pssshh. yeah, right! I wouldn't expect anything else.
We started school this past Wednesday. Like all teachers, I stress procedures those first few days. However, I also really want students to have fun and enjoy being in class. I want them to leave my room excited about what they're doing in math. That's half the battle. If kids know that you (gasp) actually like them and if they enjoy being in your class, they're more motivated and more likely to work hard for you. So, I tried to make those first three days a mix of learning procedures and having fun.
Day 1 - Wednesday:
When students enter my room the first day, there is a small tub of Play-Doh on their desks. The first thing I have them do after welcoming them in is use the Play-Doh to create something that represents them. They LOVE this. It It's so out-of-the-norm for them to be able to do something like this at school, so they are typically pretty excited and chatty during this time. That's okay. That's what I want to happen. I give them more time than actually needed for this because I use that time to walk around to each group of students and talk to them. I ask questions, figure out if I've had their siblings before, find out who their 6th grade math teacher was and what level math they were in, find out what they did over the summer....basically anything to get them to open up to me so that relationships can start to form.
Then I go over a "Who is Mrs. Brown?" powerpoint to introduce myself. It just has pictures so students can see that I'm more than just their math teacher.
The next thing I do is spend some time going over just 3 procedures that they will need to know for the following day - Supplies, Beginning of Class, End of class. I save the rest for the next day.
If there is time left, (and this year there was), we play a name game. Each student has to think of an adjective to describe them that starts with the same letter that their name starts with. For example, it could be Smart Suzie, Sassy Suzie, Lovely Liz, etc. The first student says their adjective and their name, and then the next student has to say theirs and everyone that's went before them. The kids like this, especially when I split the class in half and make it a competition, but it is mainly more for me to help remember names.
Day 2 - Thursday:
I finish procedures on the 2nd day. However, instead of me just using a powerpoint and rambling on about them, I want the students to interact with them. I printed out the powerpoint that I use, and put 1 copy on each group of desks. Students rotate reading them aloud in their groups. I include written descriptions of important procedures and memes in the powerpoint!! They LOVE reading the memes aloud! My favorite to hear the students "act out" is the "ain't nobody got time for that" one.
TOO FUNNY!
After they've finished reading in their groups, I give each student a half sheet of colored paper, and they have to write down two things they learned about homework, late work, rules/consequences, and rewards. Then I call on students to discuss what they learned.
Once finished with procedures, I have them work on covers for their interactive notebooks. I go around the room and let students choose which color paper they want. They are allowed to decorate it however they'd like. This week, we will begin taping their covers to their interactive notebooks with packaging tape. This helps to personalize the notebook to them so they will (hopefully) find it important and be more likely to keep up with it. It also makes the cover a bit more sturdy.
Day 3 - Friday:
We play Musical Chairs on Friday. This is really not a game. No one wins. No one gets out. It's just the name of the activity. I got this activity from the teacher I student-taught under. I knew I would love it.
I created 15 get-to-know-you type questions. I put 1 card on each desk. When the music is on, students flip their cards over and answer the question. When the music stops, students rotate to the next desk.
After Musical Chairs, students finish their notebook covers, and I pass out workbooks.
What do your first days look like?
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