Ready to "cook up" a great first day of school? It's easy with this recipe for a successful start to the school year! PREP: ➤ ...
We had our first day of school with students Wednesday and I forgot how utterly exhausting and mind blowing that first day is! We did lots ...
Musings of a Third Grade Teacher
Back to School Activities that are great for an online classroom or inside a classroom.
One of our activities this week included talking about some of our favorite things. We then made these super, cute people to go with our wri...
This set of school picture-word cards includes 18 school related words: apple, bus, book, chair, crayons, glue, paint, scissors, paper, pencil, eraser,
I have updated this link with a freebie! Click here to get there. "No, David" is one of our favorite books to begin the year or use anytime we need a little review of what our classroom expectations are. One corner of our classroom is devoted to David and our school rules. We read the book several times then the students chose one rule they thought was especially important to them and they typed their rule during Computer Lab time. Then each student created a picture of David and they turned out AMAZING! We had so much fun with David this year that we decided to use iMovie to create a short video of David following the rules and showed the video to the entire school. How FUN! If you would like to view the video you can see it on my classroom webpage. The poster shown above was printed at Staples. I used PhotoShop to edit the title to fit our lesson and class.
No David by David Shannon is a classic book to read in kindergarten. Here are free No David activities, videos and book ideas listed all in one place.
Students circulate through the classroom and meet new friends! Here's a great team building activity I like to have on hand for the first week of school! Use "Find a Friend" for a quick structure to allow for student interaction, to model classroom expectations for movement in the room, and to review and practice classroom manners. With the recording sheet in hand, students circulate through the room to pair up with a new friend. Students greet each other and take turns to ask a question related to the grid. For example, student A will say say to student B, "Do you like to read?" Student B will reply, "Yes, I do like to read." Student B will then sign his name in the corresponding box on Student A's paper. (If the student replies with a "no", I encourage my first graders to try again and to ask about something else on the paper. After all, we have different likes and dislikes.) Before rotating, students thank each other. Students mix and pair again with a new partner to complete the grid as time allows. I do remind the children that they may only sign someone's paper one time. These activities promote positive interaction, movement, and community. It also allows for me to model (...again) how to stand up and carry the paper/pencil, how to find a partner quietly (by making eye contact), how to say "please" and "thank you", and how to speak using an inside voice. Click here to download this "Find a Friend" activity. link Here's One for Color Words. Click on the image below to download this "Find a Friend" activity. (Some children may need to have support with recognizing and reading the words.) Like Those? Here's one for number words, too! Click on the image below to download this "Find a Friend" activity. Happy Holiday Weekend!
The Pigeon has to go to school and he's not happy about it! In fact, he's worried. Help kids kick their first-day fears with these fun ideas!
An engaging back-to-school writing activity. Use Skittles to help students brainstorm things to introduce themselves during back-to-school.
We had our first day of school with students Wednesday and I forgot how utterly exhausting and mind blowing that first day is! We did lots of rules, routines, and procedures but also made time for some fun first week things. Here is what we have been up to! You can purchase these Scholastic Order Form activities from Clutter Free Classroom HERE! I also introduced the students to the Activ Expressions! They were literally asking me about them ALL week long and so Friday, we took a Multiple Intelligence Survey using the device! I adapted this activity from Laura Candler's printable survey which you can download free HERE! You can download the flipchart by clicking the image below. Important Note: You must have Promethean Activ Inspire software installed on your computer to OPEN and use this file! Please do not download otherwise! I also made some labels to go on my Activ Expression bins. You can download those by clicking the button below! I have also decided to implement brain breaks into my classroom this year! We needed a little wake me up on Friday morning so we watched this HILARIOUS parody of I'm Sexy and I Know It, called I'm Elmo and I Know It! I am definitely adding this to my brain break file! I plan on making some brain breaks sometime this week. Stay tuned to find out how I plan on incorporating this bad boy into my brain breaks! I absolutely can't wait for it to get here!!
This back to school math activity is a perfect get to know you activity to start a new school year. There are multiple versions of the math pennant included and glyph directions if you'd like to give more structure to the activity. The finished pennants are a colorful addition to your math classroom decor and make for a welcoming classroom. Now includes a digital drag and drop version of the back to school math activity in GOOGLE Slides to meet the needs of distance learning. Happy back to school!
