It’s August, which means you can’t put off that back to school prep any longer.
Students will be busting through those doors before you know it. (Don’t worry, a deep breath helps!)
This year, I want to help you tackle the first week of school with confidence and provide your students with a warm welcome back to school.
For me the first week of school is all about establishing a classroom community, getting to know my students, and diving into independent reading routines. Here are some of the activities and materials I am using for my first week of school.
First Day of Class Scavenger Hunt
The first day of school with tweens and teens means they are tired and self-conscious. 😴 I want to get them up and moving so I use this classroom scavenger hunt to introduce them to the classroom space and our routines and procedures. I have my students partner up, go over the scavenger hunt, give each group a different riddle, and let them go! Since I teach 8th grade I add a letter to each riddle for them to collect that spells out a code word. I use 10 riddles so the code I use is “BRING TO ME” and they return their completed scavenger hunt sheet to me for a small reward.
Day 2: Syllabus Learning Stations
The syllabus is an important document to have, but I don’t want to bore my students on the second day of school! I introduce students to the syllabus with learning station questions that require students to read their syllabus and answer the question on a response form. I put on a timer and some upbeat music, and let students work in partners or small groups. Then we go over any questions or clarifications students have about the syllabus. This saves me from reading it multiple times a day and is a great way for students to do some close reading practice.
Day 3: Reader Interest Survey
If you’ve read my prior blog posts about back to school season, you know independent reading is a priority for me. Part of building an independent reading program is learning about student reading lives. I do this with a reader interest survey. Depending on access to devices, I have a printable and digital version to use. While this may not take my whole class period, it is perfect for starting the day and then transitioning into any additional community-building activities I like to do with students.
Dive into Independent Reading
Day 4 is all about independent reading. While I’m itching to get started with content, establishing these habits and building some reading routines and stamina pays off throughout the school year. I like to grab all the best books off my library shelves and give students time to explore. As they do that, they create a reading course of study: their own independent reading playbook! The course of study activity is part of my first days of school mini-unit if you are looking for a way to get your independent reading program started.
Day 5: Bingo
By the end of the first week of school, we are exhausted! I like to take some time for independent reading (gotta keep building those routines) but then we play a game of literary vocabulary bingo. This game is a student favorite and so easy to get started. While it is meant to be a fun activity, it also is a good preassessment to measure student vocabulary skills. I use this game throughout the school year when we have a break between units, need a fun reset, or just a review before a test.
Remember, these are just suggestions! My goal is for you to take these ideas and make them your own.
Whatever you decide to do, do it with confidence because you are amazing, and I’m here to help support you as much as I can!
