BACK TO SCHOOL - Course Guide!

I cannot believe there is less than a month before we actually START school WITH KIDS!  Is this true?  Surely I am dreaming....summer is almost over?  I honestly feel as if it has been a blink this year, and my family hasn't even been overscheduled - we've moved as slowly as possible.  Still, ready or not, its almost time, so I am going to start getting prepared little by little.

Today, I revamped my course guide.  My middle school head of school requires each academic teacher to provide a syllabus for our students.  Now, I think syllabi are great, but sixth graders do NOT read all the fine print in a formal syllabus - and actually, I don't believe many parents do either.  ;-)  So, I recreated mine in a format that seems more casual and is visually appealing.  The information is chunked into little segments, but everything I really want the parents and kids to know is there: text info, grading percentages, class expectations, what they need every day and my contact info.  I used to include a timeline of what I would teach and when, but I don't do that anymore.  Anytime I changed things up or eliminated something until later, I felt this little guilt that my syllabus said I was doing something else.   I bet I am not alone.  Teachers are rule followers even if it is their own rules!

Here is an image of the new course guide I created.  Is it too busy?  Probably - but I would bet that more information gets read on this one than the "college course wannabe" one I have used in the past!

MY COURSE GUIDE...

I will give it to my kids on the second day of school.  We will go over it with some little game where I ask a question and they race to see who can find the answer first (which should be quick because there is limited info in this little guy!).  Then, I will have the kids sign it and we will glue it into the front cover of our ISN.  As their first homework assignment, I have them show it to their parents, along with their set up ISN and get their signature.

I have signed A L O T of syllabi.  I have two high schoolers.  I admit that I rarely look at them.  Just sign where I am supposed to and move on and just pray that anything I really need to know will get emailed to me.  :-)  I am a visual learner, and I do feel that I would look at a syllabus like this more than the other kind.  Some probably wouldn't, but I think most would.  I like it!

If you like this, I invite you to click on it and pay the $1 fee and download yourself an editable copy! I include mine in the product, so that you can see how I filled in the sections.  Here is the one you will edit if you get it.....

BACK TO SCHOOL EDITABLE COURSE GUIDE

Have fun getting started on your back to school prep!  It really is around the corner.......