The best "icebreaker" activity for high school students (who hate icebreaker activities). Get a jump start on creating a bond with your students.

Looking for first day ELA ideas? Try these fun get to know you activities in your middle school or high school English class!

Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.

My Mouth is a Volcano is one my favorite books to read at the beginning of the year to help curb the interrupting and blurting out! This year I made a cute little craftivity to extend our learning after this read-aloud. We always talk about why it is important not to interrupt others and […]

Teamwork in the classroom is essential in order to have a high functioning and welcoming environment for students. Check out three easy ways to build teamwork with your students.

These three classroom management tips get me ready for a brand new school year. As each new group of students arrives, I like to bring back what works in my

Back to School Tips including seating arrangements, teacher must haves, and what I wish I knew from the begining of my teaching career.

Cause and effect activities and teaching ideas with FREE student printables to use with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Here is one more set of Would You Rather questions! Each of these questions focuses on the end of school or summertime. Perfect for discussions or writing prompts. Rachel Lynette Would you like to have your printables featured at Classroom Freebies? Become an author and join our team! Click HERE to see all the ... Read More about Would You Rather Questions for the End of the Year

One of the cutest back to school coloring pages you can find! Print to document the new school year and create a darling keepsake.

I l.o.v.e.d the 2nd grade version of this packet that I created, that I went ahead and adapted it for grades k-5 to meet the needs of buyers! Hands down, this has been my favorite packet to do the first few weeks of school. You can grab all grade levels 20% off for Thursday...

Howdy! I am Mr. Greg from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. My real name is Greg Smedley-Warren. I have been teaching for 11 years. I spent a year teaching fifth grade, two years in second grade and am now in my 9th year in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is my passion and my calling but honestly, that wasn’t how it started. When I was moved to Kindergarten (not voluntarily!) I called my mommy and cried. But on the first day, I fell in love and knew that Kindergarten is where I belonged. I have remained in Kindergarten ever since. I plan to never leave the classroom as the kids are what drive me to continue my growth as a teacher and person.

I know it's late and it's almost not even Friday anymore but I wanted to link up with First Grade Parade to share my favorite pins of the week!! My Five Favorite Pins of the Week - 1. A recipe which is kinda funny because I CAN'T cook.....like not at all...... Click on the picture to go to the site. This is for Bourbon Chicken. We LOVE Bourbon Chicken from the little restaurant at the mall. I am just not sure we would love it if I cooked it. Besides it has about 20 ingredients so this is probably a "pin and never do". Do you have any of those? 2. For my classroom decor - You can click on it to go to the site but it doesn't go to the how to, just to a main page. I have two old TV stands like the top and I hope to be able to redo them before school starts to look cute and stylish like the bottom although I may leave the wheels on it. 3. For my home decor - Sadly, this link is for a session at a store on how to make it and not instructions. I need to find instructions on how to make this and make myself one for my front door. This is perfect for fall!! I would change the green ribbon at the top to more green mesh stuff though. 4. For my classroom lessons - Oh my goodness!!! This is the cutest game ever!! Mrs. Prince tells you all about it on her blog if you click the picture. I can't wait to play this game with my kiddos this fall! 5. For my classroom lessons during the first week - Oh isn't this the greatest thing ever!?!??!?!? I want to make one and leave it up on my wall YEAR ROUND to remind my students of how a great classmate acts! Thanks for hanging out with me tonight as I looked through my pins this week! As promised, your flash freebie is my Apple Alphabet Bingo! It will only be a freebie until tomorrow night around this time so hurry over to TPT and grab it. This game comes with 26 alphabet bingo cards for the students to use as well as 26 apple cards with each letter of the alphabet on them to use when calling. If you do download my Apple Alphabet Bingo, please leave me feedback! THANKS!!! Have a great weekend!

I wanted to share this great activity I have been doing for years at the very beginning of each year. It is a Self-Portrait activity where students get to draw themselves, compare themselves with another student, and present to the class. I love to tell students they are drawing “Selfies” because it makes it more […]

First Days Day 1 In the first day os school, we did some different things than the other usual classes. In Integrated Science 3 we did th...

Summer is one of my favorite times of the year! I love the sunny days and the extra time to spend with family.

teach traditional literature - fairytales, fables, legends, myths, and tall tales easily learning the different types and standards

This is a fun get to know you icebreaker activity for students in the first few days of school. Students pull an M&M out of the bag and answer the question associated with the color. Enjoy!

Make learning fun for your students! Strategies, activities, freebies and more for teachers, tutors and homeschoolers. Ideas you can use today!

My favorite time of day is read aloud in the classroom. All my students sitting around and enjoying a story together. As the teacher, I always like to choose rich texts with tons of learning opportunities for our read alouds. Some of my favorite books are the ones we can read over and over […]

Primary Spotlight Questions My name is__________________ I am _____ years old. I have ___ sisters and ___ brothers The thing I like best about Primary is _________________ I have a pet named (what …

I know that I can’t be the only one who is a Pinterest fiend at times? There are days that I can go without looking but for me it’s a nightly, when I’m trying to fall asleep, fix that makes me happy! So where shall I start on some of my Favorite Pins from this ... Read more

One of our favorite ways to increase student engagement during the craziness of the holidays is with STEM. To make it easy for teachers to implement STEM during this busy time in the classroom, we have compiled a list of 12 Days of Christmas STEM activities . Our Day 12 activity is a snowball fig

I am always looking for fun ways to make writing more enjoyable. I have come across a few good ideas over on Pinterest and some of my favorite teacher sites. I found The Teacher Wife’s post o…

See unique and creative plant life cycle activities and teaching ideas with hands-on plant needs experiments for kids.

