The New Teacher Toolbox

A one-stop resource for all your first-year teaching needs! With tips for everything from establishing an ideal classroom environment to making it through teacher evaluations, this practical volume helps you plan ahead with confidence, keep your perspective, and prepare for the unexpected. Written in a conversational tone, this completely revised edition introduces techniques by grade level, includes an expanded section on Internet use, and provides field-tested strategies on how to: Encourage student participation and critical thinking Establish fair grading practices Modify instructional methods and curriculum for students with special needs Increase parent involvement Manage stress and maintain sanity

Scott M. Mandel is a National Board-certified teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has worked as a teacher, administrator, and inservice leader for more than 25 years. The author of nine teacher education books, Mandel is also the founder and director of the Teachers Helping Teachers Web site. He received his PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Southern California.

Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction: What New Teachers Really Want to Know
Part I. The Room Environment and the First Weeks
1. Things to Do Before the School Year Begins
2. Arranging Your Classroom
3. Bulletin Boards
4. A Helpful Binder to Leave for Substitute Teachers
Part II. The Curriculum and the Students
5. Fairness and Critical Thinking in Classroom Discussions
6. Teaching Five Hours of Material in Only Three Hours
7. Keeping Students Interested
8. Teaching Test-Taking Skills
9. The Internet as the Ultimate Teacher Resource Center
10. Discipline Issues
Part III. Grading
11. Marking Papers and Promoting Self-Esteem
12. A Beginner-s Guide to Figuring Grades
13. Rubrics
14. Grading for Classroom Participation
15. A Student Self-Esteem Check
Part IV. Parents
16. Parent Involvement
17. Parent-Teacher Conferences
Part V. Students Who Have Special Needs
18. Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students With Special Needs
19. Full-Inclusion Mainstreaming
20. Students With ADD/ADHD and Classroom Management
21. Preparing for a Special Education Class
Part VI. How to Maintain Your Sanity
22. Making It Through Your Teacher Evaluation
23. Ten Ways to Avoid Stress
24. Putting It All Into Perspective
Further Readings
References
Index