Curated OER
Writing Using a Visual Prompt: Child with A,B,C
As a way to encourage students to write, this short worksheet with a visual of a child saying the A,B,C's could be motivating. Learners write a short essay about their first day of school.
Curriculum Corner
Classroom Hunt
Make connections with the biggest advocates for the children in your class—their parents! A set of classroom tools includes parent communication forms, opportunities for parents to volunteer, and a page for them to help you get to know...
Statistics Education Web
First Day Statistics Activity—Grouping Qualitative Data
Making groups of groups can help to organize data. Classes use statistics to group themselves using descriptive adjectives. The objective is for learners to understand that grouping qualitative data is useful when the original groups are...
Curated OER
The Gingerbread Man Trail
What a fun way to familiarize your young learners with friendly faces on campus! Scholars read "The Gingerbread Man," discussing the characters he meets. Then, they examine a map of the campus, placing photos of employees (such as the...
National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: The Great Debate—Bottled Water vs. Tap Water in Our School
Should bottled water be sold in schools, or should they only provide tap water? The summative unit in the six-part series encourages scholars debating this topic. The lessons teach how to build an argument, how to gain background...
Curriculum Corner
All about Me T-Shirt
Encourage learners to wear their interests on their sleeves, literally. Class members decorate a blank t-shirt with personal information, including their hobbies, favorite part of school, and details about their family and self.
Facing History and Ourselves
Dual Identities
Many of us have multiple identities. There's who we are at home, school, friends, and strangers. And often these identities come with different names. The third activity in the First Days of School series examines how names reflect...
Facing History and Ourselves
Teaching Strategy: Contracting
The final lesson in the First Days of School series focuses on how to build a classroom community where all class members can feel safe, heard, and valued. The resource includes step-by-step directions for engaging pupils in developing...
Facing History and Ourselves
What's In a Name?
Rumpelstiltskin understood the power of names. The second lesson in the First Days of School series focuses on building community by recognizing the importance of the relationships among names, identities, and cultures. Learners engage...
Facing History and Ourselves
Our Names and Our Place in the World
Names come with all sorts of nuances and can influence how we see ourselves and how others see us. To gain insight into the power of names, class members journal about their names and then read a short essay about a girl and her feelings...
Curated OER
First Day in Grapes
Students read about a boy's first day in a new school. In this self-esteem lesson, students discuss the problems Chico has in his new school and how he faces them with courage and bravery. Students discuss people who migrate from other...
Curated OER
Picture Fists Full of Kisses
Ease children's back-to-school jitters with this primary grade lesson based on the book The Kissing Hand by Ruth E. Harper. Starting off with a singing of the song "I Wish I Had a Little Red Box", children go on to discuss and create a...
Curated OER
Getting to Know Our School
Students explore their school and the various types of people who work there (school nurse, custodian, and principal). They interview these people and complete an activity based on the information they have obtained.
Curated OER
Printing Practice: "First Day of School"
In this printing practice worksheet, learners practice tracing and writing the phrase "First Day of School," then color a picture of a school bus. Page has links to additional activities.
Curated OER
Who Am I? - Brainstorming
Students brainstorm lists of places, events and relationships that define them. They search for clip art and pictures in magazines to illustrate the items on their list and create a graphic timeline of their lives.
Poofy Cheeks
Back to School
A new school year means building relationships with a new group of interesting, unique young children. Get the process started with this simple survey that asks for students' basic information as well as their favorite subject, and what...
Catch My Party
Chalkboard Back to School Party
Your young learners will be excited to join your class when you throw them a back-to-school party with these awesome printables! From the invitations and place cards all the way to chocolate bar wrappers and treat bag toppers, these...
ESL Kid Stuff
Intro ESL Lesson (Ages 3-7)
If you are working on colors, printing names, introductions, and other projects in the first few weeks of school, use a series of activities designed for English language learners. It includes cute ways to wish your little ones hello and...
Education.com
Playground Scavenger Hunt
Encourage children to take full advantage of their school's playground with this fun scavenger hunt activity. Including ten separate activities, from climbing across the monkey bars to playing hopscotch with a friend, this resource will...
Curated OER
How To Calm Back-to-School Nerves
Set students up for success with these tips for getting the year off to a smooth start.
ReadWriteThink
Living the Dream: 100 Acts of Kindness
Inspire kindness in and out of school with a lesson that challenges scholars to perform 100 acts of kindness during the time between Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Valentine's day. Leading up to a celebration of friendship, learners...
Curated OER
It's Time to Wrap-Up the School Year!
As the school year rapidly comes to a close, don’t forget to collect feedback to improve your teaching.
Curated OER
Elizabeti's Series--Classroom Guide
Second graders explore the books in the Elizabeti Series. In this reading comprehension lesson, young readers discuss pre-reading focus questions about their feelings on the first day of school. They investigate the book and describe the...
Curated OER
Noncombatancy and the Seventh day Adventist Church
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson plan covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and...