The Biggest First Day Of School Mistake You Can Make There is a common mistake teachers make on the first day of school that sets in motion bad student habits and misbehaviors that can last the rest of the school year. That’s a big statement, I know. But this one particular mistake will be responsible for scores of teachers getting off to a disastrous classroom management start—one many will never recover from. And what makes this mistake most troubling is its deviousness. You see, it’s a sneaky little thing, harmless in appearance and barely noticeable, even to the most discerning professional eye. Most teachers won’t even know they made a mistake, let alone one so spectacular, until weeks later when it hits them like a splash of cold water to the face. And even then, they won’t know what it is they did wrong. It starts innocently. Morning breaks on the first day of school, your new students arrive, and everything proceeds as planned. Typical of a new group of students after a long summer break, they’re attentive and respectful.
Why You Should Smile On The First Day Of School You’ve likely heard the oft-repeated recommendation that teachers should never smile the first three months of the school year. The idea being that if you show kindness toward your students, they’ll see it as a weakness and take advantage of you. Hogwash. Although it’s true students can and often do come to the conclusion that their teacher is a pushover, it has nothing to do with showing kindness. You’re only a pushover if you don’t do what you say you’re going to do. The truth is, smiling is a powerful classroom management strategy you should begin using the first day of school. Here’s why: It sets the proper tone. A smile is a subtle message that kindness and politeness are expected in your classroom. It’s disarming. Students are nervous on the first day of school, particularly those who are shy and take time adjusting to new surroundings. It makes you more likeable. Your likeability is crucial to effective classroom management and a smile is the simplest way to improve it. It’s a reminder.
How A Simple, First-Week-Of-School Classroom Procedure Can Inspire Excellence In Your Students If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. ~Colin Powell Classroom procedures are critical to classroom management success. They save loads time and energy, reduce stress and misbehavior, and make your teaching life a lot easier. The best part, though, is that when done in a certain way, they transfer excellence from the basic and routine…to the advanced and academic. In other words, by requiring excellence from your students for everyday procedures, like lining up to leave your classroom, you’re ingraining habits that make them better students. The opposite is also true. If your line is noisy, pushy, and looks like Lombard Street, then you’ll struggle to manage your students during academic work as well. A Culture of Excellence Teaching fundamental classroom procedures, and then requiring your students to perform them as taught, is a great way to begin creating a culture of excellence in your classroom. 5 Simple Steps Repeat Practice
First Week Plans For the past three years, the beginning of every year has meant a new school, new students, new classes. Last year I had FOUR preps, one of which I didn't know about until a week before school started. So my first days of school have always been pretty mundane. Here's the syllabus, here's your book, here's the rules... blah blah blah. After reading the #mssunfun and hearing(reading) so many posts about not starting the year like a robot I'm inspired to not even mention my syllabus until our third (and first full 90 minute block) class. Google doc survey. And then in no particular order, here are some of the ideas I stole off the Middle School list, 20 First-Day-of-School Traditions Your Students Will Love We asked our Facebook followers to share their first-day-of-school traditions and activities. Here are our favorites along with a few more we’ve picked up along the way. 1. Photo credit: Danielle G. Start the year by taking a selfie with each student. 2. If your school doesn’t allow photos, or you just want to encourage creativity, have students draw a selfie instead. 3. We love this first-day-of-school tradition from Gallatin Elementary, where teachers ring a giant bell to start the year. 4. Tackle the jitters by having students write down something that makes them nervous about starting school—no names! 5. Source: Giggles Galore Getting to know your new students is an important way to prepare for a successful year. 6. Kids are just as curious about their teachers as you are about them. Slide shows aren’t the only option. 7. Photo credit: English Teaching 101 The possibilities for a first-day-of-school time capsule are endless! 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Source: Digital Meanderings 14. 15. 16.
15 creative lesson ideas for the first day of school Back to school. Finally! In Belgium, school starts on the 1st of September, after a summer break of two months. Other countries have already begun the new school year, others still have a few weeks to go. There’s one thing we all have in common: the first day of school. A special day for students and teachers. How can you make sure those first-day-of-school emotions are good emotions? So here they are! 15 fun back to school classroom activities First day of school activities are based upon one goal: to get to know each other. 💡 Pro tip: Make sure to also check out this blog post with 20+ ready-to-use digital lesson activities for on the first day of school. First day of school activities for elementary students 1. Hand out a paper bag to all your students the first day of school and put a little note on it: Directions: Fill this bag with 4 things or objects that tell something about yourself. 2. In fourth grade, students have already learned arithmetics. 3. Examples of questions: 4. 5. 6.