As we returned from winter break this year, it became clear that we could not pick up right where we left off in room #264! With the addition of new students as well as some schedule changes that lead to some different class combinations, I knew we couldn’t just jump into business as usual without
One of the best things to do on the first day of school is plan cooperative learning activities where students can get to know one another.
This week was our first week back and, boy am I tired! My class is great though...very inquisitive and eager to learn. They take their work seriously and are actively working most of the day. Who could ask for more?? We did quite a few things this week, but I want to share with you one "get to know you" project we did that really came out great. I seriously can't stop staring at it! I saw this pin on Pinterest. I love how it looks and thought it would make a great welcome sign. Now, on the pin, the hands seemed to be just colored in. I wanted something a bit more. So we started with creating Circle Maps about ourselves. What made us special? What are some things that have shaped us? Where did you go in your life? etc....Most of the kids finished these Circle Maps in class on the first day of school. I then asked the students to trace their hands and arms on a piece of 11 x 17" piece of paper. They then had to draw, write, decorate, etc...the traced in hand with items from the Circle Map. The goal was to teach their fellow classmates about themselves in a visual way, without giving away too much information (ie: I didn't want them to write paragraphs.) That is pretty much how far we got in class. So, the first homework assignment the students had to finish the project at home. I gave them this sheet so that they could be a bit more focused on their project and add a bit if they wanted. (but if you are going copy-less, just forgo this. They can write the information on a sheet of paper instead.) The next day, the hands came back to school...and they were great! I had the kids get into groups and share what they decided to put on their hands and why. The kids learned a lot about each other in that 15 minute session! You can see some of them used words as well as pictures to tell about themselves. I love the one directly in the center of this picture! Others just used pictures, like the one in the middle here. When I went to put them around a piece of poster board, like in the original pin, they didn't fit :( I think if I had used a smaller piece of paper to trace their hands to begin with they might have. Oh well! I decided to put them up as if the hands were all in a line, raising up.....and it came out great! I overlapped the hands, so I was able to get 5 or 6 on one piece of large construction paper. I then mounted them on my wall. I love it! All in all, this was a fun little project that served as a great way for the kids to get to know each other and make a nice display! What is something you do during the first week of school to help the kids get to know each other and for you to learn a little about them? Follow me on Snapchat for even more teaching ideas!
Photo Source: F is for First Grade Help your kiddos remember what it means to be a good listener with this super cute diagram featured over at F is for First Grade! Melissa took it a step further and put together a printable worksheet to use along with the diagram she found on First Grade Garden that will give your kiddos a chance to show everything they know about being a good listener. Check it out: Photo Source: F is for First Grade Head over to F is for First Grade to grab the FREE worksheet!
Want something to send home to your parents in the beginning of the year?? I store this in my communication folder in a plastic sleeve and store all the notes I get from parents behind this…. Come on over HERE to snag a copy. Would you like to have your printables ... Read More about Parent Survey for Beginning of Year
So let me just tell you...I'm in week 3 of school and I have A class! I am already worn out and it's only just begun!! Please pray for me...and my sanity...and yeah...just pray. Anywho, rant over! We worked on this cute activity inspired by Alisha Peara - The Bubbly Blonde! I used the movie strips on the bottom of mine from Alisha's Terrific Third Grade Fun pack, which you can purchase for yourself HERE. I used the camera from Creekside Teacher Tales and then decided to print and cut their pictures to put in the center. You can purchase this adorable set HERE! Off to watch Big Brother!! P.S. Amanda is soooo not my fav anymore. She sucks...lol GO JUDD!!
It is the first week of kindergarten! What do I teach? I get this question all the time! I am so excited to put together this page together for you. I’m sharing our favorite first week of kindergarten read aloud stories and the free coordinating printables I made to go with them. Plus I will s
Students learn how to practice drawing quick rectangular shapes and paint warm and cool colors into those shapes using Paul Klee art inspiration and
Upper elementary teachers, are you looking for back to school activities and ideas to make this year the best year yet? These tips and ideas for back to school season will save your time and sanity and help you to kick off the year smoothly!
Name posters are an easy art project for the first day of school and also double as classroom decor!
Teachers, you must send this letter home to parents on the first day of school. It will set the tone with parents for the rest of the year!
Do you and I run in the same circles? Doubt it. Although we do share at least one circle: teaching. Right? And if you and I ha...
