Ten Back-to-School Activities for Knowing Your Students and Building Relationships

The start of a new school year presents an exciting opportunity to establish a positive and productive learning environment. Crucial aspects of achieving this goal are fostering strong relationships with your students, setting expectations and procedures that will encourage students to get to know and support each other, and gaining a clear understanding of individual needs, strengths, and interests. Try your adaptation of these tools and activities to help accomplish this goal. 

Two Truths and a Lie

Model for students by telling them two truths about yourself and one lie, and then ask them to identify the lie.  Quickly move students into small groups of 3-5, ask them to introduce themselves to their group, and take turns telling two truths and a lie. Follow up by asking each student to write their name on a Post-it or index card along with their two truths.  Consider using the Class Mosaic strategy to develop cohesiveness and teamwork in the classroom.

Student Bingo

Give each student a bingo board with squares labeled such as, has a pet other than a cat or dog, has performed in a musical recital, knows a trick for multiplying by 9, etc. Privately pre-teach vocabulary to any student that you know struggles with reading and/or review squares with the whole group. Have all students stand, set a timer, and set them loose to find classmates whose names they can write in each square. (A classmate’s name can only be used in one square.) When a student has a “bingo” or when time is up, all students return to their seats where answers are checked, and students are congratulated on their achievements. 

Morning Meeting

During the first days of school, set procedures and expectations for this powerful strategy that will enable you to build classroom community, address issues that arise between and among students, and celebrate academic and personal achievements. Use morning meetings to build and develop a positive classroom community.

Meet and Greet

Whether by using nametags or pictures of students, make it a priority to learn the names (and correct pronunciation) of your students.  Stand in the hall by your door and, as each student enters, greet each by name, wait/prompt if needed for them to repeat the greeting with your name, and then share a handshake, fist bump, high five, head nod, etc.  For primary students, you may want to put a Windowpane on the wall behind you to show a graphic of the different greetings that students can choose that will make this a fun activity and supportive of those who are not ready to verbalize and/or may not speak English.

Interest Inventories

Use interest inventories to identify topics that spark different students’ curiosity and enthusiasm.  By using identified interests as examples while you teach content, you can boost engagement and motivation. Use these sample surveys with elementary and secondary students early in the school year.

Learning Style Inventories

Use these to determine students’ preferred methods of acquiring knowledge (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to help you plan lessons that support how students learn most easily. Use these sample learning inventories with elementary and secondary students.

Multiple Intelligence Inventories

Use these to learn how students naturally gravitate to a number of different strengths, or ways of being “smart.” You can use this information to plan lessons that support how students learn best.

What Kind of Reader Are You?

Use the link to provide descriptions of the eight kinds of readers.  Ask students to select several that describe themselves and discuss them with a small group of classmates. You might want to let students choose a small group that gathers like-minded readers to discuss favorite magazines, books, etc., and best study habits for assignments that involve reading.  You may want to use students’ recommendations to create a bulletin board, “What We’re Reading,” to create enthusiasm for the year’s work.

What I Wonder

Briefly introduce several upcoming units of study and ask each student to pick the one they are most curious about.  Meet with small groups of curious-alike students to get to know students, model and practice small group procedures and expectations, and record questions that the group hopes will be answered during the study.  These could be posted as a Graffiti Wall to encourage curiosity, expectation, and enthusiasm for what’s to come!

Collaboration with Parents and Guardians

Send home a questionnaire that gives parents and guardians an opportunity to share their perspectives on their student’s strengths, habits, needs, and “what I need to know about your student to teach them well.” This information could be collected electronically to encourage confidentiality. Include conference times, and how you can be contacted.