Planning smarter, not harder : the video strategy
#K12 #Story #Inspiration #InsideElena’sClassroom
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Rapidmooc in education
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3 Essential Videos to Shoot Before September: A Teacher’s Guide to Preparing for Back-to-School
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Every year, I promise myself the same thing: “This time, I’ll be ready before day one.”
And every year… reality wins.
Until last July.
Instead of pushing everything off until August, I blocked off three half-days, just 3 mornings, to work on something I’d never really taken time to do properly: prepare my year with video.
Not scripted-to-death, big-production video. Just short, focused recordings to:
- introduce myself,
- explain the key goals of the year,
- and give students a leg up on the tools and routines they’ll need.
It’s the best prep I’ve ever done.
Morning 1: The “Meet your teacher” video
I started simple. I stood in front of the Rapidmooc studio screen, smiled, and said what I’d normally repeat to 25 faces in the first 5 minutes of class:
who I am, what I love teaching, and what we’ll do together this year.
đź“Ś How I structured it:
- A warm greeting (with a fun fact about me : “I’m terrible at drawing but love art projects anyway”)
- My teaching goals: “I want this classroom to feel safe, fair, and a little bit fun.”
- A quick glimpse of what’s coming: “We’ll explore space, write stories, do math in teams…”
đź“ą Tips:
- I used the teleprompter feature to keep it short and confident (1 min 30 total)
- I added my class motto as text on screen at the end: “Mistakes help us grow”
I now send this video to families a week before school starts. They love it. And the kids show up calling me by name, already curious.
Morning 2 : A visual tour of the year
Next, I created a “What We’ll Learn” video, basically a syllabus, but in kid language.
Instead of handing out a PDF they won’t read, I built a slide with:
- visuals of each subject or unit,
- short headlines like “Fractions = Pizza” or “Earth’s Layers = Cake”,
- and quick commentary to go with each one.
đź“Ś What I included:
- Our big units for the year (science, math, reading, social studies)
- 2-3 fun projects or field trips to look forward to
- My 3 classroom rules (with emojis and examples)
🎥 How I shot it:
- I used the scene editor to show slides while I narrated from the corner
- I kept transitions dynamic but smooth (one take with planned pauses)
- I made sure it didn’t feel “school-y” : tone matters!
🧠Bonus idea: Add a short “Try This” activity at the end, e.g., “Write down one thing you’re excited to learn this year and bring it with you!”
Morning 3: “How-To” Mini Tutorials
The last session was all about saving myself (and my students) time in September.
I made 3 very short tutorial videos on things that always slow us down at the start:
How to log into our class app
How to use the reading journal
How to organize your desk and supplies
Each video was 3-5 minutes max, and I used:
- the screencast feature (source = URL)Â to show the login steps directly on the app,
- a Rapidmooc studio to create the video from A to Z,
- and PPT slides with great animations, to create surprising interactions between the content shown in the background (green screen mode) and me.
🔧 Pro tips:
- Be yourself, don’t overproduce or pretend to be an Hollywood actor
- Speak like you would to a student one-on-one
- Add simple visual cues or arrows to guide their attention
Now when we start the year, I don’t waste a full week repeating how to log in. Kids watch these videos on their own, or with parents. Some rewatch. And the stress just… disappears.
What I learned
Doing this didn’t feel like work.
It felt like investing in peace of mind.
And here’s the best part:
- I only needed about 40 minutes total (1 recording session + slide prep)
- I now reuse most of the content each year, tweaking only what changes
- The videos became a bridge to families, not just tools for students
If you want to try this, here's what I recommend :
- Keep each video under 5 minutes or shorter : more likely to be watched
- Start with one (even just a welcome message) and build from there
- Use a visual hook (slide, object, drawing...) to keep kids engaged
- Record while you're relaxed, not rushed (summer mornings are gold)
- Don't aim for perfection. Aim for connection !
This isn’t about tech. It’s about presence. Even when you’re not in the room.
And honestly? It feels great walking into September knowing my voice has already reached every student… before I even take attendance.
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3 Essential Videos to Shoot Before September: A Teacher’s Guide to Preparing for Back-to-School
Read More »
