Start Strong Together

Overview

Students build a comfortable teacher-student relationship while learning key classroom routines. Through short, hands-on activities, the teacher informally observes reading fluency, common-word recognition, following directions, sentence building, discussion, and brief writing without presenting the work as a test.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Share interests, preferences, and goals in a respectful conversation.
• Read short, familiar sentences and follow simple written directions.
• Build and write complete sentences using a model and word bank.
• Identify one personal goal for English class and explain how the teacher can help.

Success criteria

• I can answer questions and ask one question in a conversation.
• I can read or listen to short directions and complete each step.
• I can write two or three sentences about myself.
• I can name one goal and one strategy that may help me succeed.

Curriculum links

• Collaborative discussions: building on another person’s ideas and expressing ideas clearly.
• Informative writing: introducing a topic and organizing ideas into clear categories.
• Clear, coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Presenting claims and findings with relevant details, clear pronunciation, adequate volume, and appropriate eye contact.
• Narrative writing: establishing a context, point of view, and logical event sequence.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and choice hook. Teacher greets each student at the doorway, seats students where the teacher’s face is easy to see, and uses the welcome and choice question to model: “This class is a place to learn, practice, and succeed.” Students choose and answer one low-pressure question, such as “Would you rather hike in the mountains or fish by a lake?” The teacher repeats answers, checks understanding, and praises participation.

2. 5–12 min · All About Me survey. Teacher distributes the All About Me and beginning-of-year survey and reads each short prompt aloud while pointing to it. Students circle choices and complete sentence starters such as “I like ___,” “I am good at ___,” and “I want to learn ___.” Students may draw, dictate, or choose from a word bank. The teacher notes word recognition, pencil control, spelling attempts, and willingness to communicate.

3. 12–19 min · Would You Rather discussion. Teacher displays the Would You Rather questions and models answering with a complete sentence: “I would rather camp because I like being outdoors.” Students take turns choosing between age-appropriate options involving hunting, outdoor activities, animals, sports, food, and future jobs. Each student gives a reason using “I choose ___ because ___” and asks or answers one follow-up question. The teacher records evidence of listening, turn-taking, vocabulary, and ability to build on an idea.

4. 19–26 min · Classroom scavenger hunt. Teacher gives each student the classroom scavenger hunt directions and models one item at a time. Students read or echo-read short directions, then locate items such as the pencil area, book basket, turn-in tray, tissue box, and quiet-work space. At each location, they complete a simple action, such as “Point to the books” or “Place one pencil in the cup.” The teacher uses visual pointing, repetition, and gesture, and checks understanding privately after each direction.

5. 26–34 min · Read, build, and write. Teacher uses the sentence-building and short-reading slides to model reading a short passage: “Sam likes the woods. He sees tracks. He writes one note.” Students first listen, then read together, and finally try one sentence independently or with support. Using word cards from the worksheet, students arrange words to build sentences such as “I like the outdoors” and “I can learn new words.” They copy or write two sentences, using a word bank and sentence starters. The teacher informally observes common-word recognition, sound blending, spacing, capitalization, punctuation, and whether students can follow a three-step direction.

6. 34–41 min · Goal-setting conversation. Teacher models a realistic goal: “I will read for five minutes three times this week.” Students complete the goal box on the All About Me and beginning-of-year survey by choosing one goal, such as reading more smoothly, writing a complete sentence, asking for help, or learning new words. Each student explains the goal orally using “My goal is ___ because ___.” Together, teacher and student choose one support, such as rereading, listening to text, using a word bank, or taking a short break.

7. 41–45 min · Celebrate and exit reflection. Teacher revisits the closing and success slides, names specific strengths, and asks, “What helped you feel successful today?” Students complete the reflection portion of the Retrieval Practice Template by recalling one classroom routine, one interest shared, and one goal; they may write, circle, or dictate. The teacher previews the next class and ends with a positive, specific comment for each student.

Resources

• the welcome, discussion, reading, and closing slide deck
• the All About Me and beginning-of-year survey
• the Retrieval Practice Template
• Pencils, colored pencils, and highlighters
• Prepared word cards for sentence building
• Classroom location labels with large print and simple icons
• Teacher observation notes or checklist
• Optional timer and small choice cards

Assessment

• During discussion, note turn-taking, responses, follow-up questions, listening, volume, and ability to give a reason.
• During the hunt and reading task, note following directions, recognition of familiar words, oral reading rate, decoding attempts, and need for read-aloud support. Do not score the work.
• Review the written survey, sentences, and reflection to identify interests, strengths, accommodations, and an appropriate starting point for future instruction.

Differentiation

• Provide visual directions, large clear print, icons, read-aloud assistance, echo reading, repetition, and one step at a time. Model every task before students begin.
• Offer sentence starters, a word bank, choices, word cards, drawing, pointing, dictation, or speech-to-text if available. Accept oral answers while continuing to invite brief writing.
• Seat the student with the teacher on the student’s right side when possible so the student can better hear the teacher with the stronger ear. Face the student, keep your mouth visible, reduce background noise, repeat or rephrase key information, and check understanding by asking the student to show or explain the next step.
• Keep the tone age-appropriate and private. Avoid public correction or timed reading. For an emerging reader, read first and invite participation with one word or sentence; for a more independent reader, allow a second sentence or an additional scavenger-hunt direction.