IFunny is fun of your life. Images, GIFs and videos featured seven times a day. Your anaconda definitely wants some. Fun fact: we deliver faster than Amazon.

I have a new favorite chart! I found this on pinterest and knew it would be great to use during the first week with my new little first grad...

It is hard to believe summer is over and school is back in session. I would like to share with you some activities that I like to do with my students. I like my students to feel comfortable and to m

The Yellow Brick Road Blog is a website dedicated to providing music teachers with fun education resources for serious music literacy.

10 hands-on ideas for teaching earth changes and landforms in 2nd grade science with engaging STEM earth changes activities kids love!

What is Literature? In this activity students explore this question by looking at not only novels and poems, but also songs, photos, and advertisements.

Hello, friends! Six weeks into the school year, we have hit the ground running and read-aloud has quickly become one of our favorite moments of the day. Today I wanted to share about one of my favo…

The four corners icebreaker game is one of my favorites! It's quick and easy. It will get people up and moving. Read the full directions here.

Hi, friends! For the past decade, I have continually reminded students to label their pictures, stretch out the words, make finger spaces, begin with

A fun theme for a meeting is to have a backwards event. It’s fun for kids and adults alike. Did you know? There is actually a national Backwards Day. It falls on January 31st every year. The day where the world gets turned upside down and inside becomes out and madness becomes sanity and day becomes night, at least in concept. There’s just too much seriousness in the air, and sometimes you really just have to bend all the rules and let it all hang out. The ideas to make this event fun and memorable are endless. Here are a few ideas to help get you started. Before jumping in if you have Brownie girls these two badges are all about playing games you could add some of these activities in with your badge earning activities. Ideas to earn the Fair Play badge including a complete activity booklet Ideas to earn the making games badge including a complete activity booklet Dress Backwards Wear uniform, pants, shirt, dress, sash, dress, hat, coat backwards. You wear glasses or sunglasses on the back of your head. If you have an old pair of shoes you can cut the toe of the shoe off and duct tape or glue it to the back of your heel. Meeting Arrival When girls and adults arrive say “hi” to everyone using their last name instead of their first name. Instead of girls writing their first names on a Hello my name is name tag, have them put their name on the tag backwards. Timed Obstacle Course Have the girls take turns walking around an obstacle course backward. Time and keep track of each girls time. The girl with the slowest time wins. *Don’t tell your girl’s the slowest time wins until the end. Scavenger Hunt Hide items or pictures and have the girls find the objects using clue cards with all the letters backwards. Pin the tail on the Donkey Blindfold the girls and have each one pin the tail on the donkey. The tail that is farthest away wins. *Don’t tell the girls ahead of time that the farthest tail wins. Backward Names Another fun activity is to have the girls sit in a circle and take a turn saying their name backwards without laughing. Picture Opportunity Before everyone leaves take a group picture with everyone’s back to the camera and of course you can take a forward facing picture too. evaH a taerg emit htiw ruoy sdrawkcab tneve! How about you, do you have any additional ideas that would be great for this type of event? Share in the comments below…. Party Planning Kit Printables I am so excited to present Strawjenberry’s Ultimate Party Kit! Almost everything you need to plan your troop celebration is included in this kit and can be printed at home or through your local office supply store or printer. It all starts with a personalized troop banner (two options to choose from) that includes your troop number. From there you have many different supplies to create the labels, stickers and decorations that you need. The full color party kit includes: One personalized banner Personalized party invitation Four (4) styles of placecards/treat labels, including one (1) secret bonus design “I Love Girl Scouts” flower graphic Fifteen (15) unique and colorful “badges” to use as stickers, cupcake toppers, or decorative elements on any number of party items A sheet of personalized gift tags Two (2) square backgrounds to create labels for lollipops. chocolate bars or giftboxes A set of personalized badges with your girls’ names on them (you can also opt for a troop number instead) Printable 8 1/2 x 11 Promise and Law pages–perfect for framing! One sheet of twelve (12) blank badges One sheet of twelve (12) level letters with heart (d, b, j, c, s, a, v) The sky is the limit for how you can use all of these DIY elements to create the ultimate party. All items are included and have the bright and cheerful design color scheme. Get now for any party, ceremony or event you are planning for your troop. Organize Your Troop Parties This Year with a 25+ page Leader Planner This Leader Planner is from another amazing blogger named Jen her blog is called “I am StrawjenBerry” With the help of Jen I wrote a blog post explaining everything you will get in this planner. It has everything you need to plan your troop year. The planner contains your calendar, meeting planners, rosters and badge trackers in one safe place for when you need it. Read more Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!

This past weekend has been a scorcher! Temperatures have climbed up to 99F/36.5C. People are swarming the local pools, eating ice cream as fast as they can and hiding in the shade. Unlike us, we de…