Looking at old family photos is like riding an emotional roller coaster. You smile at those happy (read: goofy) moments spent with your parents and siblings, but you also feel nostalgic for the days gone by. And then sometimes, fueled by emotions, you just grab props and costumes, ready to recreate those memories all over again!
About Put a new spin on the classic, "Write about what you did this summer" with this simple but effective All About My Summer Brochure. Students will reflect on their summer through a series of open-ended prompts. This activity makes a great display or addition to student portfolios. What's Included? Activities include: -I saw... -I went... -I played... -I visited... -Other fun things I did... What Teachers Are Saying ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Great craft for the first day of school!" Hillary L.
Why I hate the first day of school and how I learned to enjoy it. Personally I used to hate the first day of school. Other teac...
1-2-3 Come Do Some Icebreaker First-Day Activities With Me My favorite classes in school, even up through college, were those that we had a real community going. These were usually conducted by my favorite teachers, who felt that a classroom was sort of like a family. They made time to make us all feel welcome, safe, and important. I truly felt cared about. One of the ways they promoted these feelings, was that they spent some time getting to know all of us. This also helped build camaraderie, and developed our classroom “family” plus a positive-caring atmosphere. Icebreakers are a perfect way to do this, and are especially important on the first day of school, when students are a bit nervous and looking at a bunch of strangers. They are quick, easy and a lot of fun. I've always found that no matter what the age, most students really enjoy sharing something about themselves. I not only did an icebreaker on the first day, but included a simple one in the morning or at the end of the day, for our entire first week of school. I even do icebreakers with my college comp classes. I truly believe that if students get to really know each other, the class is much more interesting and fun, which I feel is conducive to learning, as well as a great motivational factor. It's always worked for me. Thus, I’m forever searching for something new to add to my icebreaker bag of tricks and came upon the M & M's or Skittles Game, which goes by as many names as there are colors, and can be played in a variety of ways as well, so I made up a few of my own versions. You can have students choose 2 or 3 pieces of candy and then announce that they will be sharing something about themselves. Whatever color of candy that they chose will match a question on the poster. Go around the room and have students share that information one question at a time. As they share, they get to eat that color candy. Remember to let students know in advance not to eat their candy before it’s their turn to share. Since this may be extremely difficult for a young child, to expedite things, you can put one of each color candy in a mini cup on their desks. Tell students that they’re going to share the red candy question and then have everyone eat the red one at the same time. As soon as the first person shares then the next one goes, til everyone has answered that color question. Remind students that you have limited time and to keep their answers short. Most of the questions that I’ve thought of can be answered with one or two words. Teachers need to keep things moving. If you have a large class, and don’t have enough time to share all of the questions, you can tell your students to pick out their favorite flavor or color and then answer that question. I’ve included 4, different question template options, for you to choose from, (using both an M & M's and Skittles template) as well as a blank color copy of the poster, to make up your own questions. Remember to keep questions simple, easy to answer, not embarrassing or intrusive, and something that would be easy and fun for children to share about themselves. As a writing option, I’ve included a blank black and white M & M's and Skittles copy. You can run these off and have students color their candies, and then fill in the answers to the questions that you read. For sharing time, they can look at their papers and choose one or two that they want to read and share with their classmates. Click on the link to view/download the Candy Icebreaker Game packet. Do you have an icebreaker you could share with us? I would enjoy hearing from you: [email protected] or leave a comment below. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to PIN away. It poured today, so I'm off to empty my flower pots, and rescue some drowning plants. Wishing you a blessed day from over here in Michigan. "Nature does not hurry; yet everything gets accomplished." -Unknown
5 first day activities that can be used with very young learners, kids, teens and even adults. Simple activities for the first day of class.
The first day of school is full of so many things: anticipation, wide-eyes, school supplies, new faces, maybe a few butterflies. And I...
This fun and hilarious madlib engages the students' imagination as they create a fictional story, while sharing fun details about themselves. This is a great get to know you worksheet for the first week of school!
I try not to over-plan for the first day of music class, but I like to have several activities at hand if the lesson moves faster...
So this is my last official day of summer. That picture pretty much sums up how I feel. So.....since school is quickly rapidly approaching I thought I would have a #FlashbackFriday to a great team builder game to use a the beginning of the year. It is called The Best Game....because that is exactly what it is.....THE BEST GAME! You can download the game for FREE at my TPT store by clicking here..... You can read ALL about it on the old blog post, by clicking here..... Now, if you don't believe that it truly is THE BEST GAME......look at the smiles on these kiddo's faces... Or if you want further proof.....check out these reviews. I'm not lying people. You, and your class, should try it this year! Oh....and happy start to the school year!
In 2020, it feels like we’ve reached a new level of tension. Nearly everyone’s talking about the possibility of World War Three breaking out. Meanwhile, Australia’s still on fire, with devastating consequences.
