The First Six Weeks of School

by Paula Denton, Roxann Kriete

NOTE: This edition of The First Six Weeks of School is now out of print. In March 2015 it was replaced by an updated and expanded 2nd edition, ISBN 978-1892989819

Learn how to structure the first six weeks of school to lay the groundwork for a productive year of learning. Discover how taking the time to build a solid foundation in the early weeks of school can pay off all year long in increased student motivation, cooperation, responsibility, and self-control.

This comprehensive guidebook for K-6 teachers features:


Daily plans for the first three weeks and commentary about these plans at three grade levels: primary (K-2), middle (3-4), and upper(5-6
Detailed guidelines for:
Building community
Creating rules and teaching routines
Introducing engaging curriculum
Fostering autonomy
Integrating social and academic learning
Establishing high expectations for learning and behavior


An extensive collection of games, activities, greetings, songs, read-alouds, and resources especially useful during the early weeks of school.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction, School, Teachers, Philosophy

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[LaDonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful read for anyone new to Responsive Classroom or anyone wanting to review the elements of RC! I am member of the former group, so I absorbed all this information like a sponge. Although I found some elements of the book repetitive, I found that it truly works to reinforce the tenets of Responsive Classroom. Paula Denton deserves kudos for the way the book is formatted, especially by introducing colors to differentiate between the different grade levels. She also includes useful appendixes that not only allow you to review RC information, but provide useful classroom group activities, songs and chants, as well.

The First Six Weeks of School provides me with some wonderful insights and practical examples. I am truly looking forward to beginning of the school year!

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with practical advice and lists of many Responsive Classroom activities. I was feeling really lost when it came to planning for the first few weeks of school, and now I feel that I have a much better idea of what to schedule and when in order to best set students up for success. It breaks down suggestions by grade (K-2, 3-4, 5-6) which was especially helpful and gave insights into the new grade level that I will be teaching. Definitely one of my favorite teacher books!

[Kara Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for the first time a few years ago & it laid the foundation for how I run my classroom. I pick it up again every summer for a refresher, especially now that I’m teaching 4th grade and a lot of special education students. Changes mean more room for growth.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for establishing your classroom expectations and routines! Especially helpful for new teachers. Clear and easy to implement.

[Emily Goodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am SO glad that I was gifted this book before starting my first year of teaching! Thank you so much for the great weekly outlines and giving your readers a concrete place to start the school year and how to tie building relationships while doing that! I recommend this book to any and all teachers!

[Gabie (OwlEyesReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO helpful for someone who wants to be a teacher. Although I do not have a job YET (it's going to happen, I feel it in my bones!) I will definitely use this book as a guide to help me during those first few weeks in my classroom.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great resource for beginning teachers and a good review for seasoned teachers.

[Nicole Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes to everything in this book. It's so nice to see my teaching philosophy laid out in such an easy-to-follow way!!

[Millie Camp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to prepare me for my first year of teaching! Although it wasn’t extremely applicable since I’m teaching special education.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good combination of practical advice and philosophical principles. This will be helpful as the start of the school year approaches.

[Micayla Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realizes I never rated this one, but actually don’t think I could’ve made it through these first few weeks without it

[Natasha Vhugen · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for work lol but it’s a helpful book! i wanted to finish it before the end of my sixth week of teaching this year, since it’s my first full-time year. definitely has a lot of good info on and ideas for engaging with the Responsive Classroom principles. definitely a bit repetitive but that comes with the territory.

[Melanie Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for all teachers over the summer!

[Olivia Dial · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very important and helpful for new teachers. Teaches a lot about how to set up a responsive classroom with morning meeting and other aspects of the model. I really enjoyed reading it over a summer break and referred back to the book often during the school year.

[Bridget Granville · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. Part of that has to do with the fact that I got moved from 5th grade to 7th & 8th grade while I was reading this. Most of it really had to do with the fact that I lost interest in it. The book has some great ideas - don't get me wrong! It just gets repetitive after a while. I realize that's how parts of class are, but it felt odd reading relatively the same thing for every week. I stopped in week 3 or 4.

[Yulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I come from a teaching background where Harry Wong's The First of School was considered the holy text for starting the school year.
On my first day of starting school at my current district, the principal gave me The First Six Weeks. I am now a convert. This book provides so much more useful information than "greet every student at the door and smile" to begin your school year. As a matter of fact, I am skimming it now as a refresher before the new school year begins.

[Kira Stahly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely found this book to be helpful in my ability to set up the classroom for a successful year. It provided practical advice that is helpful to teachers regardless of what year you’re entering. I learned the importance of routine, procedures, and consistency and saw success with these strategies.

[Brittney Clyde · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the k-2 and general overview sections, but I didn't find it very helpful. Kinda sad that I spent 35$ on this 🙃 maybe would have been better if I was teaching older kids or actual subjects separately

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Everyone should make their class a Responsive Classroom and spend the first six weeks suffering through the management. The payoff is totally worth it.

[Anna Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first six weeks of school are the most important weeks for you and your students. This span of time is dedicated to establishing routines, expectations, and a positive classroom environment. Paula Denton helps break down each day during the first six weeks of school, and includes ideas for activities, learning goals, and games that make your classroom fun and engaging. She also gives helpful information regarding various grade spans and what to expect from children at these ages. This is such a wonderful guide for teachers, but especially new teachers who may need a little bit of a framework to assist in the start of a new school year.

[Nora]

unfortunately, this book did not disclose what to do when a mom tells you the only reason her daughter can have a D in math is if you can't do your job, or what to do when families continually take the word of their 10-year-old children over the word of you--a fully grown 26-year-old adult. so it's usefulness was limited 😭

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for school

Parts of this were really basic and boring but I understand that it may be newer to some people. I felt that some parts were unrealistic based on my knowledge on how schools actually work. However, I appreciated the appendices in the back of the book with a ton of useful resources and ideas.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels criminal that this was not part of my teacher prep program. Why oh why does everything feel so mysterious. This was super helpful, just need a 4 day work week so I can more intentionally plan and maintain my sanity.

Will keep this on hand for many years to come…if I continue teaching lol.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of what I should expect and focus on. Reading it made me think of my kids now and how I can improve tomorrow. Not all of it was relevant to me, but I found the discipline and academics sections most helpful.

[Kaja Kaste · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a soon to be first year, first grade teacher, I was very excited by the ideas in this book. The Responsive Classroom model definitely makes sense to me and I'm excited to continue learning more and use the ideas in my classroom.

[Katie Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Responsive Classroom approach. I have read this book multiple times and still get something new from it each time. If you want to develop a solid community of empathetic, self-directed learners then this is a great book to read and follow.

[Lisa Saar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow this book to start off my classroom each year. The step by step deliberate methods for creating ownership of the class and building a classroom culture is fantastic! I use it every year and I recommend it to all of my teacher friends!

[Renee Pavlisko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I’ve been teaching for over 10 years - I was out of the classroom as the main teacher for years. This is such a refresher and so encouraging to get back into my own class and establish routines, respect, and responsibility.

[Kayla Canning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful book I will continue to use throughout teaching. This is my first year and I know this book will be super helpful this year. But i can keep referencing back throughout the years if I need.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super practical. Made me overwhelmed in a good way. Forced me to think of things I wouldn’t have otherwise. However, I truly believe a lot of this is trial and error. Different families\classrooms cultures every year = different approaches.