Videos for A Successful First Day of School

Before the bell even rings, consider things like nametags, an easy self-start on desks, and where to have kids put important papers.

From the very first time you give a direction, it's important to be explicit about how the task looks AND how the students listen.

Before students even learn the classroom rules, it's important that they know how to sit and attend during teacher instruction. Here's how to make it happen.

Research almost always recommends that classroom rules include teaching students to 1) follow directions the first time and 2) raise their hands to speak. Watch how explicitly both are taught.

Teachers know that nametags and pencils can cause more distraction during instruction than almost anything else. Teach students how to manage these items so that they don't become the "bane of your existence!"

Teachers can prevent off-task behavior AND smooth out transitions by making sure kids have the right materials in their desks.

Teachers know that transitions in and out of the classroom can be noisy and challenging. Watch in this video how to prevent such chaos from ever even starting.

You guessed it - it's just as important to train kids how to act in the bathroom as it is the classroom. Watch how these first graders are taught to conduct this potentially tricky transition.

How do kids know where to play? How do they learn to line up quickly and quietly? Watch how it looks to explicitly train expectations even when students are in an outside setting.

Students tend to meet recess expectations more quickly if they don't initially have access to the entire playground. How do they gain that access? By meeting expectations, of course!