First Week Fun! A Pack of Ideas, Activities, Management, Ideas, and More for Your First Week Back to School!
I just uploaded my newest TpT pack – and I’m SO excited to share it with you! Every year, I find myself scrambling to dig out and plan all of the activities I do with my students during our first week of school together. The first week of school is so important to me – it is filled with fun, modeling of routines, and engaging activities that allow my students to get excited about school and acquire a thirst for learning throughout the year. We spend the week reading favorite books, discussing kindness, and forming our special classroom bond. I decided to put everything I do during my first week of school into one learning pack – and share it with you!
My new pack, First Week Fun!, works with K-2 classrooms, as I’ve included many differentiated templates and printables to allow you to choose which page best works for activity and your classroom/grade level. It is 83 pages of fun, easy-to-plan for activities that contain classroom management/behavior ideas and activities, All About Me lessons, a quick and easy writing assessment, writing prompts, math games and a fun M&M math lesson, extension activities for favorite back-to-school read alouds, anchor chart cue cards, attention getter posters, and much more! 🙂
Here is a sneak peek at just some of the pages and activities within the pack:
My favorite activity to do with my students is usually to read the Kissing Hand….then we make our own Kissing Hand and tell one thing we were nervous about coming back to school.
Docketta@yahoo.com
Thanks Mrs. Giles! 🙂 I sent you an email with the link to download the packet. 🙂
I love the Band-aid activity to teach how all of us have different needs. Have students think of an "injury" they have. When they come up to you, the "doctor", to be treated, they share their injury and you give them a band-aid on the arm (regardless of where they are hurt). After awhile, the students start to get really indignant, shouting out "But that's not where he/she was hurt!" This leads into a wonderful discussion about how we are all different and have different needs, so what may be "fair" for everyone to have their best learning possible doesn't always mean it is going to be the same.
ccwoodward1989@gmail.com
That is a cute idea Courtney! 🙂 You'll be receiving an email with the link to download my new product. 🙂 Enjoy!
My favorite activity is having the students do a writing activity about what they want to learn in second grade. I love their responses! They are so funny! I also love to read "First Day Jitters." It is such a fun book!
lmarshall1389@gmail.com
I have an activity in the pack that allows students to write about their hopes and dreams for their new school year. It would go great with that book! 🙂 Enjoy! I just sent an email with the google docs link. 🙂
I like to have students create "All About Me" posters and present them to the class. Even if they have friends in the class, they learn something new about them! I like hearing them talk about themselves and learn something new too!
cswest7@yahoo.com
Sharon, thanks for visiting! 🙂 I just sent a google docs email with the link for you to download the pack. 🙂 It includes an All About Me poster and many other all about me activities. Enjoy! 🙂
I always have the students do a name art project after reading Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes!
rachelmd93@gmail.com
Rachel,
I love everything Kevin Henkes! There is a cute extension activity for Lily's Purple Plastic purse in the packet. I love to use that book for teaching rules. 🙂 Enjoy! I just sent a google doc email with the link to download.
Grrrr – missed it again!
Liz
Teaching in the Valley
I love to do lots of book/writing activities…lets me find out more about my students and their writing abilities!
tokyoshoes at hotmail dot com
I think my favorite activity is first day HOMEWORK! Yes – they groan too. But then I pass out balloons with a note inside. Their job is to take the balloon home and pop it to get the homework. Complete the paper and return it the next day. It usually relates to our theme and is printed inside a speech bubble. Last year's homework said, My name is _______________. I want to solve the mystery of second grade! I want to investigate ___________________________. They filled in the last blank with something they wanted to learn in second grade. They bring it back to school the next day and we share. I like how it sets the tone for returning homework and we all get to learn a little about each person. I also take pictures of each student relating to our theme. Last year they were dressed like detectives. I post these on the bulletin board with their homework. We like to start with a BANG! 😉
What a cute idea Amy!! :)I bet your students just LOVE this!
I always read The First Day Jitters and talk about how each of us are feeling. I just love that book…so fun! Teaching with Giggles
I love to read Chrysanthemum and start to build a safe class community.
I just joined the blogging world and would love to join up with you! Is that what it's called? Follow you? Either way, I love your back to school pack idea! I read "You're Finally Here!" by Melanie Watt! http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1423134869
I wish I’d had this resource last year! I was hired as a first year teacher on meet the teacher night! I started on a Thursday and school started on Monday! I had no idea what I was supposed to do, and I was a mess! I am so excited to have all these ideas this year and to get to prep for the year ahead. I purchased this on TPT, but I saw that someone in your reviews mentioned a video. Is there a video to this product? If so I’d love to see it. Thank you so much for all these awesome suggestions!
Hi Natalie! There is a video of me describing some of the activities in this packet on my FB page from a couple of years ago. 🙂 You can check out the video section on my FB page and find it there! I hope this helps. I’m SO glad you love the packet and that it will be so helpful! Thank you so much!