3 Classroom resolutions for 2021

With a new year starting, it’s time to make some classroom resolutions for the new year.

What a year 2020 was! So many teachers and students had to make a quick switch to distance learning, and parents had to deal with getting their children to log in each day. We all had to learn to use an online system, whether it was Google classroom, Teams, or Zoom. Even after the pandemic is over and we can all go back to normal teaching and learning, there are some things we’ll want to keep using – and some things we’ll probably never want to see again! 

In my district, we are doing a block schedule so January will be a nice reset with new students and a fresh start.  So why not make some classroom resolutions? Things I’ve learned that I will make into resolutions for 2021…and beyond.

My classroom resolutions for 2021

1. Class Notebook – my district uses Microsoft and while most of us were familiar with parts of it, we weren’t really getting the most out of the entire system. Now that’s I’m comfortable using the class notebooks, One classroom resultion I’m making is to never visit the copy room again! The notebook is a neat, organized way to share everything with students.

I love being able to share listening assignments right on the page! I can share daily lessons so students who were absent can read the notes and watch the video. And the time saved by not having to go to the copy room is a huge bonus.  Isn’t rarely (or never!) going to the copy room a great addition to my classroom resolutions?

2. Blooket – I’ve used Gimkit, Quizlet, and other games before but adding Blooket was a great move. My kids have a love/hate relationship with the games where you get to steal candy or money from your classmates. One student said it was the most frustrating (but fun) way to study vocabulary because at any moment, someone might steal your candy. I like this game because it gives the non-star students a chance to win. They might not answer as many questions as the class superstars, but they can still steal and swap and end up winning!

3. More authentic materials!!! I’ve been starting each day off with an article from https://actujour.fr/. My first year kids read at the A1 level, second year gets A2. It’s a great way to increase vocabulary but also point out whatever grammar/structures we’ve been working on. In second year, that’s imparfait and passé composé. Almost every article has something that can be used in this way. While the articles may have been edited to adjust the reading level, they are all stories from today’s news that don’t feel like basic readers.