Objectives
- Students will begin building relationships with the teacher and their classmates.
Materials
- Healthy snacks (ie. grapes, loaf of tasty bread, pretzels, mini-marshmallows)
Procedures
- The first day of school, sit with your students in a circle and tell them a little bit about yourself.
Draw students in by sharingthings about yourself they'd want to know--like if you've gone skydiving or lived any place unusual.
- Next, open the space up for informal introductions and a free-flowing discussion.
- It's not difficult to get everyone engaged, but if the conversation stalls try one of these questions:
- Has anyone had a great time at asporting event?
- A terrible time?
- What's your favorite movie and why?
- What is your least favorite food?
- Pass around the grapes or bread or mini-marshmallows and try to create an atmosphere in which the children feel welcome, feel like they belong, and feel like their teacher genuinely cares about them.
Doing something this "un-classroom-like" the first day grabs the students' attention and eases their worries.
Foster trust in the classroom through this first day of school activity.
Themes
Type:
Teaching Strategies