Okay, my first official week of summer is over, and I had a blast! I decided to take a mini-break from all things teaching (including blogging), and I had lots of fun just being a mommy for a while! Miss Elliotte and I went to the childrens' museum, story hour at the library, played in her baby pool, and just hung out! We also tried some pinterest-inspired activities, and I have to say, we both loved the kool-aid playdough and edible fingerpaints! (well, we liked playing with them--we didn't actually eat them--I'm not that fun of a mom!) The links for them are below if you're interested. I might try them with my firsties this year, too! Source: dealiciousmom.com via Brooke on Pinterest Source: ourbestbites.com via Brooke on Pinterest I guess all that fun time playing gave me some new creativity because I just cannot stop thinking about things for next school year! This is what I just finished today, and I'm very excited to share it with you! I normally have my kiddos do an All About Me Bag as a community-builder for back to school, and I finally came up with a way to snazz it up a bit (other than the usual magazine collages)! Introducing, the All About Me Paper "Bagpack!" It has questions for the kiddos to fill out on the back, and they will put small items such as toys and photos that represent them inside the bag. I'm also thinking about having them draw self portraits--maybe Flat Stanley-style--to put in the little front pocket. We'll share our bags during one of our class meetings, and then we'll display them for Back to School Night! I'm so excited I won't have to scramble for a last minute idea for that this year! Yay! If you'd like to check it out, just click the pictures! Oh, and if you are one of the first two people to comment with your email, I'll send it to you for free! I hear Miss E is waking up from her nap, so its baby pool time for us! Have a great rest of the day!
Name posters are an easy art project for the first day of school and also double as classroom decor!
Pre-K & Preschool activities for the first days of school. Find more Beginning of School Activities for Pre-K In the beginning of the year, we spend a
Tired of showing your students where to turn in their homework or sharpen their pencil? Here are 17 ways to review classroom procedures that won't make you tear your hair out! P.S. The kids love them too!
Having students color in posters with their names is a great first day activity that provides yearlong decoration for the classroom!
Use this Free School Bus name puzzle to help your child learn to recognize and spell their name. Perfect for back to school!
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
Ready to "cook up" a great first day of school? It's easy with this recipe for a successful start to the school year! PREP: ➤ Think about how you will set the tone for your classroom on the first day of school. ➤ Plan to keep students engaged and active. ➤ Prepare to build a positive rapport with students from the first instant that they become a part of the classroom community. INGREDIENTS: ➤ Warm-Up Activity ➤ Get-to-Know-You Activity ➤ Game that gets students out of their seats ➤ Get-to-Know-the-Teacher Activity ➤ Writing Prompt ➤ Extension Activity Once you've gathered your ingredients, you can get "cooking!" (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RECIPE!) PROCEDURE: STEP 1: Begin with a warm-up activity. Place an activity on students' desks that they can complete independently. You might try a simple survey or poster. An All About Me poster is a quick way to learn about students. You can even gather them together for an awesome classroom display. Or, a survey is a wonderful way to collect information about students. You might include questions about where students like to sit, their favorite way to learn, and activities that they enjoy so that you can start connecting with students. Another awesome warm-up activity is an "All About You" name tag. Students answer questions about themselves while coloring in a name tag based on their responses. Then, students can place the name tag on their desks to help you learn your students' names. This activity is particularly awesome if you have multiple sets of students. You can collect the name tags and re-distribute them each day during each class while you learn names. Oh, and as a bonus, you can gather them together and leave them with substitute teachers throughout the year! If you'd like to check out ready-made Back to School Warm-Ups, just click here for the poster, here for the survey, and here for the name tags. STEP 2: Mix in a get-to-know-you activity. Give students a chance to share about themselves and learn about their classmates with an engaging get-to-know-you activity. One of my favorites is a doodle-inspired mini-book. Students transform a single sheet of paper into a doodley mini-book all about themselves. After students make the mini-book it's fun to hang them on a clothesline. Then, as students finish their work during the first days of school, you can encourage fast-finishers to grab a classmate's mini-book and learn about him or her. Check out the doodle mini-book HERE. Or, you could have students create this 3-D About Me Activity. Students create an infographic-style book about themselves. After answering some simple questions, they do a little cutting and gluing to create a 3-D "About Me" display. These are especially fun because students can set them on their desks and then everyone can tour around the classroom and learn about their peers. (These are awesome for Open House too!) Learn more HERE. STEP 3: Scatter in an activity that gets students moving. Since students crave opportunities to get up and out of their seats, plan to get your class moving on the first