We're sharing 10 things NOT to do on the first day of school. If you're a teacher wanting a smooth start to the school year, look no further. This post will show you what mistakes to avoid so that you have the best classroom management practices in place from the beginning!
Just woke up from a long nap after teaching T.A.G. classes at OKTC! T.A.G. stands for “The Actor Grows” and is a program we have here for all the new kids to the company who are in gra…
What is Literature? In this activity students explore this question by looking at not only novels and poems, but also songs, photos, and advertisements.
Looking for back-to-school ideas for your forensic science class? Check out these 5 fun and engaging forensics activities for the first days of school.
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863. This word officially reached Texas two and half years later on Juneteenth
Team-building activities are great. Not only can they help build routines, attitude, and expectations, they’re also fun, and can help learners feel...
On a normal, middle-of-the-year day, I want my students to come into my room in the morning knowing it is a calm place, a cooperative pla...
Why I don't review the syllabus on the first day of class in high school and what I do instead. Fun first day of school activities and icebreakers!
It took me a long time to start enjoying the first day of school, but I'd like to save you those years of August angst that I went through and share some strategies in this post that can make your first day a chance to set the creative, engaging, empowering tone you want for the year.
Looking for an efficient 4 day Prague itinerary for first-time visitors? We've broken down all the best highlights in the city for an easy-to-follow guide on how to spend four days in the city. In
The back to school season is a fun and exciting time of year. It’s a time for new beginnings and a fresh start. Before I dive into curriculum work, it is essential to get to know who my students are to develop personal relationships with them. Knowing how they think, feel, their likes and dislikes ... Read more
A man joined a big Multi National Company as a trainee. On his first day, he dialed the kitchen and shouted into the phone: “Get me an fucking cup of coffee, quickly!”...
What a concept: using SNOW to break the ICE on the first day of school! When I first heard about this cool idea from a cousin who attended a reunion for her husband’s side of the family, I kn…
This geometry activity for the first day of school is a great way to assess students' prior knowledge. It is a fun and free way to pre-test them! Click to..
After Hysterectomy you'll need our Top Tips For The First Days After Hysterectomy to survive without pain and frustration! Check out our tips and prepare!
I first met Leila when I stumbled in to a donation New Year's Day yoga class at Triyoga Camden and within 0.01 seconds, my mind was blown. She is the real deal - a yogini, bodyworker, practical mystic, creative soul and gifted healer. I knew very soon that I wanted to learn more from her and in
That first day of school is so full of jitters, for both the teacher and the students. Every time August hits and the weather changes I get that overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. What is the ne…
My Kindergartners come into our school with little to no Spanish experience...or so they think! I love to give them a big confidence boost right from the beginning so we do a fun activity I call ‘¡Ya sabes español! (You already know Spanish!) where I have pictures and items of things we say in Spanish all the time: taco, piñata, quesadilla, burrito, armadillo, nachos, salsa, llama, alpaca, and so on (a lot of them are food!) and have my kiddos name them themselves. As we go, I get to point out, ‘See, you already know a lot of Spanish!’ This activity gives my students a sense of confidence and motivation, especially for those who are nervous that they don’t know anything in Spanish. It also starts to build that awareness that Spanish is all around us! A HUGE THANK YOU TO members of our Facebook group who compiled additions to the list- Beth Alders Thaemert, Susan O'Donnell Bondy (and don't miss Susan's Cognate Bingo game for older learners! Click here): guacamole, chocolate, jalapeño, mosquito, coyote, iguana, patio, cargo, sofá, pasta, tenis, taxi, jaguar, bus, cereal, béisbol, tenis, música
3 Essential Downloads for the First Day of School Expectations % %
A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year
What does a first day in a Grade One French Immersion class look like? This is a question I get asked about a lot! So, I thought I’d share 6 activities that I like to do on the first day of school! I must start with a disclaimer though: the first few days (and weeks) […]
Are you looking for the best 2-day Gdansk itinerary? After living in Poland for 5 years and visiting at least twice a year ever since I have gotten to know Gdansk very well. In my mind, this is the perfect
An outline of my lesson plan for the first day of school in my Physical Education Classes.
