Four of the Best Back To School Activities
1. Four Corners
Do you remember the game four corners? Many teachers would use it as a review for a test, but you can give your students multiple choice questions about themselves and assign different answers for each corner.
Such as:
- What is your favorite color?
- Where would you want to go on vacation?
-What's your favorite sport?
-What's favorite subject?
-What's your favorite candy?
-What's you favorite video game system?
-What's you favorite genre of books?
- What (genre) or type of movies do you like?
2. The Name Game
Let's face it, at the beginning of the year you are still learning names and so are your students. This works great if you have a seating a chart and want to make sure all your students know each other. You start out by asking a student to say their name and what their favorite color is (you could also use book, movie, game, food etc...). The student would then say their name and what their favorite color is and it moves on to the next student behind them who must repeat what the first student said and then add in themselves. For example..
Teacher: "My name is Ms. A and my favorite color is purple. '
Student #1: "Your name is Ms.A and your favorite color is purple. My name is Michael and favorite color is blue."
Student #3: "Your name is Ms A and your favorite color is purple, his name is Michael and his favorite color is blue, and my name is Natalie and my favorite color is gold."
3. Scavenger Hunt
Want your students to get familiar with things in your room and on your walls? Why not split them up into groups and have them do a scavenger hunt? This of course depends on what you have posted on your walls. Here are some examples from my room:
1. What are the rules of this classroom and where are they posted?
2. On the Word Wall find three words that start with the letter 'A' and write them down as well as their definitions.
3. Where are all paper assignments supposed to be turned in?
4. What is the name and phone number of your counselor? (these are on a poster in my room)
5. If you are absent where can you go to find out about missing assignments inside of this room without having to speak to the teacher? (I keep a record log and a calendar poster with assignments on it)
6. In the syllabus, what is the policy on late assignments?
You can also have them do a reflection at the end where they get ask any questions about the course they still have.
4. One thing I wish my teacher knew...
I love this activity! It's a great way to get to understand some the struggles students face as long as you don't make the answers public to the class. Give each student a small slip of paper and have them write down their name and to finish the statement 'One thing I wish my teacher knew...' Have a dropbox for this (you can just use an older shoebox) and have students fold the paper and drop it in. Later on read the responses and get an idea of how you may be able to better help your students through this school year. This is great as an opener or a closer of the day.
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