Hello and Happy Friday everyone! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful week and that by the time this blog post reaches you it finds you: healthy, happy, and enjoying the cooler weather (thank the heavens for this rain!!).
With classes resuming at the speed of light, today I wanted to share a handful of activity gems for the first day of class. The first day of class is important for setting the tone of the year, getting to know your students, and letting them get to know you, so let’s make it fun?
- Guess the Teacher’s ____________: I love this activity. Most of the time, students are used to just getting a little spiel about their teacher, but this activity makes them think and helps them learn fun facts about their teacher. Usually I put together a few slides (with two options each) and have the students guess: my age, the number of children I have, if I am married or single, my favorite candy, my favorite drink, where I am from, and what I drive. The student who gets the most number of questions correct gets a little first day prize (which is usually a piece of my favorite candy).
- Syllabus Scavenger Hunt: Another great activity for the first day of class is a syllabus scavenger hunt. This is a great way to make sure your students are getting key information from their syllabus, and a fu n way to break it up. Some suggested syllabus finds include: your email, phone number, class days and times, office hours, holidays, where to turn in homework, and class expectations.
- Find someone who: This activity is a great way for your students to get communicating, and learning about each other. Best of all, you can modify the instructions to fit any class! A few prompts I’ve used in the past include finding someone: with the same color shirt as you, with/without children, from the same country as you, from a different country as you, and with the same favorite food as you. This activity can even be done BINGO style for a fun twist.
- English Group Therapy: Now, I haven’t tried this one yet, but boy does it look like a good one. I found this activity on eslactivity.org and if I was still teaching you would definitely see this in my classroom this year. “Group Therapy for English learners is a fun way for adults to introduce themselves. It’s done in the “AA” style, where students have to say something like, “My name is ______ and I _______.” The last part of the sentence is what students struggle with in English. I usually give students a minute or two to think of their idea so that you don’t put anyone on the spot on the first day. It’s ideal for helping students feel like they’re not alone in their struggles with English. Don’t forget, you can have a turn too, with whatever language you’re studying.”
- Two Truths and a Lie: I feel like this activity is a classic, but it works perfectly for the first day of class when students are trying to get to know their teacher and each other. Write two truths and a lie on the board and then have the students guess which one is the lie. Then have the students write their own truths and lies and let the class guess about their peers. I think I’ve done this activity in all of my classes and it’s always been a hit. It’s a great way to get students thinking, talking to each other, writing, and laughing – an all around win.
What activities do you do on the first day of class? Let us know on Facebook! Until next time, blessings and happy teaching!