Fourteen
Great Activities for the First Days of School!
Last September, in response to an Education World story, teachers
around the world sent in their favorite first-day-of-school activities.
So here they are -- 14 great activities to help you get to know your new
students -- and to help them get to know you!
I hear the sound of school bells again! That means it's time to update
to last year's Education World story Getting
to Know You: Activities for the First Day of School. If you're looking
for fun activities for the opening days of school -- activities that will
help you get to know your students and to help them get to know you --
check out these suggestions from your colleagues around the world!
The ideas are in no special order, and all have been edited for space.
I've credited each activity as accurately as I was able to; in cases where
I received the same idea from more than one teacher, I've merged those
ideas and credited all.
ACTIVITIES FOR DAY ONE!
True or False?
This activity is always fun, and we all learn something interesting about
one another! I start. I write four facts about myself on an overhead transparency.
Three of the facts are true, and one is false. Students take my little
true-false test. Then I survey students to learn the results. We go back
over each question to see what they thought about each statement. That
gives me a chance to tell a little about me. Then, on a sheet of paper,
students write three interesting facts about themselves that are true
and one that is false. Throughout the day, I ask a few students to try
to stump the rest of us. Tony Stuart, grades 4 and 5, Lanark,
Ontario, Canada
John Reilley, Fillmore, California
Already a Test!
Share Your
Favorite Icebreakers
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After the students sit and I take roll, I ask them to take out a sheet of
paper and a pen or pencil for their first test of the school year. I explain
to them -- in complete seriousness, of course -- that this will be the hardest
test of the entire year because they have not prepared in class for the
test. I have them title the paper "Teacher." I ask them to answer all parts
of each question. The questions might include Where was I born?, What does
my father do for a living?, How many brothers and/or sisters do I have --
if any?, How many different states have I called home?, Where did I go to
high school and college?, How old am I?, What is my favorite color?, What
kind of car do I drive? The test can be as long or short as you wish; make
the questions fit the things you would want them to know. You can imagine
the looks on their faces when asked these questions. I tell them they received
their very first 100 in my class if they answered all of the questions correctly!
At the end of the "test," I give the answers, and the kids marvel at the
discrepancy of their answers. One of my favorite things to see is a student
who was in my class the previous year. They always think they'll make a
100. They never do! With younger students, when they're right they think
they can predict the future! Marty Faulkner, high school teacher;
Grand Prairie, Texas
Tina Williams, Livingston Park Elementary
School; North Brunswick, New Jersey
Peek Into Summer.
Divide a bulletin board into "window panes," using white strips of paper.
Create one window pane for each child in your class. Assign two children
to bring in some object each day, such as a shell, that represents what
they had fun doing this past summer. Put the items in small zip-lock plastic
bags. After each presentation, mount the plastic bags on each child's
"window pane." This makes a great back-to-school bulletin board and provides
children with opportunities to talk about their summer. Judy Isphording, Sope Creek Elementary
School; Marietta, Georgia
The More Important Book
On the first day of school, read to students a popular favorite -- The
Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. It's a wonderful, repetitive
book that tells the "important thing" about a variety of things, such
as a spoon, an apple, the wind, etc. After we read the book and discover
its repetitive form, we write our own More Important Book. Each
child tells about himself or herself, following the format of The Important
Book." The children end, as the book does, by repeating the first
line, "But, the most important thing about (child's name)
is that he or she _____." Each child is responsible for a "most important
thing" page, which becomes part of the class book. This is a wonderful
and fun way to get to know one another, and the book is read throughout
the year. Susan Wallace, St. Agatha Academy;
Winchester, Kentucky
Let's Hear It!
I believe students are more interested in school when they have a hand
in their own learning. I ask my sophomores to write a few paragraphs explaining
what they would like to get out of my American government class. If they
could teach the class themselves, how would they make it more interesting
and what would they avoid doing? Patty McKenna, The Benjamin School;
North Palm Beach, Florida
BINGO-Scavenger Hunt!
To get communication going between students who aren't necessarily friends,
I start the year off with a game of BINGO. I make up BINGO cards for the
students. Each square on the card includes a brief description. Examples:
Visited Florida this summer, Is an avid waterskier, Has a big brother
and little sister, Was born in another country, Lives nearest the school,
Learned how to skateboard this summer, Didn't see the movie Titanic,
Likes anchovies on pizza, Was born in the same month as you, Has
a brother or sister in the same school, Favorite subject is science, Has
an ear pierced more than once, Father's name is Jim, Read more than one
book this summer, Speaks two languages, Has two pets. Students walk around
the room and get the signature of someone who fits the specific description
in each box. The goal is to be the first to student to fill the BINGO
card with signatures. To make it harder, have students fill every square
with a different student's signature and set a time limit. When a student
has a BINGO (one name signed per square) give the person a small prize,
such as being first in line that day. This is a great way to learn special
things about your students and help get them to know one another. An alternative:
Set this up as a scavenger hunt with a series of questions, each question
with a line beside it. Students are given a time limit to circle the classroom
and find someone who has "been there, done that." That "someone" writes
her or his name in the blank space. Carolyn Ruppel, high school English
teacher; Baltimore, Maryland
Kimberly Kean, Ochoa Middle School;
Hayward, California
Jennifer Malone, Eaton Elementary
School, Lenoir City, Tennessee
Rene Kehau Schofield. Westmont High
School; Campbell, California
Linda Press, Carmel High School; Carmel,
New York
Jan Johnson Wakefield Community Schools,
Wakefield, Nebraska
BINGO Times 2
Pass out BINGO cards to students. Each square on this card contains a
question. (Click here
for a sample card created by teacher Peg Teeter.) Have each student fill
in the answers for ALL questions beside number 1. Wait for all students
to finish. Then students find classmates with the same answers written
in each box. The classmate with a matching answer prints his or her initials
on line 2. Give a prize to any or all who get a BINGO! Peg Teeter, St. Stephen School;
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Going in Circles
For the entire first day of school, I arrange all the desks in a large
circle, with everyone facing the center. This makes it easy for the children
to talk and get to know one another. Then I ask each child to introduce
himself or herself. The children must also provide one fact about themselves.