It is that time of year again! We are all getting back into the swing of a schedule (which means lots of coffee for me)! From my experience, those first few days of middle school can be tough for some students. I have tried many things for those first days. I always give a quick overview of my Rule
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Find out my top middle school routines & procedures that should be taught on day 1.
Hello! I am already seeing lots of posts in Facebook groups asking what to do in the first few days of art class. In this post, I will walk you through what I plan to do this year in my classes. This is very similar to what I have done in other years. First, I start all classes with basic introductions and talking about the room and art class. We go over the rules and expectations. I use a video … Read more... →
28 Collaborative Projects to Build Community in Your Art Room % %
Today is the third in an 8-post series on preparing your novel for Nanowrimo. In today's post, we focus on character development for your NaNoWriMo prep.
The idea of student engagement and assessment from MINUTE ONE of DAY ONE, sounds a bit crazy, right?
Hello friends! As a part of my “Back-to-School” series, this next post will be about FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL lesson ideas for 3rd-5th grade. I remember my first year of teaching, I was so nervous about what I would do with my students once they walked into the classroom! So I am going to go...Read More
Click image to view product. What will you do to make the first day of school a great day? What is the most important day of school? The first day! The first day of school is the most important day of the entire school year!! It is the day when students form their first impression of your class. It is the day when students look at you and decide on the spot if they are going to like your class or hate your class. It is the day when students have heightened social anxieties and need to know that they have a friend in your class. You, the teacher, have one day to get it right. If you do, the rest of year is made so much easier. If you don't, you will spend a lot of time, effort, and energy trying to change the behaviors and attitudes of your students. Will you be the teacher that goes over a long list of class rules and reads aloud from the class syllabus? Or will you be the teacher that plans a fun and engaging activity for the students on Day 1? Science Chat is perfect for the first day of school. I've been doing activities similar to this for years, and I have finally found the time to polish this one up and post it to my TpT store. The big idea of this activity is that students can be up and moving around the room and getting to know their classmates in the process. When the students arrive at your door, they have probably been glued to a desk all day long. They will love the opportunity to be out of their seats for the first time all day. In addition, how the students perform in Science Chat will give you a good idea of the ability levels of your class. Click image to view product. So what exactly is Science Chat? The activity consists of 10 Lab Stations. The students will move around at random until they complete all ten. At each lab station the students will complete a science task AND answer questions about their group mates. Students must scatter after each station so that they are not with the same group the entire time. After all, one of the objectives is for them to meet everyone in the class. Each lab station should take about 10 minutes to complete. You want to give the students time to chat. It takes me two class period to finish all of the lab stations, but in my opinion, it is time well spent. You can easily leave out lab stations for a shorter activity. A different concept is covered at each station. Station 1: The Microscope Station 2: Graphing Station 3: Electron Microscopy Station 4: Making Observations, Comparing and Contrasting Station 5: Lab Equipment Station 6: Laboratory Safety Station 7: Classification Station 8: Metric Scavenger Hunt Station 9: Prefixes and Suffixes Station 10: What makes an animal an animal? Set up for the lab is quick and easy. You'll need only about 30 minutes for set up, and the materials list consists of items you are sure to have on hand. • Microscope • A prepared slide of your choice. • Four images taken with electron microscope (Included in product.) • Two plants (potted or cuttings) • Meter stick • Graduated cylinder • Triple or quadruple beam balance • Stopwatch • Thermometer • A lab with safety features (Examples: Eyewash fountain, safety shower, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, fire alarm, etc.) • A group of objects that can be classified into groups. (Teacher’s choice.) • Bag of sugar (or object with similar mass.) • Can of soda (or object with similar volume.) • Coin • Paper clip • Wood block (or any square or rectangular object.) • Cotton ball • 4 photographs of living organisms (included in product.) Sweeten the day by giving the students a grade on the activity. It is unlikely that a student will get all of the answers correct, so make sure to base the grade on effort and participation. What will the student take away from your day 1 activity? They were allowed to get up, stretch and move around! They were able to make some new friends! And they started the year off with an excellent grade. Win-win-win! I hope that your school year is wonderful!
I really dislike icebreakers. They make me cringe. When I became a teacher, I swore I would spare my students the torture of icebreakers. That being said, I also realize how important it is to buil…
