I don’t know about you, but the first week of school brings up so many emotions for me. I’m excited, nervous, and simultaneously over- and underprepared. As a first year science teacher, these emotions are even more dramatic!
This year I am teaching science to both middle and high school students. I want my classroom to feel structured, but not stiff. I want the kids to be able to learn by doing and experience how science is used in their lives every single day.
Since we can’t just jump into instruction on the first day of school, I wanted to have a variety of activities to introduce the students to my class, set the expectations, and make sure everyone feels welcomed in my classroom.
Here is a list of what I do the first week of school activities as a new middle and high school science teacher. These resources will keep things low-stress but high-impact. And don’t worry, some of them are completely free!
By the end of the first week students will:
- Have learned each others names
- Feel a sense of belonging in my classroom
- Be able to identify safety lab procedures
- Understand the basic rules and expectations in my classroom
Syllabus and Lab Safety Review BINGO
Instead of giving direct instruction, standing at the front of the classroom and reading off the syllabus and lab safety review information, I made a game out of it! These first week of school activities are always a hit! My students LOVED it! It kept them engaged, and a few classes got so competitive. I keep a “treasure box” of prizes for the kids to choose from, which made the stakes even higher. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a 12th grader take bingo extremely seriously.
Back To School Folders
During our teacher work days I print out sheets from this back-to-school reflection packet and place them in a folder. Students have the opportunity to decorate the front of their folder and work on the reflection sheets quietly. I love this activity because it is a great early finsher activity or “may do” for the rest of the week! Since students are just getting back in the groove of school, some may only write one word answers. I’m not picky about how well they answer, but I like that this activity gives the students independent work that’s low pressure and engaging.
Find Someone Who: Science Edition
These first week of school activities gets my kids up and moving. I love how this activity also gives me an opportunity to practice our attention getters and our voice control levels. We can actively practice these classroom rules while also having fun and getting to know each other.
Entry Ticket (“Do Now” Activity): Fact or Cap
I got the idea for this game name from a Tik Tok video, but I love it! I’m also thinking about using this title to create review games for my classes as well. Teaching older kids gives us a little more room to incorporate appropriate slang and trendy topics to make things more fun. Of course, it’s a fine line between fun and being cringe, but I trust you can discern between the two!
For this activity, students get a slip of paper with statements like:
- I graduated from ____
- I once went to Disney four times in a year
- I’m married with six kids
- Science is my least favorite subject
- I have 2 cats and 4 dogs
- I once got detention for sneezing too loudly
Their job is to decide if it’s fact or cap (false). They love it and by the end, they know more information about me and feel more comfortable in my classroom.
Decorative Name Tags
I give every student a blank name tag template and let them decorate it with their name and fill in the blank spaces. You can download a FREE name tag template here.
This is my chance to gauge their personalities and give them some creative freedom. I allow the students to use these for the first week of school and choose their seats each day. After the first week, I make a seating chart and the students know where their seat is because I’ve used these same name tags to label their seat.
Student-Led Rules
This one is a hit every year! After the student’s are warmed up, I break them into groups and tell them “pretend you’re the teacher. What rules would you create for this class”. Each group has 3 sticky notes. They get to create 3 “rules” for the class.
The students get so into it! Then I show them my actual classroom procedures, and we compare. Ironically, their rules are sometimes. harsher than my rules. They’re always suprised that I’m more relaxed than they expected, but it’s a create opening for conversations about how to be respectful and safe and why certain rules exist.
Bonus: The Name Ball Game (Group Juggle)
I usually do this on Day 2 or 3 when students have seen each other’s faces a few times, but still don’t know each other well. I also like doing this on the first day with my homeroom because we get extra time together and the students will get to know each other very well in that class.
We stand in a circle and toss around a soft ball. Before you throw the ball to the next person, you have to say the name of the person you’re throwing to. I usually go first to get the momentum going.
It starts off slow and awkward, but by the end, students are laughing and shouting names. I add more balls in to make it more complicated, and its gets even more chaotic.
If you’re looking for the activities I use during the first week of school for my middle and high school science students, check out this list below:
- Syllabus + Lab Safety Bingo
- Back to School Reflection Sheets
- Find Someone Who – Science Edition
- Name Tag Freebie
The first week of school really sets the tone. I want my students to know that they’re part of our classroom community. In my classroom their questions matter, their personalities will have an opportunity to shine and every mistake is considered part of the process.