This page contains some helpers for the first-year business teachers out there. My old course syllabi and classroom rules are posted (newer syllabi is on the Curriculum page), and links are provided for course outlines and much, much more!! If you have specific questions about anything not addressed here, please feel free to e-mail me at tonya@btskinner.com. Good luck this year! Some of my Actual Stuff First-day Fun (icebreakers and teambuilders) iceteam.html Parent Letter (sent home the first day with the syllabus pletter.html Rules for Computer Users comprules.html Business Course Rationales (Oran High School) beration.html Mrs. Skinner’s Rules and Expectations for Students (posted on my wall) expect.html Join Professional Organizations! Click here for more information or to look at Professional Development Plans Business Course Syllabi syllabi.html First Day Stuff On the first day of school, I like to do some team building or thinking activities. Here are some that I have used: Values Clarification and Alien Attack Exercise http://www.youthwork.com/couns/famval.html#values Communicating at work: Building a successful team http://slincs.coe.utk.edu/gtelab/learning_activities/20evej.html Increasing Productivity (this is a neat one, but I can't do it in class--involves pocketknife, but maybe could be adapted) http://slincs.coe.utk.edu/gtelab/learning_activities/51poue.html Companions for a Mars Journey http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/02dec99/teach8.html This has two that I use, Who Stays and Alien Attack http://www.wadsworth.com/colsuccess_d/special_features/downloads/activities.rtf Resources from Elsewhere (but good!) Tips and Strategies from First-Year Teachers http://www.ed.gov/pubs/FirstYear/ch3.html Course Outlines (performance standards from MO DESE webpage) http://www.dese.state.mo.us/divvoced/business/competencies.htm What Should be in a Course Syllabus (tips) http://www.drexel.edu/provost/syllabi.html Sample Course Syllabus (not a business one, but I really like the setup and explanations given) http://www.oswego.org/staff/tcaswell/gh9_syllabus.htm First Day of School Icebreakers http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson131.shtml A Quotation a Day (neat ongoing class activity) http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson132.shtml Advice for First Year Teachers http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr152.shtml Setting Up Your Classroom http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7862/classroom.html First Day of School Activities http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson019.shtml Teaching Tips (for college teachers, but adaptable) http://www.unl.edu/teaching/Teachtips.html The First Day of Class:Setting the Right Tone http://www.csuohio.edu/uctl/tchtips1.html ISU Center for Teaching and Learning:Teaching Tips http://web.indstate.edu/ctl/prog/ntips.html Teacher Talk Homepage (great articles) http://educate.educ.indiana.edu/cas/tt/ttarticles.html Teaching Help http://www.foothill.net/~moorek/index.html Resources about Grading http://www.middleweb.com/Grading.html Icebreakers and Energizers http://www.angelfire.com/ks/teachme/icebreakers.html