The pencils are sharpened, your classroom is clean and thebell rings…gulp…here they come! My feelings on the first week of school areconflicted. On one hand, it’s one of the most important weeks. Explaining andpracticing the class procedures and expectations sets the tone for the rest ofthe school year. Success is vital. On the other hand, I’m so excited to start teachingmy historical content that waiting until all the expectations are explainedrequires a lot of patience! Every teacher has their own plan of action for thatpivotal time.
Here are 5 things I can’t live without during the first week ofschool:
One: An Icebreaker.I aim to try and make kids feel comfortable in my classroom on day one. One ofmy favorite little activities is Fact or Fiction. Each student receives a smallslip of paper and they’re instructed to write one fact and two fictions. Theneach person (including myself!) introduces themselves and we all try to guesswhich statement is the fact! It’s a great way to quickly learn about eachother.
Two: ClassroomInformation and Expectations. This is every teacher’s staple, I know, butit had to go on the list because it’s a must-have! When you’re making your own,spell everything out – from the obvious grading procedures and late work policyto how to pass back papers and when to sharpen pencils and go to the bathroom.Trust me, leave no stone unturned. Your classroom will function much better ifyou set the tone from day one. (Oh, and don’t forget a seating chart!)
Three: Fun and Games.On the second day of school, I love to start class with a little game. It’s agreat way for the kids to start practicing our classroom procedures andexpectations while getting familiar with their teacher and classmates. Here aresome of my favorite games that I use during the first week of school: (P.S. Someof these activities can be found in my Back to School Activities resources! Clickthe grade level you’re teaching to check them out: Sixth, Seventh, Eighth)
InstaFriend: This activity gets students moving around the room andinterviewing fellow classmates! Their InstaFriend paper has a series ofdescriptions and characteristics. When they find a student who matches thedescription, they write their name in the box. Each name can only be used once!
Right or Wrong: I love skits. LOVE THEM. I like to introducestudents to the idea of skits during the first week by allowing them to createtheir own based on our class expectations. I first divide students into smallgroups of 2-3. Each group then randomly receives one of our class procedures orexpectations. As a group, they have to work together to create two mini skits –one showing the RIGHT way to follow the expectation, the other showing theWRONG way. They get to be silly and I get to reinforce my class expectations.After each skit I happily point out all the positive behaviors as well as eachtime a class policy was violated. It’s a light-hearted way to grab their attentionand create a positive atmosphere all while practicing the laws of the land.
Classmate Bingo: I love to play this game at the end of the firstweek. I give each student a blank bingo board with a large selection ofpersonal characteristics, hobbies, etc. at the bottom. The students choose 16off the list and create their customized board. Then, I randomly selectcharacteristics from the list. If a student has that characteristic on theirboard, they have to write down a student’s name that matches the characteristic– but no cheating! They have to use what they’ve learned about others duringtheir first week of school to try and win the game.
Four: A Pre Test.After a few days of class information and fun, it’s time to start getting downto business. Each year, I make a short pre-test on the information they’lllearn about that year. It gives me a chance to see what the kids already knowand gives them a feel for what subject matter they’ll be learning about in thecoming weeks. FYI: Your pre-test probably won’t take the whole class period.Make sure to have plans for other activities, too, on the day you give yourpre-test!
Five: A WritingActivity. True fact: when I tell kids they’re going to do a writingactivity, they groan every time. It’s a signal that the “real work” is about tobegin. Luckily, they’re always relieved when I assure them that this activitywill require very little research because it’s about a subject they’re expertsin – themselves! I have a few different activities to choose from each year.Here are some suggestions:
Student Survey: What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do youhope to learn in this class? These are just some of the questions I askstudents in the survey. The more I know about my students, the better I canhelp them achieve success in my class.
Write Away: A staple of many: write a letter to a future you! I askstudents to write goals for the year, dreams they wish to see realized, andquestions they want to ask their “End of the Year” self. I tuck these lettersaway and revisit them during the last week of school.
I’m Ready: Like every middle school history class, we do a lot ofwriting and students always have to back up their reasons, statements, etc.with evidence to support their claim. In this writing activity, students haveto identify which class rule or expectation they believe is most important andprovide evidence to support their claim. This activity both reinforces myclassroom policies and secretly gives me a preview of their writingproficiency.
Have I left anything out? If you have any fun plans for thefirst week of school, share them in the comments. I’m always looking for newideas for my classroom!