Implementing icebreakers on the first day of school is neccessary for building classroom community. Check out these easy first day icebreakers . . .
This is perfect for the first few days of school! Have students get to know their classmates better (I also like to participate) by using this free product! You could also use this as an ice-breaker as you get new students throughout the school year. This is part of my Back To School Year Long M...
The first day of school is full of so many things: anticipation, wide-eyes, school supplies, new faces, maybe a few butterflies. And I...
I can hardly believe that we are almost back to school for another school year. Summers go by way too fast but I'm hopeful for another amazi...
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 the Marshmallow Challenge. We were separated into groups of four and the challenge was to contruct the highest freestanding structure with a marshmallow on top of it, in 18 minutes. She gave us some objects that we could use and it was : - 1yard string - 1yard tape - 1 marshmallow - 20 sticks of spaghetti Most of the groups failed to do it, and only 2 groups made it. It was hard because we had made it in the wrong way. We should had putted the Marshmallow first and try to do the tower with the marshmallow, but most of the teams made all the tower and in putted the marshmallow, so the weight wasn't balanced and most of the tower got destroyed in the last minute, because everyone wasin a rush trying to make the tower stay still. After this we watched a video, and it showed how the kindergarden kids were better than the teenagers and some adults. Because they always did all the proccess with the Marshmallow on top of it. Therefore the teenagers and some adults tries planning everything first, but the kids don't really think that way. They just try, try and try to make the tower stay up. However, they showed the enginners and the arquitets doing it too, of course they were good at that, and they made the tower stay up, because it is their job and hopefully they knew how to do it. Another reason is because they have more knowledge and experience than us. Day 2 In the second day, we talked about some artists that were really famous, and still is. We talked about how the practiced and putted a lot of effort on what they wanted to do. That's why they became so famous and succesful on what they did. We read articles about artists like Beatles, Bill Gates etc. Because they really spent a lot of time practicing on what they wanted to do; We learned that is not that someone borns succesful but, they try hard and puts a lot of effort on what they like. You have to at least practice it 10,000 hours to become succesful on something. That's what we did on the second day. Plans I made some plans for this year, which are: 1. I want to study harder, because it starts counting on my college application. 2. Give my best in all projects and homeworks, so I can keep all my grades above B. 3. Pay attention in the classes, and participate more in class discussions. 4. But at the same time,participate in various after school or extra activities.
A third grade teacher's blog with a ton of teaching freebies, advice, lesson plans, and everything else teacher related.
Tackle that awkward getting-to-know-you moment with these 6 fun ESL icebreaker activities. Whether you work with ESL beginners or more advanced students, children or adults, these icebreakers are sure to make the start of your year great!
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.
Use these six back to school activities packet to get to know your students and support them to get to know each other.
About the Book The latest in the TikTok sensation and deliciously “swoonworthy” (Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author) Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand. Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths
This year, I wanted to be intentional with my third graders as it relates to relationship. We started that on the first day of school. One of the things I’m most passionate about when it comes to academic achievement is building to mastery.Some students LOVE the first day of school, but not all students are...Read More »
Here are some ideas I gleaned from various sources to fill time at the end of the school year. Summer find someone who... Summer Bucket List Activity Adapted from this activity on Teachers Pay Teachers: Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Ronee on Pinterest Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Ronee on Pinterest Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Ronee on Pinterest
Hello Friends!! I'm here today to post my lesson plans from week two of summer school. Yes, we did just wrap up week three, but I've had a bunch of computer issues, along with a
Who's already prepping for their back to school week?!? One of my very favorite things about the first few weeks of school is getting to know my students,....and my students getting to know one anothe
Teachers, you must send this letter home to parents on the first day of school. It will set the tone with parents for the rest of the year!
When I first started teaching, I didn’t quite know how to approach the drama section of our art curriculum. We would do a few skits, occasionally play a version of Bus Stop where one kid had to make another laugh, and call it a day. I wanted to breathe some life into our drama activities and make things fun again. Improv games were a perfect fit!
This FREEBIE includes a color and black and white handout to provide to teams of students engaging in the Marshmallow Challenge activity. This activity is great to use as an icebreaker or to engage students in critical thinking, cooperative learning, and innovative thinking. It can also be used to r...
Classroom introductions. The ICEBREAKER! The moment your students (and YOU!) have been waiting for all summer. But the butterflies, they are in the pits of your students stomachs. How do you make it effortless for everyone? Well, here are 5 different ways to break the ice and say “hello!” the easy way. Start by breaking your… Continue reading →
You may have seen this week on my Instagram that we did Contraction Surgery! This has always been one of my favorite lessons to participate in! A few people have asked me for my lesson plan and how exactly I went about this: so here it is! First things first: buy yourself some scrubs. I fully believe in transforming ANY lesson into an experience, so to make it REAL and believable, you've got to be all in. I bought my scrubs from Walmart for about 11-12$ for both the top and pants. Next: buy
The best back to school games for your classroom including Minute to Win It, printable word search and charades and pictionary clues.
