank you! So instead, consider how you will set up your morning routine for a smooth, stress-free start to the day.
My suggestion is to use No-Prep Morning Work Activities. These allow you to naturally weave in a spiral review of important math and ELA skills each and every day, while also facilitating independence and order in your classroom.
Each day, the students will learn to put away their belongings, pick up a page, and get to work! This routine allows everyone to ease in, take responsibility, and review some important skills right away. It’s such a great way to begin the school day and gives you a bit of time to get organized and do those morning tasks you likely need to handle!
My morning work bundle is filled with seasonal pages for each month of the year that align with first-grade standards. They make it simple and easy to squeeze in daily review each and every day!
If you want to give these a try in your classroom, make sure to grab this free sample of the pages. Inside, you get one free month of no-prep morning work pages that review common kindergarten skills. This is the perfect way to kick off the first month of school while also learning to master the morning routine!
Week Two: Skills Check and Learning Transitions
After your first week is in the books, it’s time to start kicking things up a notch. By this point, your children should be getting the hang of the classroom rules and expectations. You’ll likely have a solid foundation when it comes to your morning routine, too! Hooray! So what’s next? Learning transitions and weaving in a skills check with meaningful (and fun) review!
Introduce and Practice Center Time Transitions
Centers are so much fun, but definitely take some practice to master. I personally do not introduce center time to my students until they are ready. This will vary by age level, but in first grade, the second week is usually safe, so long as your kiddos have done well with the other things we talked about for week one. Even still, take this one slow! Keep the materials simple, easy to put away, and concepts focused on review. All we’re really trying to master when they are first introduced is how to move from station to station and the procedure for each one.
I like to walk around during the first week of centers and check in with kiddos. Eventually, when they get it down, this time allows me to take a small group for focused instruction. But don’t try to do this until your kids understand how centers work and have shown independence during this time. Ask me how I know!
So what kind of activities work well when you’re learning center time procedures? Fun ones! Choose simple puzzles, playdough activities, coloring pages, and building bricks or snap cubes. Anything that showcases fun, doesn’t have too many steps, and is easy to pack up when it’s time to switch. I also recommend using some kind of signal, like a wireless doorbell, to teach students when it’s time to clean up and prepare to move. Take your time here and have fun with it. It’s worth it, trust me! You’ll be so excited when you have a room full of kiddos who can smoothly transition from one center to the next!
Review Activities for a Skills Check
As you are focused on learning how to make center time functional in your room, you can also weave in some meaningful review activities. This is the perfect place to use Color by Code pages! These are a low-stress, low-prep activity that will allow you to informally check in on student skill level and start considering how you will group your kids. Plus, they are print and go! Just select your pages, print, and provide kids with crayons for an instant center activity.
I love to use this Bundle of Math Facts Coloring Pages to see where students’ skill levels currently fall with math. In this bundle, I included two sets of pages, one for facts within 10 and one for facts within 20, so there are plenty of options to choose from throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, I start with the addition and subtraction within 10 as a review.
If you’re looking for reading, I’ve got you covered here, too! These Back to School Color by Word pages are perfect for a beginning of the year review. There are 8 pages with sight words and 8 pages with phonics patterns, so you can assess a variety of ELA skills. There are also editable options included, so you can customize these pages to fit your needs!
More No-Prep Review Options
As you ease into the year with review, I know you’ll appreciate having options to practice “best work”, weave into center time, and learn how to work independently. I also know you’ll really appreciate low-prep options during this crazy time of year!
That being said, I recommend checking out these No-Prep Practice Pages to fill that need. This resource covers a variety of math and ELA skills that will be a review for first grade students. There are 84 pages included here, and they are truly no-prep! All you need to do is print and go!
Having these no prep pages in your teacher toolbox will definitely make planning easy. These are also the perfect activities to use for review and reinforcing classroom expectations and procedures.
Start with Review, End with Growth
When we take the time to rebuild school stamina, revisit expectations, and review foundational skills, we’re not “wasting time.” We’re paving the way for long-term success. And that’s really what we’re after, right?! Review can be fun and stress-free with the right tools in your hands. If you need a little support, don’t forget to check out the ready-to-use, no-prep resources I mentioned in this post! Here are those links again if you need them!
I’m cheering you on, teacher-friend! Wishing you all the best as you tackle those first two weeks back in the classroom!
Looking for More?
Make sure to read this post next if you’re looking for back to school activities to carry you beyond the first two weeks! This blog post will help you plan the entire back to school season with ease.
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