Happy back to school season! This is an old blog post that I’ve recently updated to reflect a popular first week lesson that I give with my sophomores. It’s a great way to get to know your students as learners, not just as people, and to introduce your room and classroom norms in a fun, low-prep way.
Student Learner Get-to-Know-You Activity
What you’ll need:
- Paper (I use construction paper, but cardstock or even blank white paper works fine)
- Markers, colored pencils, or pens
I ask students to draw a large circle in the center of their paper, then a vertical line above and below that circle, as well as a horizontal line to the left and the right.
On a slideshow (included below), I show the following instructions:
In the top left square: Write a list of strengths that you bring to class. These could be subject-related (i.e. I’m a fast reader) or personality-related (i.e. I’m fairly organized).
In the top right square: Write a list of weaknesses that you bring to class. Again, these could be subject-related (i.e. I really struggle with poetry) or personality-related (i.e. I’m a huge procrastinator).
In the bottom left square: What kind of learner are you?
- Visual: You learn through pictures and spatial images
- Auditory: You learn through lectures and audiobooks or podcasts
- Kinesthetic: You learn through activities and physical movement
- Musical: You learn through songs and music
- Artistic: You learn through doodling and sketching
- Logical: You tend to learn by applying logic and reason
In the bottom right square: What are some goals you have for this year? These could be English-related or more personal. Try to make your goals specific and measurable.
In the middle circle: Write your name and surround it with images and/or words describing your personality and personal favorites.
This activity only takes about 10 minutes and my students seem to enjoy it. By 10th grade, they’re pretty annoyed by any kind of “icebreaker” activity. However, I do want to get to know them, especially the way they learn. This activity is quick, expressive, and students can chat with table partners as they work.
Classroom Scavenger Hunt
When I first tried this activity in 2018, I exhausted myself by creating different tasks in envelopes that students had to open at different stages. It resembled more of an escape room than a scavenger hunt. While it was fun, it was so much prep for me and kind of wore me out more than the students.
In the past few years, I’ve thrown out the envelopes and put several tasks onto one sheet of paper. You can download the scavenger hunt below, just be sure to modify it to fit your own classroom. Here’s what mine says (or you can download the file below):
Scavenger Hunt Questions
Write your answers on this sheet. Consider doing them out of order to avoid traffic jams.
- What is our learning target today?
- Find a book in the classroom library and bring it up to Mrs. Kortuem. Your assigned book is listed by group number below:
- a. Giannis by Mirin Fader
- b. It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- c. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- d. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- e. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- f. Refugee by Allan Gratz
- List at least 4 areas to sit in Mrs. Kortuem’s classroom.
- Grab a syllabus off the podium, as well as a post-it note. For each group member, write down the unit you are MOST looking forward to and LEAST looking forward to. Turn your post-it into the submission bin for your class.
- What is Manderley? Describe it.
- Who recommends reading On Writing?
- Find the classroom pencil tray and grab a pencil. Write your birthday down the sheet of birthdays sitting on one of the side tables.
- How many children does Mrs. Kortuem have? What are their ages?
- Who is on the cover of Volume 45 of the Eagle Times?
The following activities do not require a written response but are still worth points!
- Find a person you know in the Just Caught You Reading display. Take their picture down and put it in the no-name area. (1 pt.)
- Find the index cards in the room and write some song suggestions for a class playlist for English. Try to match the “vibe” of the classroom or subject! Staple your index card to this document. (2 pts.)
- Grab a post-it and write your group names on it. Stick it to the pencil sharpener. (1 pt.)
Things to look for:
A scavenger hunt is fun, but the objective of a classroom scavenger hunt is to answer questions students will have later about how to use the room. For example, if you look at mine, you might see that I tell them how to check out classroom library materials. I direct them to our posted learning targets. I ask about the syllabus (that’s the only place where I mention how many kids I have :). There are even several questions about decor in the room, such as our Just Caught You Reading photos and my Rebecca poster of Manderley.
When creating your own version, try to answer these student questions with your tasks:
- Where do I turn things in?
- How do I check out books or materials?
- Where can I find late materials or notes?
- Where is the pencil sharpener, scissors, three-hole punch, etc.?
- What’s the procedure for using the bathroom or visiting my locker?
- How do I find my next teacher’s room?
- What’s fun in this class?
- What are we going to learn?
Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt
I give my students 15 minutes to complete their scavenger hunt. I make them work in their table groups, or you can allow them to work in groups that you make for them. While they are working, I usually try to stand still and monitor for rules. Be sure that:
- Students are staying in groups
- No one is on their phones or computers to look up answers
- Students aren’t listening or copying other groups
When finished, I put the answers to the scavenger hunt into a slideshow, which we go over. This is an important step as well. Not every group will get them all right. In fact, some won’t even finish. However, I still want every kid to know where the pencil sharpener is! By going through these details as answers to the scavenger hunt, I’m actually orienting them through my classroom and how to use it.
Here is a slideshow that explains the Get-to-Know-You-Activity, as well as introduces the group scavenger hunt. If you missed it, the scavenger hunt is posted above–just be sure to customize it to your own room. Have fun!
Looking for more first day activities? Try this popular AP Lit lesson that I use every year. It works great for any upper level ELA course!