day of school. You might have students complete a scavenger hunt or even play a learning game that requires students to move around. I'm a huge fan of this simple get-to-know-you activity that gets students moving (and you can download it for FREE here.) First, students make paper airplanes. They write their name and 3 interview questions on the wings. Then, students line up shoulder-to-shoulder and launch the planes. Next, they pick up a classmate's plane, find him or her, and ask the interview questions. You can repeat the airplane launch as often as you'd like! Find everything you need to do this activity in this FREEBIE. If you'd like to combine movement and learning on the first day of school, then you and your students will love this Back to School Doodle Infographic. First students fill in the infographic with facts about school. There are 21 facts and you can hide them around the room to get students moving. Then, they put together the infographic to make a fun and doodle-y poster! Check it out HERE. STEP 4: Sprinkle in a chance for students to get-to-know-you (their teacher). On the first day of school, students are very curious about you. They want to learn about you, so you'll want to be sure to share about yourself. You can give a simple biography of yourself, or you might try these easy and engaging activities: Create a teacher interview question along with 4 or 5 prize cards for each student in your class. Then, tape the questions and the prize cards under students' seats before class begins. During class, explain to students that they all have something under their chairs. It might be a question and it might be a prize. If they get a prize card, have students keep it quiet. Then, call on students. They can either read a question for you to answer or reveal that they won a prize. If they won, you might give them a pencil, piece of candy, or a homework pass. You can find all my favorite questions HERE. Or, you might have students complete a "Teacher Guess" about you. First, they predict the answers to questions about you. Then, as you reveal the answers, they earn points for every correct prediction. It's a fun activity that students truly enjoy! You can check it out HERE. STEP 5: Add a fun writing prompt to your back to school activities. A writing prompt is a great way to gather a baseline for students' writing on the first day of school. You might give students a simple prompt about their summer or goals for the new school year. However, I love to add a fun creative writing prompt into the mix. For example, with this writing prompt students select a setting, character, problem, and 3 random objects. Then, they need to work them all into a story. It's fun, engaging, and a great way to see where your students are starting the school year. Find this writing prompt HERE or check out this collection of 10 creative writing activities. STEP 6: Top it off with a review of tomorrow's warm-up. Set students up for success during your next day of school by quickly reviewing what they will need to do when they arrive to class. If you're planning to have students work through warm-ups like these This or That ELA warm-ups where students choose to do the "this" or the "that" activity, then you might quickly review what will be waiting on their desks when they arrive. Taking the time to preview tomorrow's warm-up is a great way to set expectations for students! If you're looking for some daily warm-ups, you might want to check out these This or That ELA warm-ups or these This or That Writing warm-ups! STEP 7: Don't forget to have an extension activity just in case your lesson ends early. I love playing games like "Move If You..." which you can find for FREE HERE. While you may never get to the extension activity, it's a lifesaver if you need it! TIPS: When you're following this recipe for a great first day of school, you might want to: ➤ Greet students at the door and answer these questions for students right away: ➨ Where do I sit? ➨ Am I in the right classroom? ➨ What should I be doing right now? ➤ Also, be prepared to manage students' behavior on the first day of school. Ensure that you have a positive classroom management system in place and ready to use if you need it! Well, there you have it, my recipe for a great first day of school. Be sure to download all the ideas with links AND the FREE airplane activity HERE! CHECK THIS OUT! I've put together a 100+ page guide for back to school for teachers. It includes tips, tools, and printables for classroom décor, classroom organization, lesson planning, community building, and planning the first day of school. It's absolutely FREE! Just click here to sign up. When you sign up, you'll get access to 6 mini-courses that cover everything Back to School including classroom design, organization, curriculum planning, and ways to build a positive classroom community. There's also a TON of exclusive freebies, bonuses, and videos! If you'd like to learn more and sign up, just click HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. If you'd like MORE free resources for your classroom, be sure to join the Brain Waves Instruction club!
*** Thanks for stopping by! Sadly, I am NOT able to send you a file of these documents to edit due to copyright {graphics, fonts, etc.} I apologize for the inconvenience, but thank you for your understanding!! Blessings to you!*** Can y’all believe Meet the Teacher night is right around the corner?! For some of …
It's the same apple tree from last year, except I added the "3rd grade is going to to be totally sweet" part. I think it looks fun. I'm jus...
This back to school "snowball" fight activity will have your students getting up and out of their seats moving around the room to get to know each other.
