First Week Lesson Plans - Five Days of High School English, Teacher Vlog

An experienced high school English teacher shares tips and tricks to make your teaching life easier. Today, let’s talk about lesson plans for the first five days of school.
Month-by-month calendars for English 9 or 10 (free download):
www.teacherspa...
My favorite classroom seating arrangement (video):
• Seating Chart That Wor...
First day stations overview/explanation (video):
• First Day of School Ic...
First day stations materials and “You are here” worksheet (free download):
www.teacherspa...
The Only 4 Classroom Rules You Need (video):
• Classroom Management f...
Class contract (free download):
lrandazzo.file...
Using memes in your classroom (blog post):
laurarandazzo....
How to Teach Grammar in Just 10 Minutes a Week (video):
• Grammar Lessons That W...
MUG Shot Monday bell-ringers (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
Lit. Term Tuesday bell-ringers (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
Sustained Silent Reading/SSR (free download):
www.teacherspa...
Words on Wednesday bell-ringers (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
Power of Punctuation lesson materials (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
Email Netiquette lesson materials (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
All lesson materials mentioned in today’s video are also included in the Full-Year 180 Days of Eng. 9-10 Curriculum (paid product):
www.teacherspa...
Music used with permission of Sing King:
/ singkingkaraoke

[@EverydayEboni]

Thank you!!! This is my first year as an English teacher. I have been watching you all summer and this is my fav video!!!!

[@mrs.elhewitt8910]

Happy first days of school to Laura and everyone!

[@EngVlog]

Hello! I like her English tips

[@maryoconnell2375]

Laura!! You are awesome!! I love you, in a professional way!! You should know how much you have made my job easier. I am not a trained educator and I am still uneasy at the beginning of each school year. You are a great person, and I wish you the best year ever! Blessings to you and your family.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Blessings to you, too, Mary. Love the love! :)

[@brendaheilman4051]

This was great! I taught JH ELA and I'm sure I have a position for HS ELA so this was very helpful.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Congratulations on the new gig, Brenda! ❤️

[@Rockerlady]

@@laurarandazzo1158 Any advice for pacing HS summer school?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

@@Rockerlady What grade level? What's the schedule, i.e. how many days each week and how many minutes per session?

[@dianegabrielle3599]

Your energy is amazing. Have a great year.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

You, too, Mrs. G! :)

[@whitetailpoet4243]

Thanks for the tips. I am a first year English teacher starting in a small rural school. It's good to see my week one launch is similar and I love the Friday SSR hour as well. Take care and thanks again.

[@sarasjolund]

Tales from the Crypt! Also, I'm looking forward to starting at a new school, with new students next week. This video came exactly when it needed to! Thanks! I feel nervous, but really pumped. I can't wait to meet my students and collegues. I have so many ideas and quite a few came from you. Have a great start to the new school year!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sara Sjölund Woo-hoo, Sara! You know obscure cheesy horror shows from the past. :) Nice job. Enjoy your launch to the school year!

[@xyhanx]

YAY! I know you are a seasoned teacher but still, I want to say you've got this, Laura! New school year with a new set of students you will inspire.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Thanks, xyhanx! And I'm taking on a new assignment this year, too, working in our library as a curriculum builder and teaching classes to a wide variety of students. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited. :)

[@alisontoney4336]

Tales from the Crypt, baby!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Alison Toney We have a winner!!!

[@karenrawson8588]

Hi Laura, I have loved your work for years!! I'm hoping you are planning an update of this video post-pandemic and the consequent learning loss. I have great ambitions (as I do every year as an optimistic teacher) to help students feel safe, create class community, and make learning gains (also hopefully pass the state test after being told it "doesn't count" but it is their graduation requirement)

[@laurarandazzo1158]

The world is upside-down, for sure. For the launch this fall, a lot of the same baseline materials still work. The pace, though, seems to have changed. I hear you.

