Where did the summer go? With the start of a new year, I’ve gathered back-to-school resources from our amazing PD team and staff here at TCEA. Check out this categorized list full of ideas to create a successful school year.
Icebreakers
- Fun Icebreaker Jamboard Templates for Back to School
Try these fun back-to-school icebreaker Jamboard templates with your students. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll get to know them. - Classroom Icebreakers for Back to School
Try these fun back-to-school icebreakers with your new students and be amazed at how quickly you learn who they are and what they like. - Even More Classroom Icebreakers for Back to School
We’re back with even more fun back-to-school icebreakers to try with a whole new set of students.
- Ebook: Digital Icebreakers That Shatter: Activities to Break the Ice
Ice breakers are a great way to encourage interaction, make introductions, boost involvement, and form communities. Whether you’re leading a classroom on the first day of school or a new training session, this eBook will help you get things off on the right foot!
Bellringers
- Bellringers for Improved Retention and Engagement
Learn how to make bell ringers more brain-based to help with retention and engagement. You’ll find a wealth of resources to ensure success. - Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the School Day
Here are five Jamboard bellringers you can use to get your students ready for the school day. Click the link, make a copy, and they’re yours!
Leadership
- The New Tool Belt for Superintendents
Superintendents in all sizes of school districts need to find tools to offer increased value without breaking the bank. Technology can help. - Back to School Ideas for Leaders
With a little effort and some creativity, you can provide a memorable “welcome back to school” message for your staff, teachers, or students!
- Back to School: Five Tips for CTOs
Heading back to school, stakeholders’ eyes will be on you and how you resolved their issues and problems. Here are five tips to ensure you are ready. - Six Ways to Spice Up Back-to-School Inservice
Spice up your back-to-school in service with these suggestions on how to make the first days with your staff really count. - Ways to Welcome Your Teachers Back to School
Are you looking for ways to welcome your staff back to the new school year? If so, check out these suggestions. - Quotes for the 2022-23 School Year
If you’re looking for inspiration for the new year, look no further. Check out some quotes and tips for using them to inspire students. - Building a School Culture That Works
Discover how to craft the classroom or school culture you want this year by including these important pieces. - Embracing Confrontation: A Protocol for Tough Conversations
Leaders, discover a protocol for pushing into tough conversations to promote accountability and positive culture in your workplace.
- 10 Tips and Tools for School Leaders
Hey, school leaders! Are you looking for some tips and tools to apply to your leadership? Look no further. In this post, you’ll discover 10. - Personality Test for Professional Development
Try this free personality test to learn more about yourself. Then think about how you might incorporate it into professional learning with your peers.
In the Library
- Six Tips for Librarians to Prepare for a New School Year
These six tips from TCEA librarian members will help school librarians get ready for an exciting new school year! - Four Way Google Calendars Can Help Teacher-Librarians Plan
Keeping information organized in Google Calendars can make planning easier for teacher-librarians. Here are some tips from two library experts.
- Five Free, Ready-to-Use Digital Citizenship Resources for PK-12 Lessons
Looking for some activities to use in your PK-12 classroom? Get the conversation going with these resources. - A Librarians Approach to Launching Tech Tuesdays
See how one librarian launched Tech Tuesday and partnered with teachers for successful technology integration on her campus. - Empowering Students as Digital Leaders
Here are two ways students can be leaders in digital literacy and citizenship and six tips on how to get started on your campus! - Finding the Perfect Book to Read Next
Discover a variety of free tech tools that will help you find exactly the best next book to read or to discuss with friends around the world. - Finding Free Audiobooks for Educators
Discover four great resources for free audiobooks that both you and your students can enjoy, thus providing another way to personalize learning. - Want to Boost Your Librarian-Teacher Partnerships?
Teachers, want to work with your librarian? Librarians, want to work more with teachers? Here are four tips for building a solid partnership.
STEM
- Prepping for a STEM/STEAM Year
STEM/STEAM activities are a powerful way to engage students. Here are a few resources to help you prepare for a stem-rific school year. - Back to School with STEM
STEM activities are a powerful way to engage students. Here are a few resources to kick off your school year in the STEM direction. - We Have to Save Fred!
Always a favorite, The Save Fred Challenge is great for team building. Plus, check out extension ideas to create a perfect day of learning. - Solo Cup Engineering Challenge
The Solo Cup Engineering Challenge is perfect for team-building. Students and adults love this activity for fun and learning. - Starting a Robotics Program
Running a robotics program can be a challenge, especially at the start. But fear not; we’re exploring everything that goes into a successful program.
Social Emotional Learning
- Three Easy Ways to Incorporate SEL This School Year
It’s more important than ever that we incorporate social-emotional learning this school year. Here are three easy ways to integrate SEL.
- Three Activities for Back-to-School Anxiety
As the start of school approaches, students may be feeling anxious. Try some SEL activities to help destress them. - Six Strategies for Building Empathy in the Classroom
Showing empathy can help teachers better understand and support students. Learn how you can incorporate this skill in your classroom. - Five Quick Ways to Integrate Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is important for all students. Here are five easy ways to integrate SEL into your lesson planning.
