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. 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 Assess Learning Styles or Multiple Intelligences Do a Self-Portrait Create a Time Capsule Get Them Guessing
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. 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 With students seated in a circle, I pass around a bag of Skittles, telling each student to pick two. Going around the circle, students share information about themselves based on the color candy they have selected. Autograph Scavenger Hunt Beach Ball Introductions Students sit in a circle and toss a ball to a classmate in the circle.
Free resources for English teachers and students - EFL ESL Icebreakers Volume 7: Getting to Know One Another | First Day of School Activities | Ice Breakers | Opening Day Activities Education World readers have come through again! Enjoy these teacher-tested icebreaker activities for the first days of school. Included: Fourteen icebreakers from teachers around the globe! Each activity below was contributed by an Education World reader who is identified alongside the activity. It's in the Bag! Over the years, teachers have pulled from their "bags of tricks" a handful of activities employing the common paper bag! Dawn Lasko, who teaches third grade at Cliffwood (New Jersey) Elementary School, starts the year with a game that challenges her students to use their sense of touch. Cheryl Lindo, a teacher at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, uses paper bags in one of her favorite icebreaker activities. Jamie Ward gives a similar opening-day homework assignment to her students at Clarendon (Texas) Junior High School. The first item must represent something the student loves to do. Cool Introductions Have students write three things about themselves. Options:
7 Great Activities for the First Day of School | Scholastic New Year Resolutions Involve students in the creation of a set of classroom new year resolutions to guide you through the coming months. Work together to brainstorm resolutions, and write them on a sheet of chart paper. If necessary, reword them in a positive manner (such as "walk" rather than "don't run"). These may be resolutions for behavioral expectations (take turns) or class goals (learn our times tables). Guess Who Students become detectives in this get-acquainted game, in which they uncover the real identity of a fellow classmate. Switch! Here's a great indoor or outdoor game to get students actively learning about each other! Welcome Bags Use these party favors to send positive messages to students on the first day of school. The Penny Jar Here's a getting-to-know-you activity that really makes "cents"! Hats Off to a New Year! Greet students at the door with party hats and a quick craft activity that will get everyone warmed up and ready for learning. Create a Time Capsule
Activities for the First Day of School Are you looking for the perfect way to get to know your students and help them get to know one another? You'll find it here! Education World offers more than 15 creative icebreakers from our readers. Every year, creative teachers share with Ed World readers their favorite first-day-of-school activities. Enjoy these 19 teacher-tested ideas for getting to know your new students! 'Lay Down the Law' and Then ... Like many teachers, Suzanne Meyer feels compelled to use part of the first day of classes to "lay down the law." "After doing my 'routine,' I asked students for their expectations of me," Meyer told Education World. "Because adolescents are in 'take in' mode early in the school year, you will have their undivided attention as they try to size you up," suggested Meyer. Now that I've told you my expectations of a good student, what are your expectations of a good teacher? Time Capsules: A Time-Proven Year Opener What's your favorite TV show? These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Icebreakers Volume 1: First Day of School Activities Every teacher has his or her favorite getting to know you activities. Following are a few of EdWorld's picks. Why not explore a few you may not have tried before? Let's jump right into our first circle activity. My name is _____, and if I were an animal I'd be a _____ because.... Then I give the students a little time to think about what animals they might like to be -- and why. Next, I ask the kids to draw themselves as their animals, leaving space at the bottom of the drawing for their first writing assignment. As I call on students during the day, I always repeat their names -- and their animals! We are all unique! Then I use the word in several statements, the last of which is "Each of us is unique." Next step: Out comes the roll of white mural paper. I start out by writing "Mr. Let's play detective. "My favorite hobby is ________." "I want to see whether you're good detectives," I tell the students. Note: If it's a nice day, you might move this activity outdoors.
Getting to Know You Activity with a Beach Ball! Here is a super simple and fun getting to know you activity! 1. Get a cheap beach ball from the dollar store or Target $1 Spot. 2. Using a permanent marker cover it with getting to know you questions. 3. 4. Here are the questions I wrote on the ball: What is your favorite TV show? Your questions may differ from mine depending on the age of the students, and your dynamics. What are you doing to get to know your students? Fabulous First-Day Ideas Primary and intermediate-level teachers offer suggestions for first-day-of-school lesson planning. Use their clever activities to create an exciting start to the school year. Time Capsule During the first week of school, my second graders make a time capsule. First I ask them to bring an empty paper-towel roll from home. Paper-Bag Sharing About two weeks before school starts, I send my students a letter in which I introduce myself and describe some activities we will share. Class-Created Puzzles Using a large piece of tagboard, I draw as many puzzle pieces as I have students, plus one for myself. –Ellaine Barthelemy, Apple Valley, MN Silly Name Game On the first day, I gather the children in a circle. Mission Statement My kindergarten class works together on the first day to come up with a mission that we strive to accomplish on each day of the school year. B-Kind! My first bulletin board revolves around our nature-study unit on insects and helps children remember good behavior. Guess Who?
Icebreakers Volume 8: Who's In The Classroom? | Getting to Know You Activities | Ice Breakers | First Days of School Are you still looking for the perfect activity to help you get to know your students -- and to help them get to know one another? Take a look at these icebreaker activities contributed by teachers from around the globe! Included: Thirteen getting-to-know-you activities for the first days of school. If you missed Icebreakers: Volume 7 -- which included more than a dozen new icebreaker activities -- click here to see it! An Education World reader contributed each activity below. Like Pieces Of a Puzzle! Our Class Puzzle Use tagboard to create a large jigsaw puzzle. Working Together in Room 103 Hang a large sheet of butcher paper on a chalkboard or bulletin board. Puzzle-Piece Pairs This is a simple activity for pairing kids for any activity on the first day of school. Ten More Great Icebreakers! Birthday Timeline Ask students to take out a sheet of paper and write down the month and day of their birth. Color-Coded M&Ms Four Corners of Me Provide an adhesive-backed label for each student.