[@robinrosette2080]

Super! I am a Sped. Teacher and have a co-teacher I will recommend to view this video and I wrote down resources! Thanks.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@GatherYeRosebudsWhileYeMay]

So grateful I found this ! You’re amazing !

[@moreno93212]

Hi Laura! I am one of the new subscribers you gained over the summer. I just want to say thank you for your wisdom and sharing your techniques :). This is my second year teaching English and at a new school with all freshmen. I used your stations activity on the first day and it was a hit! Thanks again for sharing and hope to see new videos soon!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Aw, thanks so much, Christina. Glad you're here with me! Yes, my little channel has grown quite a bit over the past few months and I'm really, really going to try to keep up with my weekly postings at the new year rolls along. We'll see how I do... Anyway, glad you were able to grab those first day stations materials and that they worked for your classes. Success! For other folks who want to avoid awkward icebreakers as they start the year, here's a free set of Day 1 materials that Christina and I love: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Day-of-School-Stations-Activity-Icebreaker-Middle-High-School-FREE-3254153

[@kendraleier5273]

Thanks so much for sharing, Laura! You've defiitely inspired me to try a few new things as I start up my year.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

So glad to hear this, Kendra! :)

[@KB-bk9fz]

Thank you soooo much!!

[@evercuriousmichelle]

I love the name cards! I use them in college classes! Another important way to help genderqueer and transgender students feel welcome is to ask everyone to put their pronouns on their name card. That way students don't have to make a big announcement in class if their pronouns are different than some would guess. You can also make it a fun art activity by having them draw other things that are important to them on their name cards.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Great suggestion, Michelle! I also try to use names more now than "he" or "she" whenever possible. And, yes, the kids always end up doodling on the name cards before we toss them into the recycling bin at the end of Week 2. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)

[@anklegod3700]

Lol yeah usually the name cards end up out the window and forgotten but it’s fun little thing to do so 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@teresamanyosa]

Thank you so much for your videos and your uplifting vibes. I sure need a little bit of those for the launch of the school year. So much appreciate it! Love you Laura

[@EngVlog]

Thank you for interesting and informative materials in practice

[@kattate9169]

Awsome visualizations. As an English teacher, I only have one improvement area. When selecting a class text please try to choose books that inspire all races. Students from every culture should feel respected and empowered. For example, discussing "Lynching threats" could be a harmful and shameful subject.

[@hazardstorms226]

Hi! Loving your ideas- thank you! Could you explain how you do your Easter egg find your seat thing please?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Hazard Storms Sure thing! Check out this video and begin at the 5-minute mark: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ26fKSPhbV-bKM

[@WhyMermaids]

I love your various bell ringers, they seem like a great and easy way to include all that necessary content we have to somehow fit in. For someone on an A/B 90 minute block, how would you structure those?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Great question, WhyMermaids. Because we see students less frequently on the A/B block, I use the three main bellringers (MUG shots, Lit. terms, and Words) in rotation, one per class session, and don't start any classes without one. Then, I use Trios and SSR on the last day that I see a class each week, always either a Thursday or Friday. Hope this helps. Happy planning! :)

[@WhyMermaids]

Laura Randazzo Thanks! We start back in 2 weeks and I’m loving all your back to school videos!

[@jenniferjepsen3947]

I am looking for the stations you do on the first day of class. Thank you so much!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Here you go: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Day-of-School-Stations-Activity-Icebreaker-Middle-High-School-FREE-3254153

[@lisajones2561]

Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a GREAT year!!!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Thanks, Lisa. You, too! :)

[@Rcee3239]

Hi Ive always wondered as a teacher how do you know which CCSS to teach on which day/week and how many to incorporate in a lesson. So for a first year teacher, how would he/ she know how to begin their school year with the standards?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

