This easy-to-use, step-by-step guide takes you through everything you need to know in your first days, weeks, and months as a new teacher, from developing your plan book and filing system in August to updating your grade book and celebrating your success in June. Chapters cover diverse learners, classroom organization and management, curriculum and instruction, lesson planning, grading systems, professional development, and more. Practical and specific advice helps you build the right classroom environment, create "essential file folders," make a curriculum calendar, and even find the right wall art The First Days of Class provides all the tools of the trade for new, substitute, returning, and emergency credential teachers, including:

Short, easy-to-reference sections within each chapter

Tip boxes at the end of every chapter

Classroom material samples, including "Our Classroom Rules" and a calendar of multicultural celebrations

Resources that include a "A Teacher's Ten Commandments," Recommended Reading, and Educational websites.