Today was the first day of 2010-2011 school year. It was a fantastic day, and I know this will be a wonderful year. I’m really pleased with the activities I put together for the first day of school. It’s different from what I’ve done before, but I think it worked really well.
Here’s what I did:
- Draw a scientist – to get an idea of how my kids picture scientists. I haven’t looked at the drawings super closely yet, but I was surprised how many of them drew astronomers! 🙂
- Get to know you activity – I passed out one Jolly Rancher to each student. The information they shared was dependent on the color of Jolly Rancher they took. This worked really well. (I got this idea from another teacher.)
- The Great Rock Mix Up – all this week we are looking at my rock collection that is all mixed up. Today, I had the students sort them into categories and name the categories. We did this once, shared the categories we used and why, and then sorted a second time. When we were done, we talked a little bit about what we learned and what we still need to know in order to identify the rocks.
- Week ahead – finally, I gave the students a quick overview of what we are doing the rest of the week. I also told them that by the end of the week they will have enough information to identify all of the rocks!
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how I planned to use my two classrooms. So far, this is working out well. We are having class in the science lab, and I really like the feel of it. Here a few a photos of both rooms to give you an idea of our working space:
The area is still pretty much a blank canvas. I’m waiting to fill up the walls with student created work. Also, each class will have their own section of the bulletin boards to fill up as they see fit. I really want my students to feel like this is a spot where they can learn and have ownership in our community.
Here’s to a great year!
There’s nothing like a blank canvas/slate to encourage the potential of creation! I look forward to seeing the results of the learning as the year progresses!
Thanks! It’s my plan to update regularly our goings on – especially since I’m trying lots of new strategies this year.
I love that you had students thinking about and classifying rocks rather than just memorizing names. Your classroom is so inviting. Glad you shared it! We should all follow your lead on this. I will in a few weeks – when I can get in.
@Stardiverr
That’s something I really wanted to change this year – doing something real from the first day. Good luck to you as you get started soon!
What a great beginning!! I now have 124 students, so our first day was a bit less hands-on, more brains-on. Mass/measurement labs tomorrow, books, and forms for the next few days.
Miss the two-room SCI classes, but really happy with how things are. Need to tweak some things to get it “perfect”
Garrick, you do have large classes! My biggest has 31, but I have two smaller ones, too. Glad the first day went well. I still miss you at Lanier, though!
I want to come to your class! I hope you know what a great teacher you are! I’m sure your kids are going to have such a great year with you 🙂