That's a great question and something we all struggle with at first, Randi. You are not alone. For me, I was already teaching and had a full-year of curriculum set when the CCSS were released. I sat down with the standards and made sure that every item was covered at some point in my year. Then, I went back and looked at areas where my coverage was thin and built more materials to reinforce those specific standards. Finally, I make the correct but painful decision to cut some activities that were favorites of mine but didn't align to anything in the list of standards. Since you're starting out fresh, you'll do fine if you remember that every lesson needs to hook to at least one item on the CCSS; more is better, but find at least one. And don't worry about teaching them in a set order. It doesn't really work that way. I recommend you borrow an established calendar from a veteran teacher on your campus and use it as your foundation. Then, you can add/subtract as you like to best fit your style and the needs of your particular students. Do not reinvent the wheel; you'll break your back with prep when you have so many other things to figure out in this first year. Also, I have free calendar sets for Eng. 9-10 and Eng. 11 if you need a starting spot: laurarandazzo.com/2018/04/07/free-h-s-english-monthly-calendars/ Happy planning! :)

[@SuperClover12]

Okay, I have a problem! I am trying to incorporate a pleasure reading unit in my class (8th grade). We only have about 53 minutes in class, so I don’t have a lot of time for them to read in class. We set our own reading goals by determining our reading rate, I have them log their pages read each week, plan to do individual one-on-one conferences, and will have them complete a book review for every book they read. The problem is, I still don’t have much buy in from some of my reluctant readers. I want this to be intrinsically motivated because studies show that getting rewards for reading (i.e. AR) doesn’t produce life long readers. I see you had in this video something about book talks and was wondering about what that might be. My overall question is how do I keep students accountable every week in a way that doesn’t stress me out and is also low stakes for them, does that make sense? Sorry for the long comment, I am just at a loss!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Oh, I hear you, Hello Middle School. The struggle you're facing is really common. In fact, I think this'll be my next video topic, since lots of us have these same questions. Stay tuned! I'll have my two cents on SSR up for you next Saturday. :)

[@SuperClover12]

Laura Randazzo yayy!!! Thank you!!

[@mrs.elhewitt8910]

Hey Hello Middle School- up here in Canada we have a series called Orca that rocks- I'm sure your librarian would know something similar where you are. They are high interest but low reading level- so they are super interesting and grade appropriate in content- but are super short and easy to read! Our librarian has them all together in the library on a rack- and the kids LOVE them. They love reading them... And I teach some rough kids! Good luck!

[@EngVlog]

Thank you for interesting

[@SuperClover12]

Mrs. EL Hewitt oh that’s awesome! I’ll have to check that out! Thank you!

[@gigikean6003]

Soooooo helpful.

[@chrisparker740]

This was super helpful!!! do you know anybody that does this similarly but with science?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sorry, Chris, but I don't follow many science folks. Bell-ringers will work for all subject areas and I'm guessing you can find some pre-made slides on TpT or just make some of your own. Definitely a smooth way to launch class each day. Happy 19-20!

[@kattate9169]

Awesome

[@blciffa]

What grades are you teaching this year? This is my first year with mixed classes from 10-12 grade. I've bought your year of lessons for inspiration. Love all of your ideas! Trying SSR Fridays and Quarter Trios this year. Hoping it helps me follow through more than past years. Ever since having a baby things have fallen through the cracks.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Babies will definitely turn your world upside-down and inside-out in the very best possible way. I haven't ever taught a mixed level class in the same class period; that sounds like quite an adventure. This year, I'm actually teaching every level because I've taken on the "education specialist" role at our library, which basically means I'm building curriculum and teaching lessons to lots of different groups of students on lots of different topics. New year = new challenges. Let's all have a great 18-19! :)

[@MBSpirit23]

Hey Laura, love the videos. How do you take attendance on the Thursdays with no bell ringer - seems a bit hectic. Any tips ?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Great question, John. There's usually a small pocket of time early in the period where I can enter the scribbled down attendance info from my Post-It note into our online system. I haven't been in too much trouble with the attendance office over the years. :)

[@jeanarcuni]

