Saturday, August 11, 2012

10 Days of Back to School Frenzy: Day 2


Welcome back! Today is Day 2 of my 10 Days of Back to School Frenzy. I hope you enjoyed yesterday's back to school writing activity. School is about to start in a few days for some and a few more weeks for others. I actually return to work next Tuesday to get my classroom ready for my future 4th graders and to get everything set for a smooth first day of school. Talking about the first day, I would like to share with you some of the activity sheets I have ready for my students once they walk through my classroom door on the first day. Here's what they see on their desks as soon as they walk in:

Besides the back to school goody bag, which I'll talk more about in another post, students find a couple of sheets of activities for them to complete while I'm at the door greeting new students, talking to parents, taking attendance, doing class counts, etc. Phew! Aren't we teachers busy bees on the first day of school? These activities are a great way for students to be engaged in preparation for the first day of learning. Here's a list of the activity sheets seen on this photo:
  • Fours Trivia
  • Classroom Scavenger Hunt
  • Student Interest Survey (which I'll address in another post)
In the Fours Trivia, students try to answer some trivia questions related to the number 4 since they are starting 4th grade. Some questions are easy while others might require a little bit of thinking. For example: What is the 4th month of the year? and What is the 4th batter in a baseball line up called? 

Next up is the Classroom Scavenger Hunt. On this activity sheet, students answer questions and fill in information that will get them better acquainted with our classroom. 

These are just some simple activities that will engage the students at the start of the first day of school. So...what types of activities do you have your students work on as soon as they enter your room on the first day? I would love for you to share in the comments section below.

I hope you find some interest in these activities because I've sprinkled my magical teaching fairy dust to bring these great resources to you for FREE through my Teachers Notebook store. The file is titled First Day of School Trivia. If you like the Fours Trivia, you'll find that I've also provided a Seconds Trivia, Thirds Trivia, and Fifths Trivia as well. I also included the Classroom Scavenger Hunt for your use. Please click on the picture link below to go to my Teachers Notebook so you can download the file.



Thanks for stopping by and be sure to return tomorrow at 10am for Day 3 of my Back to School Frenzy. Have a wonderful day!

12 comments:

  1. I love these back to school ideas! I'm definitely trying them :o)

    ps: I'm having a mini giveaway for a place value game on my blog and I'd love for you to enter!

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    1. Hi Jen! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your feedback. I'm heading over to your blog to enter in your giveaway. Thanks for letting me know! :)

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  2. Your Back To School Frenzy is awesome. Thank you sharing your work with us. I look forward to your upcoming post.

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    1. Thank you Chanda for your wonderful feedback! I really appreciate it. Glad you are liking the ideas. :)

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  3. Thanks for these ideas! My fourth graders will love the 4's trivia (and thanks for the answer key because I didn't know the baseball answer!!).

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    1. I'm so glad you liked the trivia Jen H. and I know what you mean about the baseball question. Enjoy!

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  4. Great site! I'll be coming back every day. Here's what I do with second graders the first day... I give them a portrait frame on which to draw their self portraits and below it they write about things they love. Since second graders aren't proficient writers yet at the beginning of the year, they don't write much. However, at the end of the year I give them an exact copy of the page blank and have them draw their self portrait and write a paragraph about themselves again. I give both sheets to them in a pretty folder at the end of the year so they can see how much they've grown from the beginning of the year to the end.

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    1. Hi Marina! Thank you so much for your feedback and for sharing your self portrait writing lesson. I really like the idea of having students create their portraits and writing samples and then repeat the process at the end of the year so they can see their growth. Excellent! I'm going to add that to my bank of back to school and end of year activities.Take care!

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  5. I'm so excited about your blog and your products! I can't wait to use this one next week! Thanks!

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    1. Thank you so much Christina! I'm glad you liked the idea. Wishing you the best during your back to school week. :)

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  6. Another great freebie. Thanks, Marley!

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    1. You are most welcome Morgan! I'm glad you are finding useful resources here. :)

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