Try to come up with some things to display for back to school night. Here is what I do with my fifth graders…

Hopes & Dreams

SWBAT identify 3 goals they have for 5th grade (social, academic, family, other). Have students brainstorm things that they would like to get better at & things they would like to do for the first time. Pair share to bounce ideas off of each other. Have a class share where everyone shares one goal. Create a bulletin board for Hopes & Dreams and have students put their goals on stars to decorate the board.

ALL ABOUT ME

We use the purchased posters from Scholastic. Students have to complete all of the sections & color it in. May need to bring in a photo from home.

Portfolio Collage

I have the students decorate a manilla folder with pictures that represent them. They cut the photos out of different magazines & cover the entire front of the folder. Then we put labels on them with the name they want to be called. This folder becomes their Writing Portfolio for the year. If you have access to a laminating machine, you should laminate the folders to hold all of the photos on. You can also create collages on the cover of a marble notebook or on construction paper to hang around the room.

Book Jacket

Have students bring in a book that they read over the summer. Write a 3 paragraph summary of the book, and create a new cover for the book with the student as the illustrator. This will give you an idea as to where the students independent reading level is very early in the year.

Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Create a scavenger hunt of the room or even of the school for the students to complete. Use this as a guided learning experience about where to find supplies, bathroom passes, the nurses office, a book in the class library, etc.

Questions for the Teacher

Have the students come up with 3 questions for you to get to know you better. Take a few minutes each day to answer the questions & build connections with the students. Tell them they don’t have to put their name on the index card if they don’t want to.

Acrostic Poems

Have the students write their names vertically & come up with an adjective for each letter in their name. Draft first & then do a final copy on the computer or by hand on construction paper. Have students illustrate the poem.

Practice Drills

Practice a fire drill & a lock down drill (if your school does them). Since you are new to the school, see if the students can tell you how these are done, and then you lead the class through the drill. If its nice out, take 10-15 minutes once outside for independent reading.

Class Rules

Have the students come up with the class rules. They are more likely to follow them if they come up with them. Keep the final list short, 5 items is usually sufficient.

Procedures

Don’t just dictate procedures to the class, have them do skits for some of the routines so you can them actively involved & play towards the multiple intelligences.

Good luck on your first day of school!

I found lots of things online like personality bingo and such. Also, you won’t believe how long it takes to just issue books and such. Get in a big circle, pass a ball around, and each child has to tell something about himself/herself. Review multiplication facts (play a game like Around the World with multiplication flash cards). Go over rules and procedures A LOT!!!! Then play a game in which you ask questions about rules and procedures. (I have a little Nerf basketball and goal in my room, and I divide my kids into 2 teams…they get one point for answering the ? correctly and another point for their team if they make a basket). Have each child make a bubble map writing in words around their names that describe them. Have the students put themselves in ABC order by last name. Make a classroom scavenger hunt with clues on different things like the pencil sharpener or coat closet. Play a listening and following directions game. Don’t do too many fun things, b/c they’ll think that that’s all it’s about. I try to get into actual studies as soon as I can…as in the second day we start hard core work!!! You want them to know that school is in session, and it’s time to get to work! Good luck to you! (practic lining up for lunch, bathroom, etc) Don’t forget playground rules! You wouldn’t believe what can go on on the playground.

being the mother of a 8th grader who is dyslexia and A.D.D, the things that I would recommend for a child in special class, is have a lot of hands on activities and use a lot of praise and rewards, also many of these children are visual learners if you play a tape or vidoe that corresponds to the subject you are teaching or a computer program that they can take turns using. As far as arranging the class room if possible do a big circle with you in the middle so that you can see what is going on at all times. Give frequent breaks where they can walk around the classroom, small group activities.

I always do a “Student Scavenger Hunt” where I had out a sheet and students have to find a peer in the room that answers the questions on the scavenger hunt like “Find someone who was born in the same month as you” or Find someone who was born in a different state from you, etc…

Be tough on policy and procedures or your whole real will be difficult.

Give the some worksheets to help you know them and them know you. I call mine “Getting to know you” Name, nick name, favorite color, movie, book, video, song, group, food, and anything else, name of do, what kind, how many brothers and sisters. I end with something they want me to know about them that will help me be a better teacher for them.

I then give them a photo copy of one filled out for me. I introduce my family in photo’s and make the intro to the class funny and memorable. Teach them to be observant, thoughtful and instill that you will maintain the security of their room at all times. I tell them about when I was in school. I show them my yearbooks the second week. I let them know personal things about me and then ask them questions as extra credit on my tests. What are my dogs names, what is my favorite color, snack food, etc.

Let them make table tents so you remember their names. Play name games so they remember each others names.

Get Uncle Johns Ahhhh inspiring Bathroom book and read from that.

There are a bunch of things you can do! If you need more let me know.

Do some get to know you activities like two truths and a lie. Divide the kids up into groups of four and have them tell each other two truths about themselves and one lie. The students have to guess what’s true and what’s false. It’s a good get to know you activity and it’s a lot of fun.

well you can give them all name tags

introduce new kids specially

and do a little out of the ordinary getting 2 know activity…

like make them tell you about what they did in the summer or what they like best about school

what they think 4th grade will be like

***and be especially nice to the mean ones***

Have them make cool nametags and seat them in groups! That’s always fun!