What do you do the first day?

Question

I am a high school English teacher, and I was wondering what you do on the first day of school. I was planning on doing the general introduction, putting in alpha order, going over syllabus and rules, giving a literature pre assessment, and passing out textbooks. Can anyone think of anything else?

Answer 1

As a high school teacher for 8 years, I can tell you that on the first day you will get nothing but paperwork done. You will more than likely spend the first day (and usually the first week!) doing administrative sorts of things, like emergency care cards, going over the student handbook, filling out a ton of forms, etc, etc. After all of that is out of the way, I usually review the syllabus with the students and review classroom rules. Do the lit. pre-assessment the second week, once the students are comfortable with you and getting back into the "swing" of things at school.

You might want to do some ice-breaker type of activities - the M&M game if you don't have a big class or a personal coat of arms activity - you can find a lot of great ice-breaker games on the internet.

Talk with other English teachers and see what they have done in the past during the first week of school. I'm sure that they will be able to tell you specifics about your school and what has worked in the past - good luck!

Answer 2

Everything sounds good, but don't sugar coat "literature pre assessment". That's a very needed English Literacy Test. Just read the questions & answers posted. The teachers who passed these illiterate kids to high school should be fired. Do these kids a favor and give them the ability to write & speak well. The skills to write a professional resume & interview well will be far more valuable than Shakespeare.

Answer 3

I teach the far below basic students in an intense language arts and math intervention. I like to add a quick getting to know everyone activity at the end of the day. If you know the names of your students ahead of time, there are many word search programs on the Internet you can use. I create a word search with everyone's first name. They then have to meet everyone to find all of the names since I do not give them a list. We spend the last 5 minutes of class for the first week on this. I have a drawing for a prize out of the entries that found the most. They love seeing thier names in a game, even the cool ones.

Answer 4

My first day plan is to get the paperwork, procedure, and rules out of the way.

In addition to introducting myself, and "breaking the ice", I usually have a personal form that I want my students to fill out, which is the first thing I give them. It includes their personal info, parent info, schedule, and a couple of questions like "List 3 career goals and why?", or "How will this class help you reach your career goals?" Their answers will give me an idea of how to tailor the class to their interests, and always let them know it is okay to change their minds in the future. I then have them draw pictures illustrating their answers to the 2 questions. And I would have them tape the pictures to the walls.

I also assign them a homework by first assigning everyone a partner. They must know 3 things about their partner in the class: 1) their name, 2) what they are good at, and 3) what are their goals.

Then in the second class I have the students introduce each other using those 3 pieces of info.

Answer 5

Just stick with that really. We kind of know that the first day is supposed to be a drawl with the syllabus and introductions, etc. Seriously, no offense. It's just that way.

Oh...and if it's a junior class you are teaching...go ahead and tell them that junior year pretty much sucks (just dont scare them like my english teacher last year did). =) It feels great when it's over though. *party time*

Answer 6

Sounds good so far. Maybe to get them going have everyone take out a sheet of paper. Give them the start of a sentence such as: Last night I saw/seen (????) the strangest thing........have them complete the sentence. Then they pass the paper back one so that the person can add a sentence. After the paper has came back to front of the row, with each person adding 1 sentence, the class can vote on their favorite story.

Answer 7

I would also include some discussion of the goals for this class, in terms of personal development. If the students understand why they are there, then they may be a lot more motivated.

English fluency and literacy will be the difference between a career, and "Would you like fries with that?" They need to understand that.

Answer 8

ahh this must be your first year. well, i'm a high school student, and let me tell you something: YOU WONT GET ALL OF THAT DONE THE FIRST DAY!!! the intro, seating, sylabus and rules are probably all you will get done. if you're lucky! don't pass out the books the first day! let the kids get settled in for a day. dont overwhelm them. its not like they're gonna need them the first day anyway. plus do you get lockers the first day? cuz our school doesnt, so our teachers dont give us our books the first day, becuz its not fair for us to have to carry around those heavy things when we dont need them until the 2nd or 3rd day. have fun! and good luck!

