Check out these 9 first week of school activities for your students. They help to forge those lasting bonds for a successful year!
These 40+ free STEM websites: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are for grades 6-12; middle school and high school. Hands on science
Start the school year off right!
Ok, so we need to talk about coping skills, specifically teaching coping skills SEL lessons at the middle school level. For a number of reasons, in the last
Try one of these 16+ free engineering design challenges and engineering projects to get middle school students brainstorming, building, and innovating with the engineering design process!
The first week of school is a great time to build classroom culture, community, and teach class routines. Ideas for engaging first week of school activities to make it easy and fun!
Looking for a fun activity to get your middle schooler's brain working? These 50 middle school trivia questions are just what they need!
Teach students in upper elementary, middle school, and high school
These 40+ free STEM websites: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are for grades 6-12; middle school and high school. Hands on science
The start of the school year can be exciting and overwhelming for teachers. Whether this is your first teaching job or you are a veteran, starting with a blank slate and a fresh start in the fall c…
If you have middle school aged students, these STEM projects for middle school will be great additions to your collection of STEAM activities for kids.
Hands-on learning isn't just for younger students! These hands-on activities for middle and high schoolers will help older students enjoy learning and stay actively engaged in the process.
What middle schoolers learn, how they behave, and how they interact with others can carry on into adulthood—whether positive or negative.
Today, on the blog, I am sharing 15 of my favorite Amazon finds that I use in my classroom.
Are you looking for writing prompts for middle school kids? Here are some creative writing prompts for middle schoolers.
These 40+ free STEM websites: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are for grades 6-12; middle school and high school. Hands on science
This single classroom procedure has made a HUGE difference in my experience teaching middle school. My first year teaching I didn't do this and I knew that something needed to change. I decided to put into a place a daily bellringer for every one of my classes. I am a Family Consumer Sciences teacher so I teacher 4 different classes!You can call it whatever you want to call it but I call it a bell ringer because my students are expected to be doing it as soon as the bell rings to start class.Her
Ready to "cook up" a great first day of school? It's easy with this recipe for a successful start to the school year! PREP: ➤ Think about how you will set the tone for your classroom on the first day of school. ➤ Plan to keep students engaged and active. ➤ Prepare to build a positive rapport with students from the first instant that they become a part of the classroom community. INGREDIENTS: ➤ Warm-Up Activity ➤ Get-to-Know-You Activity ➤ Game that gets students out of their seats ➤ Get-to-Know-the-Teacher Activity ➤ Writing Prompt ➤ Extension Activity Once you've gathered your ingredients, you can get "cooking!" (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RECIPE!) PROCEDURE: STEP 1: Begin with a warm-up activity. Place an activity on students' desks that they can complete independently. You might try a simple survey or poster. An All About Me poster is a quick way to learn about students. You can even gather them together for an awesome classroom display. Or, a survey is a wonderful way to collect information about students. You might include questions about where students like to sit, their favorite way to learn, and activities that they enjoy so that you can start connecting with students. Another awesome warm-up activity is an "All About You" name tag. Students answer questions about themselves while coloring in a name tag based on their responses. Then, students can place the name tag on their desks to help you learn your students' names. This activity is particularly awesome if you have multiple sets of students. You can collect the name tags and re-distribute them each day during each class while you learn names. Oh, and as a bonus, you can gather them together and leave them with substitute teachers throughout the year! If you'd like to check out ready-made Back to School Warm-Ups, just click here for the poster, here for the survey, and here for the name tags. STEP 2: Mix in a get-to-know-you activity. Give students a chance to share about themselves and learn about their classmates with an engaging get-to-know-you activity. One of my favorites is a doodle-inspired mini-book. Students transform a single sheet of paper into a doodley mini-book all about themselves. After students make the mini-book it's fun to hang them on a clothesline. Then, as students finish their work during the first days of school, you can encourage fast-finishers to grab a classmate's mini-book and learn about him or her. Check out the doodle mini-book HERE. Or, you could have students create this 3-D About Me Activity. Students create an infographic-style book about themselves. After answering some simple questions, they do a little cutting and gluing to create a 3-D "About Me" display. These are especially fun because students can set them on their desks and then everyone can tour around the classroom and learn about their peers. (These are awesome for Open House too!) Learn more HERE. STEP 3: Scatter in an activity that gets students moving. Since students crave opportunities to get up and out of their seats, plan to get your class moving on the first day of school. You might have students complete a scavenger hunt or even play a learning game that requires students to move around. I'm a huge fan of this simple get-to-know-you activity that gets students moving (and you can download it for FREE here.) First, students make paper airplanes. They write their name and 3 interview questions on the wings. Then, students line up shoulder-to-shoulder and launch the planes. Next, they pick up a classmate's plane, find him or her, and ask the interview questions. You can repeat the airplane launch as often as you'd like! Find everything you need to do this activity in this FREEBIE. If you'd like to combine movement and learning on the first day of school, then you and your students will love this Back to School Doodle Infographic. First students fill in the infographic with facts about school. There are 21 facts and you can hide them around the room to get students moving. Then, they put together the infographic to make a fun and doodle-y poster! Check it out HERE. STEP 4: Sprinkle in a chance for students to get-to-know-you (their teacher). On the first day of school, students are very curious about you. They want to learn about you, so you'll want to be sure to share about yourself. You can give a simple biography of yourself, or you might