Top 5 Back-to-School Activities

I have officially survived my second first week of school! I’m excited about a great year with my new bunch of kids, and I’m also looking forward to starting to get into a regular routine again. In this post, I’m going to share my five favorite back-to-school activities. In the midst of going over rules and procedures, these are some fun activities that help me get to know my class and that help them get to know each other.

1)   The Teacher from the Black Lagoon

I always am curious to know what my students have heard about my class and me. This year, I gave them all an index card and asked them to write down one thing that they’ve heard about sixth grade. It was interesting to hear everything from “You’re a great teacher!” to “There’s too much homework!” After we discussed what they’ve heard, I read The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and talk about how sixth grade will be what they all make of it.

2)  Name-O-Grams

This was a great activity that I learned from my cooperating teacher during student teaching. After sharing a few things about myself and showing my own example, I give everyone a sheet of construction paper and have students write their names in bubble letters. They then have to fill each letter with words or pictures about themselves. When they are finished, I have them cut them out and back them on colored construction paper. They then present their name-o-grams to the entire class and explain what they put in each letter. It’s a great chance for me to learn a little bit about them all and gauge their public speaking skills. As a bonus, I hang them up outside our room and leave them up all year. It lets everyone know a little bit about the individuals in our room and brightens up the hall.

The outside of my room

3)  Class Mission Statement

In small groups, I have students brainstorm:

    1) Who we are
    2) What we want to accomplish
    3) How we will accomplish those things

We then have a class discussion where we put everyone’s ideas together on the board and create a classroom mission statement. I then write the final statement on poster board and have students read and sign it, acknowledging that they agree to our mission. I then hang it up right outside our door. Every time students come in the room, they are allowed to *respectfully* hit the sign like some sports teams do as they exit the locker room and head to the field. This builds a sense of a team in our room, and it gives them something productive to hit instead of jumping up to hit the doorframe.

 Our Mission Statement this year

 4)  Back-to-School Bingo

This is a classroom favorite! During the past two years, my class has begged to play it every day! I first give the students the sheet with all of the categories on it and ask them to fill it out. When they finish, I give them the blank board and have them randomly write their answers from the other sheet on it. They then cut up the sheet with the categories on it and place the squares in a container. I then use those sheets as calling cards. It gives students the opportunity to see what they have in common with other people in the class. Below are the links to both files needed for this game.

The copy with categories that students fill out first and then cut up and give to you: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5c-jgFtsNGNUlBvcjVjWmxib2c/view?usp=sharing

The copy students put their answers on randomly and then use as their card: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5c-jgFtsNGNT1dzTmJ5c2VjbGc/view?usp=sharing

5)  Dear Miss Barnauskas…

I have students write a one-page letter to me about themselves. Once again, this helps me get to know them better, and it also gives me an idea of their writing abilities. I also have students write these letters in a journal, and I write a short letter back to them because I believe that it helps me build unique and meaningful relationships with each student.

That’s all the buzz for today!