Welcome Your Students

School may be part-time, full-time, or fully online this fall. Everyone involved in this process is preparing for a myriad of circumstances while striving to be as effective as possible. Teachers’ roles are essential in the first-day-of-school experience. The most important element on the first day of school is to be warm and embracing to your students. It is best to create opportunities to get to know the students and their families and for the students to get to know each other. Teachers need to know any challenges the families may be facing during these unprecedented times. Family situations put everything in perspective when getting to know your students. Teachers’ genuine interest for students will be what they remember and need.

Your Introduction

Teachers need to prepare an introduction of themselves to allow students and families to get to know them. An example of this would be to type an introductory letter or video including personal information, experience, and expectations. On the first day, teachers are often as nervous as the students. It is great to incorporate icebreakers and creative ways to get to know each other. The first day of school sets the tone for the rest of the school year.

Get Things Ready Prior to the First Day

It is best to have the classroom and/or online platform ready prior to the first day of school. The traditional or online classroom should be organized, and present clear expectations. Classroom management encompasses many facets in the classroom and must be a top priority. Expectations, procedures, rules, and consequences should be clearly stated on the first day, whether online or in person. Any applicable paperwork or online forms should be ready for parents to complete. Planning and preparation are keys to success on the first day of school and throughout the school year.

Classroom Environment

Classrooms should be appealing to students, and displaying their names throughout the classroom or online program promotes ownership. Students love to see their names on display. Teachers often use color schemes and various décor to set a theme for the classroom. The classroom should be warm and inviting. The classroom design must be organized and set up precisely as there are many guidelines in place for the first day of school this year. Most importantly, students want to feel comfortable, and parents want to know their children are in a safe and nurturing environment.

Be Extra Prepared

Morning warm-ups, pre-assessments, journals, or grade-level assignments are great resources to have readily available. It is always best to prepare extra teaching materials to flow from one activity to the next. First day activities include involving students in the learning process on the first day. Teachers in today’s classrooms facilitate learning opportunities, and it is best to implement and model this strategy at the beginning of the year.

Rely on Fellow Teachers

Last, teachers need each other. It is more important now than ever for teachers to support each other. Ideas include visiting other teachers’ classrooms to gain ideas and perspective or researching ideas online from fellow teachers. Other teachers are often the most important resource in preparing for success in the classroom. Their experience and expertise are invaluable. Some teachers feel more at ease in the traditional classroom, and others are stronger teaching online. The first day of school this year will be a learning experience for everyone, and it is important to know that everyone is in this together.

As the first day of school quickly approaches, teachers must take care of themselves so they can be the best for the students. There are many factors that set the stage for the first day, and teachers’ roles are significant in this process.

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First-Day-of-School Goals

Goal: Get to Know Your Students

Caltha Crowe, author of Solving Thorny Behavior Problems, says, “Knowing students is (also) core to forming a trusting student-teacher relationship with them, which is a major factor in students being engaged in school.” Spend the first day (as well as the rest of the week) getting to know your students as well as allowing them to get to know you. Here are a few activities to try.

Icebreaker Activity

If you search the internet, you will find an abundance of getting-to-know-you icebreaker activities all claiming to be the BEST activity for the first day of school. However, if you’re looking for an icebreaker that will stimulate a friendly conversation among classmates then you should try the “Would You Rather” game. This is when you pose a question such as, “Would you rather have no teeth or no hair?” and the students answer which they would rather have. You can also get the students to help pose the questions but make sure they run the question by you before they ask the class.

Student Survey

Student surveys and inventories can help teachers quickly learn facts about their students that they can help use to plan future lessons and activities. Vanderbilt University has a printable student interest and learning survey for older students where you can find out your students’ favorite hobbies, interests, school subjects, how they prefer to work, etc. While Quizizz has an online survey for younger students.

Create a Selfie Movie Trailer

Digital tools offer the opportunity for students to get creative and showcase their technological skills. Have students use their smartphones or tablet to create an autobiographical trailer of themselves. Students can use iMovie, Flipgrid or just the camera app to create a short 30-60 second bio-clip of themselves. Another idea is to create a movie mystery where students only show clips of their likes, family, etc. and leave their photographs until the end of the movie so classmates can try and figure out who the trailer is talking about.

Goal: Create a Welcoming Environment

According to WIDA (University of Wisconsin–Madison), “A welcoming classroom is about community and equity. By keeping these two ideas in mind, you can create an environment where students feel safe, visible and valued and where they are provided access to rigorous curriculum that engages and challenges them in meaningful ways.” Here are a few activities to help you create this type of environment in your classroom.

Decorate the Classroom

Instead of students walking into a fully decorated classroom on the first day of school, have them help you decorate. This will send the message that their opinions are valued, and you welcome their presence. Split students into four groups (this would be a good time to group by interest) and assign each group a wall to decorate. Come up with a few themes beforehand and have groups vote on which they would like to decorate for their assigned wall.

Student Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great activity to help students get to know each other, as well as their new learning space. Randomly choose partners to scour the classroom for items to check off their list, such as how many computers are in the classroom, where the pencil sharpener is, how many trash cans are in the room, what color the homework basket is, etc. Once students have found all of the items on the list, they can use it as a reference during the first few weeks of school.

Goal: Establish Rules and Routines

It is necessary to establish clear rules and routines on the first day of school so students will know what to expect. According to an article published by Concordia University, “Students know what they should do at certain times throughout the day which means that they do not have down time to participate in unproductive behaviors.” Therefore, classroom routines go hand-in-hand with classroom rules. Here are a few activities to try.

Create an Interactive Bulletin Board

Looking for a fun way to get students involved in the rule making? Try creating an interactive bulletin board. Students can scan a QR code with their tablets to find out what classroom rules you’ve had in the past or learn about the most popular rules for their grade level before deciding upon the class rules. Another idea is to pose a new rule and have students vote on if they would implement it in the classroom or not. Lastly, post the classroom rules and each day students place their bitmoji (character photo of themselves) on the rules that they think they’ve followed the most throughout the day.

Procedure Partners

To help students learn the class procedures, the Butterfly teacher gets her students up and moving by writing part of the procedure on one index card, and the other part on another index card. Then she has students move around the room trying to find their procedure partner. For example, one card would say “When I need to use the lavatory, I…” and the other card would say “Would quietly walk over and take the lavatory pass.” It’s a fun way for students to collaborate and communicate with their new classmates while learning the procedures.

Take time during the first week of school and really get to know your students. These activities will help you honor and learn about the individuals that you will be teaching throughout the school year.

*Updated August 2021

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