This compilation of first-week school activities from educators includes many techniques for learning names quickly and getting to know your students. The interactive games for upper elementary and secondary students are also useful for team building and test breaks. This year's new icebreakers link to more than 50 other ideas published in previous years. If you think you need to do a million things at the start of the school year, cut the list down to 101 Things You Can Do the First Three Weeks of Class . High school teachers in particular can use these suggestions for building a classroom community, providing support, challenging students, encouraging active learning, helping students make transitions, and directing attention.
Unexpected events can derail the best lesson plan in the first week or any day of the year.
Be prepared with a file of emergency activities to use extra time. For group participation, try Fillers . These challenging games can be played once or repeated for longer blocks of time. They are designed for math, social studies, and language arts, but are adaptable for other subject areas. When a visitor or child demands moments of your undivided attention, keep the class engaged and quiet with Take 5 Micro Activities .