Not sure if you are still responding to older videos, but do you have a block scheduling version of this? We meet every other day…what works/changes in this scenario?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Hey, Jean! Yup, I'm still here, doing what I do. 😀 When I taught on the A/B block, I still followed roughly the same path, only adding one or more of those activities to each day's agenda. On our 90-minute block, I always tried to have three distinct "chunks" or activities to help students maintain focus and to kept things moving along. So for Day 1, I'd still do the welcome, name cards, stations (but less hurried through the discussion - you can take your time with this on the block), and then go ahead and fold in the first MUG bell-ringer. You know, just compress so five days of materials might end up filling three or four block periods. I don't have a schedule written out for this that I can share with you, but I'm hopeful this gives you an idea of the pacing. I also found I ended up using more brain teasers as sponges when I taught on the block to fill any random minutes toward the end of the period when brains were tired and needed a break. Hope this helps! Happy new year! Laura

[@grod381]

Greetings. I know you are not a social studies teacher, but perhaps you have integrated it into your lessons. (I'm new to your channel.) If you had to teach adults historical events, MOSTLY dates, time periods, names and places, what strategies/approaches do you think you can implement, to better ENGAGE them? These adults have no college experience and there are 30 hours (7 sessions) of lesson planning to be developed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

G Rod You’re right, G, this is out of my lane in terms of expertise, but my instinct says to go with storytelling, games, and even songs to get that detailed info to stick. Yes, even with adults. I took Spanish classes as an adult and the vocabulary I still remember was learned from those tools, especially games. Hope this helps.

[@carlaellman4536]

Do you allow kids to read digital books? If so how do you control that they are not doing other things on their tablets? I prefer actual books but so many of my kids read digital stuff now.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Great question, Carla. I've thought about this a lot over the years and ultimately decided against allowing e-readers. With everything blue-toothed and wifi-ed, there's just no way for me to monitor kids to make sure they're actually reading during that entire SSR time. Also, kids want to use their phones as their e-readers (apps like iBooks and Overdrive) and I'm not on board with that. Again, the temptation is just too great. So...I tell my kids that I rock it old school in my room and they'll need to bring a good ol' fashioned paper book to class on SSR Fridays. I'm actually working on an SSR video right now that I hope to have uploaded next Saturday. Stay tuned for more info. than you'd ever want to know about how I run SSR Book Talks. :)

[@carlaellman4536]

@@laurarandazzo1158 thanks so much for your response. Going to watch that video now, I see it's up 👍.

[@Estoniagirl276]

I'm sorry... what does SSR stand for?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Ah...Sustained Silent Reading. :)

[@agustinvasquezcaballero1526]

Quiero la primera lección de ayer

[@agustinvasquezcaballero1526]

I WANT THE FIRST LESSON ONE OF YESTERDAY

[@atlasperez9174]

Would I be able to get in contact with you I’m looking to become a high school English teacher. I’m doing a career change and could use some pointers on interviews etc.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sure! Feel free to send your specific questions to me via by blog page here: laurarandazzo.com/contact/

[@TheUnseenSoundscape]

Hey Laura, I know you have probably started this, but how long are you classes. Also, do you have any advice for co teaching strategies

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Hi, Shaquanna! Thanks for checking in with me. For most of my 20 years in the classroom, I taught on a traditional five-day-a-week 55-minute class period schedule in California. Up here in Idaho, though, I've most recently been on an A/B 90-minute block. Each system has its pluses and minuses, of course. As for co-teaching, I haven't ever been assigned one of those classes. The closest is when a full-time aide accompanies one of our special education students throughout the day. In that case, I send all of my materials to the aide ahead of time so he/she can be prepared to help the student and use those materials for remediation during their study skills class. Co-teaching has always seemed like a complicated dance and it'd take a very special partner with aligned personalities and philosophies to make the partnership work. When you find that person, I'll bet you can make magic. Without that alignment, I imagine there would be a lot of bruised toes.

[@TheUnseenSoundscape]

Laura Randazzo Thanks for the quick response and sorry for the typos. I was wrestling a toddler while typing.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Shaquanna Stevens Been there, wrestled that. :)

[@crazygacha927]

Uhm