Create a positive classroom culture in your classroom with these five activities

Kick off the school year with fun Name Games! Foster classroom camaraderie and help students break the ice on the first day.

Use magic play dough as a fun activity for the first day of school. Your students will be amazed as they ease their way into a new school year.

Build classroom community from day one using these fun Morning Meeting Question of the Day slides for September!

This science center display helps children explore sound with common objects. I collected "found" items to display on the tray with a sign, "What

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.

Developing a class vision at the beginning of the school year will give your students a voice and a stronger sense of our community.

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.

Free: Grades 7-12 English Language Arts Back-to-School Sampler Welcome back to school, teachers! The teacher-authors of TpT want to wish you the very best as you enter this new school year. We also want to say thanks for supporting our TpT stores. As a result, 45 secondary ELA teachers have offered their best tips and freebies for your consideration. We hope that you will find inspiration as you read these pages as well as fantastic teaching lessons and materials that you and your students will love. Please note: Each page of the sampler features one free item and one paid item. Have a great school year! Here are the links to the other back to school samplers: Grades 7-12 Back to School Science Sampler Grades 7-12 Back to School Math Sampler Grades 7-12 Back to School Social Studies and Foreign Language Sampler Grades 7-12 Back to School English Language Arts Sampler Grades 5-6 Back to School Sampler Grades 3-4 Back to School Sampler Grades 1-2 Back to School Sampler Grades PreK-K Back to School Sampler

Have you tried using Collaborative Posters in the Classroom? Collaborative posters are a fantastic way to build a culture of teamwork and unity in your

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.

Alright, it's mid-July! I know you are thinking about back to school time. You can't go shopping without seeing school supplies on sale or displays of new shoes and clothing, and I know you are getting excited. It's a fun time of year, isn't it? But... it's also stressful. You have ten tons to

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.

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...

Use this Summer 2023 | 23-24 Attendance Sheet EDITABLE Attendance Tracker Therapy Log to easily track attendance and/or therapy service times for your entire caseload! All months on one sheet means less printing, less to file, and a lighter binder! Included: Editable Attendance Sheet for Summer 2023 / ESY 2023 (July - August 2023) Editable Attendance Sheet for the Entire 2023-2024 School Year (from September 2023 - June 2024) What is EDITABLE? All information at the top of the page, in the Notes section, and in the KEY is editable! You can edit or delete anything you want in these sections to make this therapy attendance tracker work best for you. Customize for your school or individual needs. Note: Extra room is designated on the left side of the attendance sheet to be hole punched and placed in a binder if preferred (that's my preference! - I have one binder and have a tab for each student. The attendance log is the first page in each of their sections). ** Keep quality documentation without sacrificing your time - This editable attendance log is simple, organized, and efficient, and the whole 2023-2024 school year is on one page! Plus, you'll be set with an attendance sheet for summer if you are working July and August this year. Thank you for your interest! Enjoy! _________________________________________________________ *** If interested in this product, plus other therapy documentation resources, this resource is also a part of BUNDLE in my store: Data Collection Sheet Tracker, EDITABLE Attendance Sheet Summer 2023 & 2023-2024-BUNDLE __________________________________________________________ **THIS IS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD** No physical items will be shipped to you. This product is for personal use only. Do not share or send this copy to anyone else. Once you purchase the product, you will be directed to download your files. You can also access your files by going to Your Account > Purchases. For more information, visit https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013328108-Downloading-a-Digital-Item?segment=shopping

Discover hands-on beginning of the year science activities that will excite your students and build the foundation for future science lessons!

Free PE Curriculum for September 202111 New Lesson Plan Ideas to Get Your Students Excited About Moving Includes Football Skill Stations, Yoga Pose Station

FREE science emergent reader book about the human body systems. Great science activity for preschool and kindergarten.

Are you looking for first day of music class activities for your elementary classroom? Here I'm sharing my tried and true ideas!

Are you looking for some simple yet highly engaging investigation areas and learning invitations to start the school year? Play-based learning is the best way to engage your students and encourage them to take an active role in their learning so this school year, welcome your students with investiga

Get ready for the beginning of the school year with my best Back-to-School tips! Download FREEBIES!

Agree or Disagree? September is the new January! For me, this is definitely TRUE. I always feel energized and inspired to start fresh come September, even in the years when I haven’t been teaching. It just feels like a fresh start, a perfect time to set goals and make changes. In many ways, I find I’m ... Read more

4 Large-Scale Projects for the New Year Relationship Building % %

2024-2025 Homeschool Planning Schedule | School Year 2024-2025 Homeschool Planning Schedule Seafoam Color Beautiful Form

We spent the last two weeks learning about animal classification. This all came about last year when we were doing our rain forest animal reports. Many of

Explore different materials and their properties with this engaging unit. Activities and printables for the Foundation and Prep Year chemistry strand.

Here is an effective pencil management system for any grade level PLUS a FREE Pencil System planning guide to set up your own pencil system.

Are you looking for a fun and creative activity that will also teach your kids about science? Look no further than pendulum painting! This fun and easy craft project will not only entertain your kids, but also teach them about the physics of motion and gravity. This pendulum painting that will create very unique art designs and patterns. This activity will requiere some imagination, creativity and an area where you can get messy with paint.

Free Sea World Admission for Teachers SeaWorld is offering Florida, California, and Arizona Teachers FREE Admission through the 2024 year. The card provides Florida teachers with unlimited admission to SeaWorld…