try these easy and engaging activities: Create a teacher interview question along with 4 or 5 prize cards for each student in your class. Then, tape the questions and the prize cards under students' seats before class begins. During class, explain to students that they all have something under their chairs. It might be a question and it might be a prize. If they get a prize card, have students keep it quiet. Then, call on students. They can either read a question for you to answer or reveal that they won a prize. If they won, you might give them a pencil, piece of candy, or a homework pass. You can find all my favorite questions HERE. Or, you might have students complete a "Teacher Guess" about you. First, they predict the answers to questions about you. Then, as you reveal the answers, they earn points for every correct prediction. It's a fun activity that students truly enjoy! You can check it out HERE. STEP 5: Add a fun writing prompt to your back to school activities. A writing prompt is a great way to gather a baseline for students' writing on the first day of school. You might give students a simple prompt about their summer or goals for the new school year. However, I love to add a fun creative writing prompt into the mix. For example, with this writing prompt students select a setting, character, problem, and 3 random objects. Then, they need to work them all into a story. It's fun, engaging, and a great way to see where your students are starting the school year. Find this writing prompt HERE or check out this collection of 10 creative writing activities. STEP 6: Top it off with a review of tomorrow's warm-up. Set students up for success during your next day of school by quickly reviewing what they will need to do when they arrive to class. If you're planning to have students work through warm-ups like these This or That ELA warm-ups where students choose to do the "this" or the "that" activity, then you might quickly review what will be waiting on their desks when they arrive. Taking the time to preview tomorrow's warm-up is a great way to set expectations for students! If you're looking for some daily warm-ups, you might want to check out these This or That ELA warm-ups or these This or That Writing warm-ups! STEP 7: Don't forget to have an extension activity just in case your lesson ends early. I love playing games like "Move If You..." which you can find for FREE HERE. While you may never get to the extension activity, it's a lifesaver if you need it! TIPS: When you're following this recipe for a great first day of school, you might want to: ➤ Greet students at the door and answer these questions for students right away: ➨ Where do I sit? ➨ Am I in the right classroom? ➨ What should I be doing right now? ➤ Also, be prepared to manage students' behavior on the first day of school. Ensure that you have a positive classroom management system in place and ready to use if you need it! Well, there you have it, my recipe for a great first day of school. Be sure to download all the ideas with links AND the FREE airplane activity HERE! CHECK THIS OUT! I've put together a 100+ page guide for back to school for teachers. It includes tips, tools, and printables for classroom décor, classroom organization, lesson planning, community building, and planning the first day of school. It's absolutely FREE! Just click here to sign up. When you sign up, you'll get access to 6 mini-courses that cover everything Back to School including classroom design, organization, curriculum planning, and ways to build a positive classroom community. There's also a TON of exclusive freebies, bonuses, and videos! If you'd like to learn more and sign up, just click HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. If you'd like MORE free resources for your classroom, be sure to join the Brain Waves Instruction club!
Wondering which back to school supplies to get for tweens and teens? Whether you need school supplies for high school or school supplies for middle school, I’ve got you covered! Back when my kids were in elementary school, we’d be given a list of what to buy for school. But once we got to middle...
Find the latest teaching resources and ideas for the elementary and middle school classroom. Interactive notebooks, classroom management, and more
Whether you are in remote learning or in the classroom, you can spice up learning by incorporating science songs into your classroom. If you are distance teaching, I love the idea of starting the Google Meet or Zoom session by playing one of these songs to get your students motivated and engaged for science class. ... Read more
Looking for a list of the 10 best math movies ever made? This collection of movies with math as a central theme celebrates math in the movies and is appropriate for all ages. The list includes excellent movies about math, examples of math in the movies, and suggested math movies for middle school st
Are you looking for fun engineering activities for middle school students? Engineering activities are a great example of STEM activities for middle school students.
These 40+ free STEM websites: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are for grades 6-12; middle school and high school. Hands on science
Classroom management strategies for middle school are not the same as elementary strategies. Learn how to manage a middle school classroom.
9 valuable lessons I've learned about Classroom Management as a middle school teacher!
Are your students disinterested and tired of the traditional ways of learning characterization? Have you been searching for a really fun, student-centered, interactive way to eliminate their boredom? Well, look no further! I present to you a wonderful student-collaboration activity that will get your students involved and excited for a character analysis for any novel, […]
Are you homeschooling a tween or teen and looking for the best math games for middle school? Look no further, my friend. I've got you covered. As a school psychologist, lifelong gamer, and homeschool mom, I am passionate about play-based learning and gameschooling. I've witnessed the educational benefit of games when it comes to learning countless times! As a school psychologist, I used games with children and teens from preschool to 12th grade. Now, as a homeschool mom, I play games with my children daily. My oldest is about to enter high school, my daughter is heading into seventh grade,
Read on to get some great ideas for project-based learning in your middle school classroom!
Quick and easy middle school brain breaks will help keep your middle schoolers' brains fresh, support emotional regulation, and mental health.
30 social-emotional learning strategies for middle school kids to boost confidence and strengthen SEL skills students need for success.
Give your students a taste of adventure with over 20 free digital escape rooms to try at home or at school. Doing distance learning? These are perfect!
Start the school year off right!
Check out these 9 first week of school activities for your students. They help to forge those lasting bonds for a successful year!
