It’s that time of year when students and teachers are flocking back to the classroom. Those first few weeks are important for setting up routines, building classroom culture, and getting to know your students. Keep reading for 5 amazing getting to know you activities for the first week of school.
- Getting to know your classmates BINGO card. In this activity, students are given a special Bingo board that encourages them to ask questions of their classmates. Students look for classmates who identify with certain statements (such as who has a pet fish) and then write that student’s name in the box. The first student to get 5 in a row (or a blackout) wins. You can download a free one from my Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s store here.
- Four corners “Would You Rather.” This is another great way to get students moving and getting to know each other. Ask questions that have 4 answers. For example, you could ask “what city would you most like to visit” and have the answers of “Venice,” “Cairo,” “Hollywood,” or “Tokyo.” Assign each corner of the classroom an answer and then get students to move to the corner that answers their question. You could extend this activity by getting students to then introduce themselves to the other students in that corner and tell the other students why they picked that answer. Ask multiple questions to encourage students to continue meeting and talking to new classmates.
- Two truths and a lie. This one is a classic. Have students (and you) create two truths and lie about themselves. Have them say this out to the class and the class tries to guess which one is the lie. Want to use tech for this? You could also have them submit the truths and a lie to you (ensure they let you know which one is the lie) and create a Kahoot using their submissions. Students love using Kahoot to get to know one another.
- A letter to the teacher. Have students write a letter to you introducing themselves. In the letter, have them answer the following questions. Feel free to copy and paste onto a Google Slide and project the questions for your students to easily access them.
-What is name do you like to use at school and what pronouns do you like to use at school?
-What name and pronoun do you want me to use if contacting family?
-What are you most excited to learn about this year/ in this class?
-What is the best way for you to show your learning (for example: art, writing, video, speak it, etc.)?
-How do you learn best (for example: listening, taking notes, watching videos, reading about it, etc.)
-Anything else you think your teacher should know about you as a learner? - Have students create a time capsule. This is a great way for students to engage in activities that introduce themselves at the beginning of the year and commemorates how much they change in a given year! Some activities to include are: a self-portrait, letter to their future self, and picture of their favourite spot in the school. Read here for more information.
