Welcome Back/First Day Faculty Meeting PD - New School Year Resolutions

“What’s Your New School Year’s Resolution?” is an inspiring activity to welcome back your teachers. This professional development is meant to help focus your staff on their goals for the year. This is a no-prep activity ready for your first day of orientation or faculty meeting. This is a great activity for social-emotional learning (SEL). Teachers will brainstorm resolutions, reflect on their values, and create a one-word theme for their year. This is great for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. It can also be modified to be used with students. See our related products for a ready-made lesson for your first day with students.  

Includes: 

• Complete lesson from beginning activity to exit ticket
• 17 editable Google slides
• 3 page Teacher’s Guide with Google Link

Teach better using the BETTER model! Here’s how this BETTER lesson works:

B - Beginning Activity - Brainstorm Resolutions

Teachers begin by brainstorming New School Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions should be school-related.   

E - Essential Question 

What are your values? And how can you act on those values? 

T - Teach - Sentence-Phrase-Word TedEd video 

Teachers will view the 15 minute TedEd video, “What makes a good teacher great?” by Azul Terronez. Then teachers reflect using the Sentence-Phrase-Word Protocol. This is meant to get teachers thinking about the impact they can make through simple actions. 

T - Try it Out - What are your values?

Teachers will determine what traits they value. By choosing values, they will have a better idea of what their resolutions should be. Teachers choose 5 values from a list of 20. 

E - Evaluate - Your Year in One Word

Teachers reflect on the lesson by setting their intentions for the year in one word. The word should help guide their actions through the school year. This is a powerful exercise. 

R - Reflect - Your Word in Action

To conclude the activity, teachers reflect on what actions they can with students, in their instruction, and in their school community that represents their word. 

If you like this product, also check out…

• SEL Beginning of the Year Lesson - New School Year Resolutions - This lesson is similar to this one but geared towards middle and high school students. This also utilizes historical speeches to help inspire students on how their actions can make an impact. Great for a Social Studies or ELA classroom.

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If you have questions about this product, email us at TeachHistoryBETTER@gmail.com.