First Day Tried and True

Where has the summer gone!??! Some of my friends are already back to school!! God love you friends! My first day back is August 19th---although I've been back to school since July 28th with summer school :/ I feel like I have never left!!

Well welcome to the first day tried and true back to school linky party!!! Is there something you do every year that works for you? Well that is EXaCtLY what this linky is all about--a group of bloggers blogging about what has worked for us!! So make sure to hope along and check it out!!

So let's have a #realteachertalk moment for a second---this will only be my 3rd year teaching. BUT--I will share with you what has worked beautifully for me the past 2 years :)

A great way to get to know your students is by playing some get to know you games. The past two years I wrote different questions on index cards and had the kids move around the room and answer them on a piece of notebook paper. Nothing pretty. But. It. Got. The. Job. Done. And they loved moving around!! Well, in my free time, I created this little freebie with 20 task cards and a recording sheet with get to know you type questions!!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Momma-With-A-Teaching-Mission

Even with the younger kiddos that can't read the questions, you can read the questions to them and have them color their answer on the recording sheet.

A favorite first day story in my 1st grade class room is OF COURSE The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. You can find it here -----> The Kissing Hand on Scholastic. Before we read The Kissing Hand we talk about how we felt the day before or morning before school started. After reading the story, we draw a picture and write a sentence with a sentence starter, "On the first day of first grade, I feel....." This is the first piece of work I am able to put up in the classroom or hallway.

Much time the first day (really the first month) is spent on procedures. We talk about procedures for entering the classroom, making a lunch choice, going to the restroom (which is in our class), and lining up to go anywhere. I will say that when my kiddos line up, if they don't line up quietly, I make them sit back down and do it again. This helps them know that just because we may be late, if they aren't going to follow my directions, we will continue to practice until they are how they should be in line (quiet and facing forward). This is my Pinterest board on Classroom Ideas, it has links I have found all over pinterest to topics that I feel could be useful to my teaching. Feel free to follow that board to gain some new ideas!

Along with procedures, we talk about what makes a good student. Last year, the kiddos loved doing this activity! The students ability to write a sentence in this activity also let me evaluate and create a baseline for where they were as 1st graders.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-ActivityLesson-Recipe-for-a-good-student-1412726

Make sure to hop along to the other back to school bloggers to read about their tried and true back to school tips!
An InLinkz Link-up

Good Luck in going back!!

5 comments

  1. I am only a 4th year teacher, and I like having kids move around a lot too. I often tape task cards all over the room and they rotate to music, just answering questions in a notebook! I haven't quite "built" my dream classroom yet, so a lot of my activities are simple, but like you said, they get the job done! :) Great blog, love the design!

    The Whimsical Teacher

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  2. Great post! Love how you linked and shared your Pinterest board for additional ideas!

    Tricia from " Tricia's Terrific Teaching Trinkets"

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  3. That back to school scoot activity looks great! I 'm going to add that to my bag of tricks this year! Thanks for linking up and sharing!
    Chrissie
    Undercover Classroom

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  4. Love the Back to School Scoot activity! And yes, teaching procedures is so very important! I also begin on the first day and spread it out over a week - and then, review, review, review! Following your blog!

    Ashley
    One Step Closer Teaching

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  5. I love the book the Kissing Hand! I used to read that to my students when I taught first grade. I like your Back to School Scoot activity!

    Sarah
    http://educationelectrification.blogspot.com/

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