It's that time of year again when we are all looking for some new ideas for those first few days of school so that we can get to know the kids. Being somewhat artsy, i like to give the kids the opportunity to do something visually creative while combining it with a writing sample of some kind.
Sorting Hat Quiz and Name
At the beginning of the school year, I give the kids a Hogwart's Sorting Hat quiz to organize them into houses for the year. These houses are for some group activities, points, games, and the like. Their grades also play a large role in the addition and subtraction of points.
This year, I made water colored paper for each of the houses to put their names on their lockers.
Materials:
sketch paper roughly 8 1/2 x 11
gallon sized zip lock bag
markers in the colors you want
spray bottle filled with water
newspaper or some other kind of covering for the work area
plastic gloves
paper towels
1--spread out the newspaper and assemble the rest of the materials within reach and put on the gloves
2--using the markers, color random patterns on one side of the gallon zip lock bag
3--using the spray bottle filled with water, spray the marker side of the bag until the colors bead up
4--place the paper on top of the wet gallon zip lock bag and squish the colors in all different directions
5--lay the paper to the side on more newspaper to dry
6--wipe the excess water/marker mix off the bag until it is clear and dry
7--repeat the process until you have all the paper made that you need for the kids
8--once the paper is dry, draw lines for the size of labels you want for the kids
9--use a paper cutter to cut along the lines you drew
Sorting Hat Quiz and Name
At the beginning of the school year, I give the kids a Hogwart's Sorting Hat quiz to organize them into houses for the year. These houses are for some group activities, points, games, and the like. Their grades also play a large role in the addition and subtraction of points.
This year, I made water colored paper for each of the houses to put their names on their lockers.
Materials:
sketch paper roughly 8 1/2 x 11
gallon sized zip lock bag
markers in the colors you want
spray bottle filled with water
newspaper or some other kind of covering for the work area
plastic gloves
paper towels
1--spread out the newspaper and assemble the rest of the materials within reach and put on the gloves
2--using the markers, color random patterns on one side of the gallon zip lock bag
3--using the spray bottle filled with water, spray the marker side of the bag until the colors bead up
4--place the paper on top of the wet gallon zip lock bag and squish the colors in all different directions
5--lay the paper to the side on more newspaper to dry
6--wipe the excess water/marker mix off the bag until it is clear and dry
7--repeat the process until you have all the paper made that you need for the kids
8--once the paper is dry, draw lines for the size of labels you want for the kids
9--use a paper cutter to cut along the lines you drew
About Me T-Shirt Cover I wanted the kids to create a cover for their class binders so that they may remember to bring them each day. I can dream! So I got a clip art t-shirt template off Google, imported it into Word, and drew some lines to section it off into several different areas for the kids to do different things. Then off to the copy room I went. They had to design a t-shirt cover for their binder that included the following information then had to explain the sections in detail either on the back or on a separate sheet of paper. 1--first and last name 2--class period and course 3--two interests at school 4--two interests outside of school 5--school year 6--name of school 7--favorite saying 8--age 9--the rest is up to them and must be school appropriate |
Walk in Their Shoes This is another activity that is meant for their lockers. I have a Converse addiction and have personalized a couple of pairs over the years. The idea was to connect walking in someone else's using the graphic and the article/poem from this website, https://newauthors.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/6881/ . Again, I found a template of Google of four high top Converse. Their assignment was to come up with four goals for the year, two at school and two at home. They were to illustrate and write one goal on one Converse shoe. On a sheet of notebook paper, they were to explain why that goal, how they plan to accomplish it, and how they will know they have achieved it. The shoes go on the inside of their locker doors as a constant reminder, and I get the paper. At the end of the year, I return the notebook paper and discuss whether or not we met our goals as well as why or why not. |
Coat of Arms This one is all them. Google is so my best friend when searching for templates for activities like these. They are to design a coat of arms with anything they choose that is school appropriate. On the banner below the coat of arms, they must include their first and last name as well as the course title with the class period. This coat of arms is another binder cover idea. Once they have completed the coat of arms, they are to write an explanation for each quadrant either on the back of the template or on a separate sheet of paper. Unlike the other activities, they may extend their design outside the coat of arms; moreover, you can tie this activity to the review of archetypal symbols of shapes, colors, and basic objects. Just saying... |
Clean Slate This activity means a lot to some kids as they tend to carry a bit of a reputation with them from year to year. I have always said that when a kid walks into my room. they always start with a clean slate and can write their own story sometimes for just that class period, the day, the week, the month, the grading period, or the year. We discuss as a class the importance of giving people another chance while holding them accountable for their actions, both positive and negative. We also chat about how we can help each other write our story while holding us accountable. The overall goal of this activity is to create a community spirit in the classroom. On the wall outside the classroom, bulletin board paper is hung and labeled with the question, "What do you want your story to be?" The kids then take a marker and write what they want their story to be, take a picture of it with their phone, and set it as their background as a reminder. |
Seating Challenges
I wish I could take credit for this one as a whole, but I can't. My superintendent posted this article on Facebook a few days ago, and it reminded me of a couple of cool collaborative activities for the beginning of the year. The article, "Teaching Secrets: Get to Know Your Students Through Seating Challenges," can be found at this website, https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/06/27/tln_merz.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB&fbclid=IwAR2MW-q0gMfQtKinYSFBEWrsA5sN5iHAsy9wTzK7Ggi_beyI26CYN-kI_88 . It walks you through the directions for a couple of verbal and nonverbal activities to get to know the kids as well as where they should or should not be seated!
I know this was a long post, but getting to know the kids at the beginning of the year is so important. There are other diagnostic academic activities that I do the first few weeks to continue building those relationships, but that is for another day.
I wish I could take credit for this one as a whole, but I can't. My superintendent posted this article on Facebook a few days ago, and it reminded me of a couple of cool collaborative activities for the beginning of the year. The article, "Teaching Secrets: Get to Know Your Students Through Seating Challenges," can be found at this website, https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/06/27/tln_merz.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB&fbclid=IwAR2MW-q0gMfQtKinYSFBEWrsA5sN5iHAsy9wTzK7Ggi_beyI26CYN-kI_88 . It walks you through the directions for a couple of verbal and nonverbal activities to get to know the kids as well as where they should or should not be seated!
I know this was a long post, but getting to know the kids at the beginning of the year is so important. There are other diagnostic academic activities that I do the first few weeks to continue building those relationships, but that is for another day.