Answer 9

A splendid queston!

I have been an educator for 45 years, and I've often realized that one of the things the profession does least well is to prepare teachers for the first day of class. If I were to write a book for teachers, I think it might be called First Day, First Week, First Year.

All of the things you mention are important for the first week, but NOT all the first day (as the student, musicislife 1233, so eloquently tells you).

You are an English teacher. Your class will focus on students' reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Hook them. Get them involved immediately. The longer it takes for a student to find his or her voice in your classroom, to speak up in class discussions or present before the class, the more reluctant they are likely to become.

Here's the way I plan my first days. Save about ten minutes at the end of the period to give an overview of your course, with some of your specific expectations, perhaps using an overhead, PowerPoint, or handout.

Prior to that, involve the students in talk, writing, reading, and listening. My favorite first day activity is the Interview.

Students are divided into pairs. They are each given two minutes to interview the other one on a topic of interest to you and them and/or relevant to the class. NOT what they did on their summer vacation. In most classes, some students will have spent big $$$, traveling to exotic places and others will not have had the $$$ to go anywhere interesting. Maybe, "Where would you go on your ideal summer vacation, and why?" Maybe, "Of the literature you read or heard as a child, which was most important to you and why?" Anyway, the topic is not as important as the activity. Now follow this scheme:

(1) Let the students, as a group, interview you for ten minutes on this topic, so that you can model serious, interesting, funny answers.

(2) Allow about five minutes for the partner interviews, exactly two minutes for each, with a ten-second warning. Be sure they get their partners' preferred names correct, both spelling and pronunciation. This is important, for this exercise is designed to help you (and them) learn names.

If you have an uneven number of students, you should serve as one student's partner.

(3) Allow students five minutes to write up the interview in a brief paragraph or sketch, to be used in introducing the partner to the class (as if he/she were a celebrity or prospective teammate or member of the class, whatever).

(4) Begin the introductions. If you have thirty students in the class (I hope you have fewer!), you might schedule six introductions each day during the first week.

(a) The introducer writes the name of the partner on the chalkboard or SmartBoard or whatever you have, and pronounces it correctly. Classmates write it down, for they will have a spelling quiz on classmates's names at the end of the week. (Sometimes I have student take notes on these introductions and give them a matching, open-not quiz at the end of the week.)

(b) The introducer then has the the person stand before the class, while he/she steps to the side or even sits down.

(c) The student doing the introducing will then read his/her own paragraph/sketch aloud to the class, but will not be nervous. Attention will be on the subject of the paragraph, not the writer.

(5) At the conclusion of the first few introductions, whatever time permits, review the names of each person introduced with the class. Have fun, let the students know you are interested in them as people, let them know that their writing and talking will be important and should be well done.

This activity will take most of the first day, but it will establish a positive climate for learning in your classroom. It will take only about ten minutes in succeeding days during the first week. I have ued this and seen it used with middle-school students, high-school students, college students, even inservice teachers and special education students.

Of course, it has to be adapted to the personality of the teacher and the nature of the class, but the idea will work.

Skills that are addressed in this lesson are (1) talking, asksing questions, (2) listening, note-taking, (3) writing, (4) reading aloud, (5) spelling (sorta), and (6) listening to an oral presentation, note-taking. By the way, this activity can be adapted later in the year as a quick way for students to share outside reading, compare responses to literature assignments, discuss what they've learned about writing and/or problems they are having, or talking critically about public media (e.g., newspapers, television, movies, the internet, and contemporary music) as they relate to your curriculum.

Happy first day -- first week -- first year!

Answer 10

procedures, procedures, procedures

Make sure you have a procedure for everything. If your not familiar with the Harry Wong series (I think it's called "the First Days of School") I would highly recommend you watch the series.
I also agree with the high school student that said you won't get through all that the first day.
Make sure you start with a creative ice breaker.