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ACTIVITIES FOR DAY ONE!
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True or False?
This activity is always fun, and we all learn something interesting about one another! I start. I write four facts about myself on an overhead transparency. Three of the facts are true, and one is false. Students take my little true-false test. Then I survey students to learn the results. We go back over each question to see what they thought abouteach statement. That gives me a chance to tell a little about me. Then, on a sheet of paper, students write three interesting facts about themselves that are true and one that is false. Throughout the day, I ask a few students to try to stump the rest of us.
      Tony Stuart, grades 4 and 5, Lanark, Ontario, Canada
      John Reilley, Fillmore, California
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After the students sit and I take roll, I ask them to take out a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil for their first test of the school year. I explain to them -- in complete seriousness, of course -- that this will be the hardest test ofthe entire year because they have not prepared in class for the test. I have them title the paper "Teacher." I ask them to answer all parts of each question. The questions might include Where was I born?, What does my father do for a living?, How many brothers and/or sisters do I have -- if any?, How many different states have I called home?, Where did I go to high school and college?, How old amI?, What is my favorite color?, What kind of car do I drive? The test can be as long or short as you wish; make the questions fit the things you would want them to know. You can imagine the looks on their faces when asked these questions. I tell them they received their very first 100 in my class if they answered all of the questions correctly! At the end of the "test," I give the answers, and thekids marvel at the discrepancy of their answers. One of my favorite things to see is a student who was in my class the previous year. They always think they'll make a 100. They never do! With younger students, when they're right they think they can predict the future!
      Marty Faulkner, high school teacher; Grand Prairie, Texas
      Tina Williams, Livingston Park Elementary School; NorthBrunswick, New Jersey
Peek Into Summer.
Divide a bulletin board into "window panes," using white strips of paper. Create one window pane for each child in your class. Assign two children to bring in some object each day, such as a shell, that represents what they had fun doing this past summer. Put the items in small zip-lock plastic bags. After each presentation, mount the plastic bags on eachchild's "window pane." This makes a great back-to-school bulletin board and provides children with opportunities to talk about their summer.
      Judy Isphording, Sope Creek Elementary School; Marietta, Georgia
The More Important Book
On the first day of school, read to students a popular favorite -- The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. It's a wonderful, repetitive book that tells the"important thing" about a variety of things, such as a spoon, an apple, the wind, etc. After we read the book and discover its repetitive form, we write our own More Important Book. Each child tells about himself or herself, following the format of The Important Book." The children end, as the book does, by repeating the first line, "But, the most important thing about (child's name) is that he or she_____." Each child is responsible for a "most important thing" page, which becomes part of the class book. This is a wonderful and fun way to get to know one another, and the book is read throughout the year.
      Susan Wallace, St. Agatha Academy; Winchester, Kentucky
Let's Hear It!
I believe students are more interested in school when they have a hand in their own learning. I ask my...