You have gone over your class syllabus, given the classroom tour, and developed common classroom expectations with your students. Now what? Maybe you’re not ready to dive right into the curriculum on the first or second day of school, and that’s totally understandable. The first few days are often filled with inconsistencies and interruptions. If you’re looking for some free, low-prep activities to have on hand and use when needed, I’ve got you covered. All of the activities pictured and described below are free downloads from my TPT store.
Idea One: Getting to Know You Student Survey
This student survey is a one-pager that includes eight short answer questions for students to answer. The questions are general enough to work for any content area, and are written to get to know how students best learn.
Click here to download it for free now.
Idea Two: Reader/Writer Student Survey
This student survey is perfect for middle school ELA teachers looking to learn a little bit more about their students as readers and writers. The survey starts out with a “this or that” section where students circle what they prefer from two choices. Next, students describe their ideal classroom conditions for reading and writing, and the survey ends by asking them about their favorite book and piece of writing from the previous school year.
Click here to download it for free now.
Idea Three: Summer Activity Survey
This survey lists different activities students may have participated in over the summer and asks them to estimate the time spent on the different activities each week. At the end of the survey, it asks students to write about the activities they did the most and the least. This will help you understand students’ interests and what they spend time doing outside of school. It also gives you good conversation starters as you get to know new students at the beginning of the school year.
Click here to download it for free now.
Idea Four: Getting to Know Your Classroom Library
If you have a classroom library, this is a great way to get students to explore your classroom library and write down some book titles that catch their attention. The questions on this one-page activity will require students to look closely through the books in your classroom library, which is always a great thing!
Click here to download it for free now.
Idea Five: Questions for Teacher Collaboration Success
This last freebie breaks the norm of an activity to use with students, but it is invaluable for the beginning of the school year if you collaborate closely with a team of teachers or team teach with a special education teacher or paraprofessional in your classroom. The free download is designed as questions teachers can ask and discuss with each other at the beginning of the school year, and there are also check-in questions to use periodically across the school year. Being on the same page with your co-workers and having transparent conversations can save so much stress and strained relationships in the future.
Click here to download it for free now.
Wishing everyone a great start to your school year! I hope that the first few days with students go awesome and set the tone for a fantastic school year ahead!