10 Fun Back-to-School Activities and Icebreakers As an extremely shy student, the beginning of a school year filled me with angst. My heart raced before the first bell ever rang. I’d wonder if the teacher would be as nice, or as mean, as I’d heard. I worried whether I’d make any new friends, and I would literally hold my breath waiting to hear how the teacher would mangle my name. In a 1970s world filled with Annes and Kathys, it was tough being a shy kid named Eugenia Hajduk on the first day of school. Fourth grade was the absolute best start I’d ever had to elementary school. I tell you the story above because I truly believe our own childhood experiences help shape the teachers we become. Who’s in Our Room Word Search Arrival on the very first day of school is different than any other day of the year. D-icebreakers Divide students into groups of 4–6 students and give each group one die and a copy of the D-icebreakers printable. Skit-tell Us About Yourself Autograph Scavenger Hunt Beach Ball Introductions Back to School "Survival" Bags
Classroom Icebreakers - Icebreakers, Icebreaker Ideas, Games, Activities! These classroom icebreakers are enjoyable teacher-approved activities and games that address all your school and classroom needs! We recommend the following icebreakers for students of all ages. We have teachers on our staff of writers and they have recommended these for class teaching purposes. Give them a try and we think you’ll agree that your students will love them. Classroom Icebreakers for Students Breaking the Ice / Introduction Games Breaking the ice is useful for the beginning of a class period or toward the beginning of a semester when students don’t know each other well! Art Effects (Drawing) – A fun drawing oriented game! Sharing/Opinion Games Some games help students to start expressing their opinions on various issues, to share personal stories, or to have a voice in the classroom. Connecting Stories (Get-to-know-you, Teambuilding)Extremes: Where Do You Stand? Spelling/Word Games These games are all about spelling or using words. Assignments / Outside-of-Class Activities
7 First Day of School Activities Students Love The first day of school will be here before you know it. Most teachers face the big day with enthusiasm, but they dread the inevitable challenge: what to do on the first day of school. Every teacher’s approach is different. Whatever your goal, here are a few things to try to get the school year off to a great start! Goal: Getting to Know Your Students How well will your incoming students know you? If you’re teaching kindergarteners (or high school freshmen, who often seem like kindergarteners), you may need to spend the first day – or the first several days –getting everyone comfortable. Teaching strategies for improving friendship skills at the elementary school... The School of Education at Gardner-Webb University has received national... We examine the classroom management characteristics of effective teachers. A few useful classroom management ways to get information from your students on... 7 great technology in the classroom apps to use this year. Plan a Scavenger Hunt Do a Self-Portrait
First Days of School Now for the lesson... I prepare a list of facts about myself, ranging from where I was born to I manage my own fantasy baseball team, and other similarly "interesting" facts.. I fold each one and put them all in my fact jar. I have a large piece of white butcher paper taped to the board with my name circled in the center. (this introduces the freeform concept mapping activity I use regularly in class) I ask for volunteers and one by one the students illustrate the fact and students guess what it is... when someone gets in right, they illustrate the next fact... Each class produces a free form map of me! The next day - I leave all the classes maps of me up, and pass out a 20 question "quiz" in multiple choice format, and tell them to feel free to use the "visual resources" on the wall. We then go back to the KWL list and I have each class contribute 3 new things they know about me...
How To Handle Misbehavior The First Two Weeks Of School Your new students will likely be on their best behavior for the first few days of school. But by the second week, you and your classroom management plan will be tested. After all, your students don’t really know you. Maybe you’ll be like the pushover teacher they had last year. Maybe you’ll be inconsistent or easy to fluster. Maybe you won’t really mean what you say. Maybe some of your students have never had firm boundaries. And because you haven’t spent enough time with your students to earn their confidence, you’re going to be tested. But when it happens, when Anthony says something crude to try to shock you, when Karla talks back and disrespects you, when your students interrupt you, ignore you, and misbehave three feet in front of you… You’ll be ready. Here’s what to do: Pause. Your first reaction to misbehavior should be no reaction. Hide your disappointment. Never show hurt over misbehavior or disrespect. Lose the battle. Follow through. Move on immediately. Don’t take it personally.