As we go around the circle, students try to repeat the information (names
and facts) about each of the other students in the circle. Judy Wilkerson, Glen Avenue Elementary
School; Salisbury, Maryland
Jump Into Science
This activity is intended to get high school science students thinking
about the scientific process -- what is the issue or problem, what do
we know, what do we need to know. etc. -- and to assess what areas of
the curriculum are familiar to them. Issue texts, group students, and
provide the following activity: Invite students to scan the first chapter
of their text -- or the Table of Contents, which introduces major areas
typically covered in the course. As a group, select a topic or related
issue. Is this a controversial issue? That is, is there an ongoing debate
related to it? Identify what you as a group know about this topic or issue.
Determine what facts or information you as a group would like to know
about this topic or issue. How would you go about answering the questions
that you have just raised? Discuss in what way(s) this issue is relevant
to you? After about 20 minutes, I stop the discussion and invite each
group to share its responses. Alan Sills, West Essex Regional
High School; North Caldwell, New Jersey
Twenty Questions
One of my objectives is to get the kids used to "true participation" and
to the idea that being wrong can lead to being right! Playing Twenty Questions
is a great tie-in to what I start class with the following day -- how
sometimes we learn as much or more from being wrong as from being right.
The game is easy and requires no set-up or materials. I choose an item
in the room, and students have to guess what it is. They can ask only
questions that I can answer with either yes or no. For example: "Is it
blue?", "Is it in the front half of the room?" The person who finally
gets it gets to be the next yes-no person. I stress that that person would
never have gotten it without everybody else's help; the "no" answers helped
as much as the "yes" answers did. I also get to be a participant and to
point out that sometimes I am wrong too! The tone of friendly cooperation
on the first day lasts into the school year, and the first day becomes
part of a lesson, not just a day of record keeping. LeAnn Lyon, Highview Middle School;
Mounds View School District, Minnesota
Who Am I? Riddle Book
Have children share facts about themselves by creating a Who Am I?
riddle book. Students write four or five statements about themselves.
The last line is a question: "Who Am I?" I put this up as a bulletin board
and have students guess who each person is. The first person to guess
correctly gets to choose who guesses next. Tina Williams, Livingston Park
Elementary School; North Brunswick, New Jersey
Math About Me Students create Math About Me sheets. They share
the sheets with the class and each student's sheet becomes part of his
or her portfolio. The Math About Me information might include birthday,
address numbers, phone number, sports number, favorite number, number
of pets, number of people in the family, etc. When the students gather
together to share their numbers, they see what numbers they have in common
with their classmates, and everyone learns a little bit about one another.
The numbers are then used to make a Math About Me poster. I take a snapshot
of each child for the center of the poster. Then the kids design the math
facts in a colorful, interesting presentation. We use these as a hallway
bulletin board. Jennifer Malone, Eaton Elementary
School, Lenoir City, Tennessee
Eileen Horn, Godwin School, Midland
Park, New Jersey
Alphabetical Roll!
After introducing yourself, create some chaos. Tell students they have
three minutes to complete their first assignment: "Sort yourselves in
alphabetical order by last name." After the initial shock and after they
succeed, remind them how capable they are to handle their first day, and
every day, by asking questions, getting help from others, working together,
trying and evaluating strategies to "just do it"! Whatever "it" might
be, they can do it! Rene Kehau Schofield. Westmont
High School; Campbell, California
Puzzling Activity
Students use colorful markers to write their names in big letters on a
sheet of drawing paper. Under their names, they write several sentences
describing themselves, for example, favorite things, family info, hobbies,
and pet info. Then hand out blank puzzles (which can be found in craft
stores -- cheap!). Privately -- perhaps behind a folder upright on their
desks -- students illustrate on the blank puzzles the interests and information
on their name sheets. They break up their puzzles and place the pieces
in a brown paper bag with a question mark on the front. Post the large
papers with the descriptive sentences on a bulletin board and, beneath
that display, line up all the paper bags full of puzzle pieces. Throughout
the week, during free time, students can choose a bag, put the puzzle
together, compare the puzzle with the posted sentences, and guess which
classmate it may be. At the end of the week look at guesses, and find
out whose puzzle is really whose. Eileen Horn, Godwin School, Midland
Park, New Jersey
Fourteen
Great Activities for the First Days of School!
