I’m such a routine person that it’s embarrassing. I have eaten the same breakfast every workday for the last 20 years (a frozen banana smoothie). I walk my dog on the same route every evening. I study habits and rituals like it’s my job. And for the purpose of this post, it kind of is! Much like the first sip of my daily iced coffee, daily agenda slides provide clarity, flavor, and energy to your classroom workflow.
When used strategically, daily agenda slides can save time, cut down on student questions, and even win over administrators during evaluations. Plus, they are super simple to implement into your classroom routine!
This guide will walk you through the why, what, and how of using daily agenda slides, complete with agenda slide examples and a hack that will forever change the way you display classroom standards.
Why You Should Use Daily Agenda Slides
I’ll be honest, I first started using agenda slides out of fear of being written up. After a CTJ meeting (come to Jesus), admin wanted our English team to display standards every day. Knowing I’d never be able to remember, I came up with a system that worked for me. I’ll explain this better below, but in short, the system was a daily agenda template with drag and drop standards. Usually just minutes before class, I’d hurriedly type out the agenda, drag the standards to display, and voilà, I was safe for a surprise evaluation. 😉 But in addition to solving my standards display requirement, I soon started to notice other benefits as well.
1. Provides Structure and Predictability
Daily agenda slides tame the chaos of a typical school day. They give students a clear outline and eliminate the classic “What are we doing today?” question. With a glance at the screen, your students will know what to expect.
2. Communicates Learning Goals
Whether you do it for yourself, your admin, and/or your students, remembering to display standards every day just got a whole lot easier. Instead of scribbling on the board every morning, simply drag and drop your standards directly onto your template. Suddenly, “focus on the standards” becomes easier to visualize and stick to.
3. Keeps You on Track
Did you know that teachers make an average of 1,500 decisions a day? It’s no wonder we might lose track of a lesson plan from time to time! But with daily agenda slides, you’ll never lose your spot. Whether you’re teaching multiple classes or simply juggling busy days, these slides act as a reliable reference point.
4. Builds Relationships
You’ll be surprised just how much personality can fit onto an agenda slide template! You can add fun personal touches and daily attendance questions to build relationships all year long!
5. Helps with Reflection and Absences
Your daily slides are not one-off uses. For starters, linking a cloud-based version to your LMS can help absentee students quickly see what they’ve missed (just make sure not to give them editing privileges!). Secondly, save them for future reference and lesson planning. Reviewing your agendas from the last semester can provide invaluable insights into what worked and what didn’t.
How to Set Up Daily Agenda Slides in PowerPoint (or Google Slides)
- Choose a cute daily agenda template that can be customized in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva.
- Personalize it with your favorite colors
- Set up your standards in the margins of a PowerPoint or Slides presentation
- Duplicate, edit, and update your agenda for each day
- Share the non-editable cloud version with your students
What to Put on Your Daily Agenda Slide Template
Now that you know the “why” and “how,” let’s get specific about the “what.” Your daily agenda slides should be personalized to fit your needs, but here’s a list of ideas for your daily agenda template:
Standards and Objectives
Add 1-3 focus standards for the day so that you and your students are reminded about learning goals. Use the drag and drop feature in these daily agenda templates to speed up the process!
Daily Attendance Questions
Turn attendance into a relationship-building opportunity. Ask short, fun questions like, “Would you rather be reading in a lawn chair at the beach or a hammock in the mountains?” I include a bonus list of bookish attendance questions with this daily agenda template!
The Daily Agenda
Give a timeline of the daily lesson. First day of ELA class example:
- Attendance Question
- About Me BINGO
- About Your BINGO
- Classroom Mingle
- First Day Stations
- Wrap up and Review Names
Reminders
Include homework, upcoming test dates, or general announcements. It’s a subtle but effective way to keep students informed.
Where to Find Agenda Slides Examples
Finding the right templates for your daily agenda slides can make a huge difference. Here are some agenda slide examples to get you started:
How to Make the Most of Your Daily Agenda Routine
If you are going to use daily agenda slides, then make the most of them!
Here are tips to maximize their impact:
- Engage Students Early
Get students in the habit of reviewing the daily agenda at the start of every class. Using something like an attendance question can spark their curiosity enough to get in the habit of checking the schedule.
- Streamline the process
Work smarter by incorporating features like drag and drop standards into your daily slides.
- Link Resources
Save time by embedding clickable links directly within your slides. You and/or students can easily access worksheets, videos, or discussion boards.
- Reflect and Improve
At the end of each week, spend 5 minutes reviewing your slides. What worked? What could be simplified or enhanced? Jot down notes in the note section of the slides for future planning.
Whether you’re a type A teacher wanting to up your game or a type B teacher ready for a better system, daily agenda slides can help you create a more focused, effective, and enjoyable classroom environment! If you want editable templates to help get started, grab those here, or better yet, download the entire first week bundle to start your routines off right!
