Hello Darlings!

Summer is finally here! For each of us, this time looks different. Some of us can be found beach side without our phones. Others of us are knee deep in our curriculum while some of us are pinning school ideas on Pinterest. There’s no right answer. Summer is a multiple choice question that can be changed several times! If you are looking to get a jump on the fall then this post is for you! If you would rather be on the beach…rest on my friend, you MORE than deserve it! 

Let’s dive into 3 things you can be doing this summer! Notice I said CAN…

1. Create a Pacing Guide.

A pacing guide can fully transform your school year! Knowing what you’ll teach, when you’ll teach it, and where you can find that fun project or cute resource you ran off all in one place is magical! This can alleviate the stress of planning during the school year and even get you out the door shortly after the bell rings. Dreamy right?!

To create a pacing guide, you will need to first determine how you want to organize it. There are many ways this can look! I personally prefer a digital guide so I can change things easily– we all know teachers need to be flexible! Check out this digital pacing guide here. 

Then I begin to plug in the dates for the year, map out the required curriculum, add in the required standards, order the units, and away we go!! By first adding the requirements, I have a solid skeleton to work off of. If you want to know more about how I do it. Check out this blog for a step by step guide! 

2. Build Your Classroom Library

This is SO fun! Maybe it is the thrill of the hunt, maybe it is the smell of a new book, maybe it is the experience of previewing each one…who knows! Building your classroom library over the summer is one of those sweet joys of teaching that only us teachers really “get.” 

I love scouring garage sales, digging through the new shipment of boxes at Goodwill, and diving in face first to Facebook Marketplace! Finding a great book- awesome. Finding one that is perfectly in tact for a $1….VICTORY! Seriously, if you only do one thing for your classroom this summer…this is the one! Looking for book recommendations? Check these out! 

3. Decide Your Organization Style

Organization makes the classroom go round! If you haven’t invested some time in how you organize your room, you’ll quickly find that things fall apart in a matter of seconds. Take this time to really dig into what you want. You can do this from the comfort of your couch, while boarding a plane, in the hammock on the deck…anywhere! Think about how you will store your centers, games, and read alouds for the year. Walk through the day in your head and dream up solutions to problems you ran into last year.

In the past I have used gallon sized zipped locked bags and large manila envelopes. Now I keep my materials organized in stackable containers and label them with the theme.  I even include any read alouds I need for that unit. I use these large, transparent, plastic envelopes that snap to store individual centers. I store the small items in plastic totes. This shift has been a game  changer for me! What can you dream up that will make your life easier?!

Looking for more? Check out this post on how to let your work grade itself…oh yes! It’s worth the read! 

DM me on Instagram @thatteachingspark or tag me in a picture of your summer plans!