Activities
- Back to School Breakout
Elementary teachers, are you looking for a great resource for back to school? How about a digital breakout to kick off your year? - Five Creative Back-to-School Activities with Book Creator
Check out five ways to use Book Creator to encourage collaboration, creativity, and a growth mindset during the first weeks of school. - 10 First Day of School Activities Shared by Teachers
Looking for ways to foster classroom community during the first weeks of school? Here are 10 activities for you to try! - Three Editable Back to School Activities for Language Development
Here are three back-to-school activities (and extra ideas!) to get early learners and language learners exploring their classroom and school.
- Email Writing for Students
In today’s digital world, teaching your students the art of writing an email is a must. This blog has lesson ideas, videos, and resources to help.
Templates
- Dicebreakers and Activity Debriefing
Explore how to engage students in self-judgement and reflection using dice debriefing activities and dicebreakers. Get some templates, too! - Meet ALDO: Amazing Lesson Design Outline
ALDO, the Amazing Lesson Design Outline, provides educators with a way to ensure that each lesson is engaging and carefully thought out.
- 2000+ Lesson Plan Templates and Ideas for K12
Discover a wealth of lesson plan template resources and treasures in this searchable collection for grades K-12 in all subject areas. - Creating a Choice Board for Your Classroom
Ready to create an interactive learning opportunity for students? Take advantage of choice boards. In this blog entry, we’ll cover five steps to create one.
Tools
- Nine Technology Tools for Accommodation, Modification, and Intervention
Looking for a few technology tools to help with accommodations, modifications, and interventions? Check out these nine gems. - Use This Puzzle Maker Tool for Retrieval Practice
Add another retrieval practice tool to your toolbox. Vimboard offers a few benefits for simple, multiple-choice assessments that you can use now. - Top Five Tech Tools for New Teachers
What are the tech tools that every new teacher needs? Hear from TCEA’s Area 19 Director, Crystal Fuentes, as she shares her top five. - Back to School Apps for Lesson Planning
Looking for tools to make lesson planning easier? Look no further than these three free apps that can assist you in designing amazing learning experiences. - An Online Wheel Spinner for Every Occasion
Looking for a random generator in the form of a spinner? Here are seven easy spinners that will get you selecting a winner quick and easy. - Digital Tools for News Literacy
Explore these resources to help students make sense of the media they are exposed to and build lasting news literacy skills. - Five Interactive Tools for Learning the Periodic Table
Wish you had a list of amazing interactive science tools? Explore these periodic tables of elements that help make science interactive! - Five Simple Graphing Tools Make Graphs Easy and Fun
Tired of complex graphing tools that leave students frustrated and confused? Well here are five simple and easy tools that make graphs fun! - Powerful and Easy Digital Tools for Formative Assessment
Formative assessment can double student learning gains and digital tools can help. Let’s take a look at a few great options!
Ideas to Try
- Display Classroom Expectation Posters This School Year
Learn how to create classroom expectation posters to help you and your students begin the new year on a very positive note. - Classroom Contracts: An Excellent Strategy for Student Behavior Management
Classroom contracts can be a great way to hold students accountable and give them ownership of their classroom environment. - Transforming Interruptions in the Elementary Classroom
Looking for ways to prevent unnecessary interruptions, foster classroom community, and empower students to problem solve? Here are five ideas. - Free Classroom Posters to Engage Students
These classroom posters can be used for special months of celebration or hung all year long. Take a look — they’re all free! - Coloring Book Resources to Benefit Children and Adults
Do you know the benefits of coloring include anxiety reduction, improved focus, and more? Start coloring now to see for yourself! - Ready, Set, LEGO Wall
If you are thinking about having a LEGO wall in a makerspace, classroom, or library, be sure to check out these tips before you start building. - How to Create an Email Signature That Represents You
Want to take your email signature from drab to fab? Check out these tips and how-to instructions for making your signature pop! - High Impact Strategy: Using Google and Self-Reported Grades
Student self-reported grades is a powerful instructional strategy that all teachers should use. Combine it with Google tools and the learning skyrockets.
Coaching
- Relationship-Building Tips for Instructional Coaches
The first step of coaching is relationship building. Here are a few ways to create and maintain positive relationships with the professionals you coach. - Make Coaching Connections
Are you a new instructional coach headed back to school? Take advantage of these tips and suggestions. - Pineapple Charts: Learning From Your Peers
Pineapple charts help educators easily learn from each other. Using pineapple charts makes scheduling that learning simple and convenient. - Three Questions for Instructional Coaching
These three questions help establish the groundwork for effective instructional coaching and result in a deeper relationship and real teaching improvement. - Things I Wish I’d Known As an Instructional Coach
Learn ten of the important things that I wish I’d known as an instructional coach that will help you to have a greater impact on the teachers you help.
- Ten Ideas for Tech Coaches to Help Their Teachers Grow
Explore creative and fun ways for tech coaches to encourage teachers in their growth with technology integration. Ready, set, ed tech! - Conference for Educational Coaches
Sign up for the Conference for Educational Coaches (CEC) to discover the latest in professional development, best practices for coaching, and even more ideas for supporting educators. Attend in person in Austin, Texas from October 12-13, 2022, or online.
I hope these strategies, activities, templates, and more get the brain flowing with ideas to create a successful start. Have a wonderful 2022-2023 school year!