First day of Middle school {Getting to know you activities}, After that, I go through several, get-to-know-you activities. One of ..., Getting to know you, Back to School Activity Pack - 3 Great Getting to Know You, Get to know your students, ... get-to-know-you activities, and other items to help start the school, ... 286 kb jpeg get to know you bingo 586 x 698 11 kb gif getting to know, First Day of School Activities, Just a little something for my kiddos to get to know each other!, Getting to Know You Activities.
In these early weeks of school, it's so important to enforce the idea of teamwork among your classroom. I feel that if you have a classroom that functions as a community, everything runs more smoothly. My teacher and I discussed the importance of team-building exercises among the students this week. She told me that she loves to incorporate them into the classroom and that they usually produce wonderful results! I was more than excited to see it with my own eyes. For our team-building exercise, we "saved Sam". ( idea found on Pinterest) You will need: Gummy worms (Sam) Life-saver Gummies (Life vests) Clear plastic cup (Boat) Cocktail stirrers (Oar) Paper clips Poor Sam is a worm that has found himself in a rather unfortunate situation. His boat has capsized and his life jacket is trapper underneath it! Poor Sam can't swim! His oar, his only means of movement, has fallen into the rocky waters as well! He now sits perched on top of his capsized boat and he needs our help! It is the students job to SAVE SAM! they will be responsible for flipping Sam's boat over and getting him back inside. He needs his life jacket ON him this time, and his oar laying horizontally across the top of his boat. Here's the catch: You can't touch Sam with your hands. You may only use the two paperclips supplied. Keep in mind we wouldn't want to hurt poor sam by stabbing him or popping his life jacket by stabbing it! Also, we cant let him touch the water (the floor or desk) because he can't swim! It was so enjoyable to watch the students problem solve! Our little engineers were hard at work. It was interesting to see how they utilized the materials given. Some bent the paperclips into tweezers, while others snapped them in half to create more tools. This fun exercise really got our students excited to work together. I loved seeing their wheels turn as they asked "are you sure this is possible?". I loved seeing the proud looks on their face when they figured it out!
Ever wonder why the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, the first Monday in Sept, while May 1 is generally recognized around the world as a workers’ holiday, a day of solidarity amongst workers of all…
This is a big puzzle piece for students to fill in as a get to know you activity for the first day of school. All students are an important piece of the puzzle! Decorate as you wish. Cut out puzzle pieces and glue/tape them together to form a wonderful classroom mural. If new students enter your classroom you can always add to the puzzle. It's never "complete." Idea: Have paraprofessionals, Admin, custodians, etc. fill out a puzzle piece. Everyone is important!!
Last Friday was actually the first day of school here in Hawaii. But I'm a special education teacher and don't start pulling kids until Monday. Even though I'm only teaching core academics to my pull-out students, I have most of them the majority of the day. The first few weeks of school are so important for setting the ton for the rest of the year, and I will be working hard on behavior and community building this year. I just love these beginning of the year activities by A Year of Many Firsties and can't wait to use them with my students. As part of our community building, we'll be using these Find Someone Who activity that I made. I'll be doing a lot of modeling how to approach our classmates and ask them a question. And I'll be modeling how to use the pictures to help us if we can't read the words. You can download it {here}. I bought this Take a Break unit from Teaching in Progress and can't wait to use it with my students. I'll be doing a lot of practicing and teaching my kiddos how to take a break, hopefully before they need a break. I have several students with behavior plans and we will be focusing a lot on how to handle our anger. We'll be talking about how we feel and what we can do to help us make smart choices by using some of the activities found in my Making Smart Choices unit. We can't just focus on behavior though. My school will be using Reading Wonders for the first time this year. I made this Smart Start freebie to help us get started. Best of all, there's a sale starting tomorrow! You can get 28% off everything in my store by using code BTS14 when you check out.
10 Back to School Ice Breakers Your Students Will Love: Two Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather, My No Good, Very Bad Day, Fear Factor 4-Corner Activity, Marshmallow Challenge, Super Sleuths, What Would You Do?, Have You Ever?, Find Someone Who..., My Favorite Things.
Use this Notebook file on your Smartboard on the first day of school to get to know your new students. The large die on the bottom is an interactive one. Students will come up to the Smartboard, roll the die (by tapping it), and then share something depending on what they rolled. They may be asked to share: their favorite book, television show, food, hobby, song, or something they did this summer. Have them roll more than once to learn more!
This year, I wanted to be intentional with my third graders as it relates to relationship. We started that on the first day of school. One of the things I’m most passionate about when it comes to academic achievement is building to mastery.Some students LOVE the first day of school, but not all students are...Read More »
