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Christina-tina-tina - We write down our favorite summer memory, ball up our papers, throw them at the same time and then pick up another students and read it aloud. We then raise our hand and introduce ourselves. The kids love it.
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Sara - I give a students a quiz...but it's all about me. I made a big deal out of it though, your first quiz, we go over how we don't cheat, keep our papers covered, etc. They don't realize it's just for fun at this point. They are so nervous! But when the first question pops up and it says "How old is Mrs. Carico?", you can see the nervousness just drain from their face. They have fun with the answers, and they love learning about me that way! Then we go into the activity for me to learn about them.
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kristi - I read the kissing Hand and do related activities to that! I also have the kids talk about their hopes and dreams for the upcoming school year!
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StorieJ - Like another person mentioned, I read First Day Jitters. We usually play a few games that help us get acquainted with each other as well as with the procedures and location of supplies around the room.Storie @Stories by Storie
Lisa R. - On the first day of school, we sit in a circle & pass around a ball of yarn. Everyone says their name & one thing about themselves. They have fun with it. :) 
Heather - One thing I always do the first day of school it have the students make "we're back snack" mix. In their table groups they have to measure each item and then guess the mass/weight of the bag. Then they use the balance scales to figure out the real mass. There are several books we read during the first few days of school. One is How I Spent My Summer Vacation" and then they write a postcard about a real or made up trip.- Heather @ room 4 imagination
abqgreene - I am trying to figure out what to do because I am moving from 4/5 to 1st. I am planning on reading some from the Wizard of Oz first edition and telling them why it is one of my favorite books.
Patti - On the first day of school I love to play a game called "3 Truths and a Lie"...I tell my students 4 things about myself.. they have to figure out which 3 things are true, and which one is a lie. Then I have them come up with their own 3 truths and a lie. I tell them this is the only time I will give them permission to lie in my classroom. The the rest of the class has to guess each student's lie form their 4 things. They always remember these things about me all year long (and the things they learned about their classmates- Patti @ Tales from a 4th (and 5th) Grade Teacher
~Stephanie M. - On the first day of school I like to have the students create nametags using words cut out from a magazine. These words are to describe the kids in some way, and it really helps me to get to know the kids!- ~Stephanie @ Teaching in Room 6
Maija - On the first day of school we create a time capsule. We measure the students height with string, they fill in their favorite song, book, cartoon etc. We then "bury" the time capsules in my file cabinet until the last day of school when we "dig" them up to see how much we have changed over the last school year.- Micha - This year on the first day of school I am going to do a chart that the students fill out letting me know what they "expect" from me this year. Saw this on Pinterest and thought it was a good idea.
Rodriguez-Martinez - I have a sheet of paper divided into 30 squares (one square for each student and me, as well as, a few extra squares). Each square has a short statement or sentence (I am an only child, I like dark colors, I was born in another state, I was born outside of the US, etc). Each student is given a board and writes their name at the top of the board. I explain to the students they need to go around the room and have each student fill in a box that applies to them. (I make it easier by giving the students a copy of the class names (or having them copy the names - since the names become the spelling list for the week) and they cross out the name once they have talked with the person. Once they have met with everyone in the class, they can meet with people again to fill in the empty boxes. (If you don't want it to be too chaotic... have the students line up in two lines facing each other, then have one line be stationary and the other line move when you tell them to - the first person goes to the back of the line. If you have an odd number you are in the line - remember to also meet with the students in your line. If you have an even number of students, give the students which box to write your name in - pick the most difficult box.) At the end of the activity, create a student tally chart for each box. You can also use this activity to show graphing several ways or form groups for activities.
Keri - I make "placemats" with a rectangle in the middle of the paper and each paper divided into four. Kids print their name in the centre rectangle, and then something about themselves in each quadrant. I pick the topics (my favourite summer memory, my family, one goal I have for this year is, etc...). They write a couple of sentences and illustrate them. We present the placemats and then hang them on our hall bulletin board for Meet the Teacher night. I keep them and then include the sheets in their end of the year memory books :)- Teach~Play~Smile 200 Follower Giveaway!
