Making the Schedule Visual
Count Down to Summer
We’re getting close to the end of the school year—and you can feel it. Anticipation, excitement, and even a bit of anxiety are high for both students and staff. This time of year often brings shifts in routine, and structure can start to loosen. With field trips, performances, field day, and (for high schoolers) prom and graduation, maintaining a consistent schedule can be challenging.
Over the past few months, we’ve been focusing on supporting regulation in the classroom by helping students feel safe, balanced, and ready to engage. That work is year-round. In fact, it matters even more during this busy and unpredictable time of year.
As we head into the final stretch, we’re shifting into a Countdown to Summer series, where we’ll focus on simple ways to keep structure and support in place through all the excitement.
One of the most helpful things we can do during this time is prepare students for what’s coming. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of previewing and preparing students for upcoming events, and those same strategies are especially effective during the final month of school.
I was recently at a high school in Blue Earth, Minnesota, where an amazing teacher, Josselyn Moore, shared a simple yet highly effective strategy. She provided each student with a May calendar and, together, they filled in all upcoming events. This gave students a clear visual of what was happening and when. Supports like this can be especially powerful during such a busy and unpredictable time of year.
You can do the same in your classroom. Talk about upcoming events during calendar time, note them on your classroom calendar, and give students a copy they can refer back to. This helps take the unknown out of what’s ahead and supports students in feeling more prepared and regulated as routines shift.
May Calendar
Check out the Beautiful Bugs Themes First! Unit, which includes original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.
The next Themes First! release, June's Summer Fun is ready to prep!
💡Print all the activities you plan to use for the upcoming month as soon as they become available. Put printed activities in a "prep" area equipped with a laminator, file folders, Velcro, labels, and baggies. If you have a large laminator, laminate all the activities at once! When you or your team have a few minutes to spare, you can laminate, cut, and add Velcro as needed. It helps to organize activities in trays by "Needs to be Prepped" and "Finished." Don't forget to teach your team how to prep the activities and to model this new expectation. Check out the How to Prep a Month-Long Themes First! Unit below.
April: Spring Animals
March: Reading Superpwers
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