🧠 💡How do you start a new school year?


Hey Reader ,

As a born-and-raised New Yorker now living in the South, I’m still not used to how early school starts here.

My husband headed back for pre-planning last week. Yesterday was my daughter’s open house. And here I am thinking, but there’s a whole month of summer left! 🙃

That might have been true when I taught in Brooklyn, but here in the metro ATL ’burbs, the kiddos are heading back - some as early as July 31st.

Whether your school year has already begun or you're still soaking up summer (my Northeast folks, feel free to file this email away for later), one question continues to come up:

How do I want to start the year with my students?

Over the years, I’ve learned there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Some teachers love jumping right into content with engaging science labs. Others take a different approach - focusing on classroom routines, building a positive culture, and co-creating classroom norms.

If you're still figuring out what your first week (or two) should look like, I’ve pulled together a few resources to help:

👉🏾 This blog post: 5 Engaging First Day Science Activities
👉🏾 This free resource: First Week of School Science Activities Planning Doc

I hope these make the transition back a little smoother - whether you're still on the beach dreaming up your perfect year, or already knee-deep in the 2025-2026 school year.

You’ve got this.

Thanks for all you do,
Jess

P.S. The TPT sale is August 5th & 6th! My entire store will be 25% off. If you're looking for low-prep resources to kick off the year, here are a few teacher favorites:

🔗 Creating Classroom Rules
🔗 All About Me - Science Superhero Project
🔗 Beginning of the Year Science Activities Bundle

TLDR? Start with the resource below. 👇🏾 It's free!

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle , WA 98104-2205
Unsubscribe · Preferences

Lit Science LLC

I'm an education consultant and instructional designer passionate about supporting middle-school science educators in creating inclusive, accessible science lessons for English learners, students with special needs and developing readers and writers.

Read more from Lit Science LLC

Hello Reader, In my very first year of teaching, I did exactly what I thought I was “supposed” to do. I stood at the front of the room and lectured students on the rules. It was boring for them, boring for me, and ended up being my worst year for classroom management. Since then, I’ve learned a better way: creating classroom norms with students. In my new blog post, I share: Why collaborative classroom norms actually work How to guide students through the process step by step A ready-to-use...

Hi Reader, I’ve got a lot to share this week so I’ll keep things short and sweet. I’m having a blah 😔 kind of week and am really looking forward to eating at one our favorite Mexican restaurants tonight. My family's favorite dishes are chicken tostones and the chipotle chicken burrito. I hope whatever is on your menu, it’s delicious. Anyway, here’s the menu of Lit Science's best selling beginning of the year science resources that are currently on sale for 25% off: Creating Classroom Rules...

Hello Reader, I’ve been working hard updating and polishing some of my most popular resources and prepping new video walkthroughs to make your planning even easier. It had me reflecting on how much we can get done — even at the end of the year or during summer planning — when we have the right support. Honestly, I couldn’t do it without the teachers who share what they need most and the students who remind us why we’re doing this in the first place. I want you to know that I’m in your corner,...