This guide focuses on the decisions that make the first days smoother. It complements the 2026/2027 School Resumption in Nigeria guide and the Back-to-School Checklist for Nigerian Teachers 2026/2027.

1. Confirm the School Calendar and Your Timetable

Start with the dates and routines your school has officially communicated. For Lagos State, the approved 2026/2027 calendar sets first-term resumption for Monday, 14 September 2026. Other states may have different calendars, so teachers should follow the applicable state and school instructions.

Once the date is confirmed, check your teaching timetable. Note the subjects, periods, class groups and any practical lessons that require advance preparation.

2. Read the Scheme of Work Before Writing Lesson Plans

Do not begin by writing isolated daily notes. First understand the sequence of learning for the term. Identify the first few topics, prerequisite knowledge and areas where learners may need revision.

A useful planning question is: What should learners already know before I introduce this topic? That question can prevent a great deal of confusion during the first weeks.

For an example, teachers can review the Primary 5 Agricultural Science Scheme of Work and the JSS 1–3 Scheme of Work.

3. Prepare the First Week, Not the Whole Term at Once

It is tempting to prepare weeks of lesson notes immediately. A better approach is to prepare the first week thoroughly, then use what you learn about your class to refine later lessons.

• Day 1: welcome, introductions, routines, orientation and light revision.
• Day 2: prerequisite-skill review and short diagnostic activities.
• Day 3: begin appropriate curriculum content.
• Day 4: guided practice, group work and targeted support.
• Day 5: review, assessment and planning for the following week.

4. Prepare a Baseline Assessment

The first assessment should help you understand your learners rather than simply produce marks. Use a short task to check reading, writing, numeracy and subject-specific prerequisite knowledge.

• Reading comprehension for the appropriate age group.
• Basic Mathematics skills required for the term.
• A short writing activity.
• Oral questioning for Nursery and lower-primary learners.
• Subject-specific questions for JSS learners.

After marking, record the common errors. Those errors should influence your next lessons.

5. Prepare Your Classroom Before Learners Arrive

A classroom does not need expensive decoration to feel ready. It needs clear organisation and purposeful learning spaces.

• Arrange desks to suit the class and activities.
• Prepare the teacher’s working area.
• Display the timetable where learners can see it.
• Create a reading or resource corner where space permits.
• Leave room to display learners’ work.
• Organise frequently used materials so they are easy to find.

For young learners, keep displays at an accessible height. For older learners, use displays that reinforce vocabulary, formulas, concepts or classroom responsibilities.

6. Decide Which Classroom Routines Matter Most

Good classroom management begins with predictable routines. Decide before resumption how learners will enter the room, submit work, ask questions, form groups, borrow materials and leave the classroom.

Choose a few essential rules rather than presenting a long list. Then practise the routines during the first week. Children learn routines by doing them.

7. Check Teaching and Learning Materials

Make a simple inventory of what you already have and what you need.

• Textbooks and teacher guides
• Lesson notes and scheme of work
• Markers, chalk and board materials
• Flashcards, charts and picture cards
• Mathematics manipulatives
• Science materials for safe activities
• Worksheets and assessment sheets
• Exercise books and record materials

Where appropriate, use safe everyday materials to make abstract concepts concrete. Effective teaching is not always dependent on expensive resources.

8. Prepare for Different Learning Levels

One of the most useful things you can prepare before resumption is a flexible response to different learning levels.

• Support activity: guided practice for learners who need more help.
• Core activity: the expected class-level task.
• Extension activity: a meaningful challenge for learners who finish early.

This approach makes differentiation practical without requiring three completely different lesson plans.

9. Plan English Activities for the First Week

English activities can reveal reading, vocabulary, grammar and writing needs quickly.

• Short reading comprehension.
• Vocabulary revision.
• Sentence-building exercises.
• A short paragraph about the holiday or a familiar experience.
• Age-appropriate spelling practice.

For Primary 4 teachers, the existing Primary 4 English Grammar Revision and Primary 4 Letter Writing resources provide examples that can be adapted to your learners.

