where to begin
Did your school get you a mentor? How many other first grade teachers are there? I have been teaching for 11 years but this is my first year in 1st grade and I bought
Teaching First Grade : A Mentor Teacher Shares Insights, Strategies, and Lessons for Teaching Reading, Writing and Math-and Laying the Foundation for Learning Success. Seriously - the best book I could have gotten to get me started.
I would check with your teammates and principal. Perhaps the former teacher just wasn't organized and the files are not put together. (just giving her/him the benefit of the doubt)
Do you have a set curriculum or do you have lots of flexibility? I've found so far, that the reading and math series we have provide me with a framework this first year and I can see branching off from that in different ways.
You can probably get a general idea from their K records and do some other assessments - running records, dolch sight word checklists, math assessments - to better understand where they are now.
If you do have a series for math and/or reading, check with the other teachers and see where they are. If there aren't teammates for you to rely on, check with the 2nd or K teacher(s).
Congratulations - by the way! I taught PK for 11 years and I really love these 1st graders. I thought it would be a little daunting because of the academic content but these kids (chatty class that they are) are just fantastic.
