First+Day+of+School

=**__My First Day of School__**=

This chapter served as a catalyst for thinking about how I would want the first days of my class to run. The reading got me thinking about how important those first activities are in setting the tone for the class, learning more about your students, and having the students learn more about each other. There are so many introductory activities a teacher can chose from; the task could become daunting. When choosing how to begin a class the teacher needs to first consider how they want their class to run that year. That first day needs to be reflective of what that class will be like for the duration of the term. This article gave several introductory activities that aimed to reach different goals; such as working together, learning about each other, and analyzing writing. I really enjoyed this because it gave me additional goals for that first day. The activities listed in the article had great details and support. I would like to incorporate several of these ideas into my first day plan. As the author says these activities do not have to be used precisely. A teacher can and should adapt these to fit his or her needs and the needs of their students. Just like many in my position I have previously thought about what my first day of class will be like. I already had several partially formed ideas before this reading. This article helped me fine-tune these ideas and add more into the mix. I would begin my class with a brief introduction of myself. I would refrain from handing out a syllabus on this first day for several reasons. The students will already be on overload with syllabi from other classes and I feel that it is more important to get to know my students first. Then I will ask my students to get into a circle and introduce themselves by giving their name and a single adjective that describes their personality. This activity allows the students to get mildly aquatinted and learn each other’s names. The students will need some knowledge of their classmate’s names for the next activity. The next activity will not only help them get to know each other better but will also serve as a tool to be used for the remainder of the year. Each student will be given a blank clock. It will be their responsibility to walk around and fill in their clock with their classmate’s name. They will need to have 12 different names corresponding with the numbers on the clock. When a student writes the name of a classmate down in a slot they need to make sure their name is written in the same spot on their classmates sheet. For example If student A writes student B’s name in the 8 o’clock spot then student B needs to write student A’s name on their sheet in the 8 o’clock spot. These pairings will represent possible future partnering. This allows students to have some control of whom they are working without leaving any students out. This also allows a class to partner up quickly and save valuable time. The teacher just needs to announce what “o’clock” partner they wish to use that day and the students can reference their clock and pair up. After the students finish their clocks I would ask them to get together with their 2 o’clock partners. After the students were settled as a class we would come up with three good interview questions. This way there will be no delay in getting to work. They will be instructed to interview their partner with these three questions and the additional question “what do you consider yourself and expert in?”. This will allow both the students and the teacher get to know the students better. After the interviews they will be asked to introduce their partner to the class using the information they learned about each other in the interview. At this point the class should be coming to an end. I then will introduce the assignment of the letter written by the students to myself. I would explain that this letter is completely confidential and will allow me to learn more about them and how they work as students. I will give them a set of questions that they must answer in the letter. This letter will not only allow me to get to know my students better but will also give me a sample of their writing. If there is time at the end of class they will be able to work on this letter but they all need to finish it for homework and turn it in the next day.

Letter prompt
 * 1) Describe your personality.
 * 2) What are you interests and hobbies?
 * 3) What are you like as a student?
 * 4) How do you feel about your past language arts classes?
 * 5) Name one thing you liked and one thing you disliked about your past language arts class.
 * 6) What are some projects you liked? What are some projects you disliked?
 * 7) What would you consider your greatest strength in language arts?
 * 8) What would you consider your greatest weakness in language arts?
 * 9) What would you like to get out of this class this year?
 * 10) 10. What are some questions you have for me?