10. Plan Mathematics Activities for the First Week

Use short activities to check prerequisite skills before introducing difficult new concepts.

• Mental-maths warm-ups.
• Number and place-value activities.
• Revision of relevant operations.
• Simple word problems using familiar situations.
• Error analysis: ask learners to explain how they reached an answer.

Teachers can also use the Primary 1 Mathematics examination resource as a reference when designing age-appropriate baseline questions.

11. Nursery and Kindergarten Teachers: Prepare for Readiness

Young children need more than academic worksheets. Prepare activities involving greetings, songs, stories, movement, colours, shapes, counting, listening and simple classroom routines.

Observe how children communicate, follow instructions, share materials and settle into activities. These observations can guide your teaching more effectively than rushing through a large amount of content.

12. Primary School Teachers: Rebuild Learning Habits

Primary learners may return with different levels of holiday retention. Start with short reading, spelling, numeracy and handwriting activities, then gradually increase the academic demand.

Use the first week to establish habits around listening, completing classwork, checking answers, keeping books neat and asking for help.

13. JSS Teachers: Strengthen Independence

JSS learners need clear expectations for subject notebooks, homework, study routines and responsibility. JSS 1 pupils especially need support with the transition from primary school.

For older JSS learners, use baseline assessment to identify gaps before moving rapidly into new work. The JSS 3 Basic Technology Scheme and JSS 3 Mathematics resource show how subject-specific resources can connect with classroom planning.

14. Prepare Your Records and Communication

• Class register
• Seating plan
• Continuous assessment records
• Homework and classwork record
• Lesson-plan file or digital folder
• Relevant parent communication channels according to school policy

Keep sensitive learner information private and follow your school’s procedures for handling records.

15. Plan a Calm First-Day Welcome

Do not spend the first day talking continuously while learners sit quietly. Give them structured opportunities to participate.

Welcome learners, explain essential routines, allow introductions appropriate to their age, use a short activity and begin observing how the class responds. A calm first day gives you useful information about the group.

16. What Teachers Should Avoid Before Resumption

• Do not prepare weeks of lessons without allowing room to respond to your actual class.
• Do not overload the first day with heavy academic work.
• Do not assume every learner remembers the previous term equally.
• Do not introduce dozens of classroom rules at once.
• Do not buy expensive teaching materials before checking what the school already has.
• Do not use diagnostic tests simply to label learners.

17. A Seven-Day Teacher Preparation Plan

Final Teacher Preparation Checklist

• ☐ Calendar and timetable confirmed
• ☐ Scheme of work reviewed
• ☐ First-week lessons prepared
• ☐ Diagnostic assessment prepared
• ☐ Classroom organised
• ☐ Rules and routines planned
• ☐ Teaching materials checked
• ☐ Support and extension activities prepared
• ☐ Attendance and assessment records ready
• ☐ First-day welcome planned
• ☐ Parent communication arrangements understood

More Lessonshabitat Resources for Teachers

Once your preparation is complete, use Lessonshabitat’s existing lesson plans, schemes of work and assessment materials to move from planning into classroom teaching. Start with the 2026/2027 School Resumption Guide and the Back-to-School Checklist for Nigerian Teachers, then follow the subject-specific resources linked in this guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a teacher do before school resumes?

Confirm the calendar and timetable, review the scheme of work, prepare first-week lessons, organise teaching materials, plan classroom routines and prepare a short diagnostic assessment.

Should teachers prepare the entire term before resumption?

It is useful to understand the whole term, but the first week deserves the most detailed preparation. After meeting the class and reviewing assessment evidence, later lessons can be adjusted more intelligently.

How can teachers prepare for learners with different abilities?

Prepare support, core and extension activities around the same learning objective where practical. This allows learners to work at an appropriate level without completely separating the class.

What should teachers do on the first day?

Welcome learners, establish essential routines, explain expectations, use a short engaging activity and begin observing their academic and social readiness.

Teacher reminder: Preparation is not about creating a mountain of paperwork. It is about arriving with a clear direction and enough flexibility to respond to the learners in front of you.