Meg - I have my students compare & contrast themselves with another student using Venn Diagrams! I modeled my activity after something I saw on Third Grade Thinkers. Here's the link in case you're interested! My kids really loved it, and I plan on doing it again this year. http://thirdgradethinkers8.blogspot.com/2011/08/first-week-lesson-classmate-connections.html
Inside this Book - My students know each other, so they really just have to break the ice with me. I read "Math Curse" and tell the kids that Mrs. Fibonacci is my idol, and that if they are not thinking about Math all the time, I'm not doing my job! I love the looks of horror as they try to figure out if I'm serious or not.- ✿Lynn @Inside this Book
Poetry of Life - Since I always have little guys, I have a picture scavenger hunt page that we do to find things that people like. The kids fill it out and then find someone who likes the same color etc.-
Leah - I play the game "Life with the Wright Family". (You can find the story online) I give out one item to each student (a rubber band, paperclip, eraser, piece of candy, etc). In the story it is all about following directions so when you hear right, you pass your item to the right. If you hear left, you pass to the left and so on throughout the story. It is funny to see the students who finally get a piece of candy in their hands and then it is taken away from them so quickly...but sometimes it comes back around. Everyone has fun with this and it also gives my 3rd graders practice with their right and left hand. :) In the end, I collect all of the random stuff and give each student one piece of candy.
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rachel - For my first day of school (which will be my first day as a 4th grade teacher with my very own classroom!!) I plan on having students play "Battle of the Bands" to go with my Rockstar Theme. I give the students a piece of paper, but they DON'T write their names on it. Students choose their favorite thing (animal, food, etc), something unique about themselves, and something they did that summer. After rules have been set, students have a paper fight for 30 seconds. When time is up they pick up the wad of paper closest to them. The students read the one they picked up and students guess whose paper it is based on the clues. I will participate too! I go this idea from my amazing mentor teacher. She does it on the first day of school and the kids LOVED it!!! Happy School Year everyone! :)
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Amanda B. - I like to do a Mrs. Baughman quiz. I give students 10 question about me, including things like favorites, family, etc. This lets me know the things they've heard about me from older siblings/neighbors/friends that I've had in previous years, and also lets them know more about me as a person.
Kelly - I usually do a team building challenge such as building the tallest tower using index cards.- jlddperk - I have students complete a newspaper article describing themselves. Great for giving me information on each student!
- Ellen - I try to stick to our schedule, but doing more interesting/get to know you/ community building activities, so the students start to learn what their day will look like. So during Reading, I usually read Miss Nelson is Missing, and then we make up our classroom rules. During Math, we do a numbers about us (each kid writes a number, and how it describes them--4 kids in our family), and we use those to decorate our Math notebooks, etc. I think it helps to go through each subject during that first day of school at the regular times. The kids learn how to transition, etc.
- stowe2117 - I love Diane DeGroat, so I read "Brand New Pencils, Brand New Books" the first day, then we do a mixture of daily essentials (IB for expectations), and fun games!
Kayla - On the first day of school I send a paper bag home with each student asking them to bring 5 items back the next day that help describe themselves. We have a "show and tell" the next day where each student shows their items and tells the class about themselves! They love it and it's a great way to start building a classroom community!
YearntoLearn - I give each students a construction paper puzzle piece to design with their name and interests. I then put all the pieces together on a display stating "We Fit Together"- Denise @Yearn to Learn Blog
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Jackie - We do "me bags" on the first couple days of school with my students, and I share my own too! They each bring 3-4 small things that represent them to share with the class! This year I'm going to do heart mapping too! I'll do one on chart paper, and the kids will each make their own! I blogged about it and shared a freebie here
July 29, 2012
Planning for the First Week (Ideas by YOU!)
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A couple of weeks ago during my 100 follower giveaway, these awesome followers left me comments telling me how they break the ice in their classroom. THANK YOU for sharing! I loved reading them all, and I thought that perhaps these experts could share an idea with you as you start to plan. The links for their blogs are on here as well for you to stop by and say thanks (I don't know why some of the colors changed as I copy/pasted it over - but they all work).
Onto the ideas: