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As summer break comes to an end and the first days of school appear on the horizon, many teachers find themselves asking: “What should I do during the first week of school?” While it can be tempting to dive right into academics on day one — especially in middle and high school when there is so much material to cover for the year — there’s a unique opportunity for teachers to set the tone and culture of their classroom. Anecdotally, we’ve heard from many teachers that some the most important things to focus on during the first week include:
- Giving students a sense of who you are, and getting a sense of who they are
- Establishing expectations, norms, and routines
- Gauging prior knowledge and skills
To do this, you’ll want a first week plan that not only allows you to connect with your students, but also begins equipping them with the tools and knowledge to be successful in your class. Of course, there’s no perfect formula for a first week, but if this sounds like the way you’re hoping your first week will go, we’ve gone ahead and created a first week of school plan for you.
First Week of School Schedule for Middle and High School Teachers
Here’s your first week of middle or high school, all planned out. This itinerary can serve as a rough outline to help you set the foundation for a successful and productive year ahead.
Day 1: Get to Know Each Other
If you’re trying to cultivate a culture in your classroom where student engagement and collaboration is strong, establishing relationships and rapport is essential. The first building block of that foundation, of course, is getting to know each other.
Before you ask students to tell you all about themselves, be sure to introduce yourself first! Most of your students are probably as eager to get to know you and what kind of teacher you are, as you are to get to know them. Spend the top of the class sharing about yourself and how you operate. After that, you can move on to a structured getting-to-know you activity.
While icebreakers are generally the go-to activity for getting to know students, there are also plenty of other ways you accomplish this. A tried-and-true technique includes a student inventory or getting-to-know-you questionnaire. By asking a variety of different questions — academic or personal — you can learn how to best support your new students. This also provides students with an outlet to reveal information to you that they might prefer not to reveal in front of their classmates. Some examples of questions you can ask include:
- What do you like the most/least about school?
- What are your strengths/weaknesses in this subject area?
- What are three words that describe you?
- What are some of your passions/interests outside of school?
- What are your goals after graduation?
- What can I do to help you be successful in this class?
- Who do you live with at home?
As you read through these over the next several days, you’ll be able to get a sense of who your students are, and what they might need from you throughout the year.
If you’d prefer to get students moving around and interacting with each other a little bit more during the first day of school, you can set up back-to-school stations that are geared toward getting to know your students. A couple of ideas for station themes:
- All About Me Survey
- Personality Test
- Goal-Setting
- Meet the Teacher
- Social-Emotional Check In
Day 2: Review the Syllabus
On the first day of school, students are often readjusting after a long summer break, which isn’t the best for absorbing new information. With introductions and first-day jitters out of the way, you can now move on to reviewing the syllabus together. For students who are still finalizing their schedules, it can be helpful for them to know what they will learn so they can make informed decisions about their courses for the year.
One strategy for getting your students to engage with the syllabus in a meaningful way is to do a syllabus scavenger hunt. This type of activity can introduce students to the course, help them learn about important rules (such as the late work policy), and foster student collaboration.
Additionally, if you have any policies that you’d like to go more in-depth about (such as plagiarism or lab safety), or if you need to have students set up any type of account or devices, this is the day to tackle that.
Editable Syllabus Template and Syllabus Scavenger Hunt
By The Sassy Math Teacher
Grades: 6-8
Syllabus Interactive Google Slides (and Scavenger Hunt Activity)
By Social Studies Toolbox
Grades: 7-12
Day 3: Establish Classroom Norms
On day three, it’s time for one of the most important elements of the first week: establishing your classroom norms. One way to help your students feel connected to their new classroom community is to establish norms together. For middle and high school students, allowing them the opportunity to play a part in creating classroom norms will not only help them feel valued and heard, but also make it easier for you, the teacher, to get their buy-in.
For co-creating classroom norms, you can have students either brainstorm norms individually or work together in small groups. Then, you can come together as a class to decide on the final list of norms that will guide everyone for the school year. (Remember: If you find that these norms need tweaking or resetting at any point in the school year, don’t hesitate to do so!)
Day 4: Give a Pre-Assessment
Toward the end of the first week, as you prepare to begin instructions, it’s helpful to get a sense of where you students are at in their learning. Use this day for activities that will allow you to gauge their skills and prior knowledge on the subjects they’ll be learning about in your class. Pre-assessments can also help teachers understand their new students’ learning styles, and also give students a sneak peek (and a feel for) what they’ll be learning about in the coming weeks. The best part is that these pre-assessments don’t have to be formal or big. Simple activities like writing assignments, quizzes, circle-ups, and group discussions can reveal a lot.
Day 5: Review
It’s the last day of the first week — you’ve made it! Based on the pre-assessment results, you can review any concepts that might need a little refresher. For some good old-fashioned Friday fun before getting down to business, you can try doing an escape room to review content and end your first week with a little pizzazz! (If you need more ideas, this post has everything you’ll need to learn how to set up an escape room, including activities that are ready for you to use!)
Back to School Activity – Editable Escape Room Volume 2 for Any Subject Area
By Nouvelle ELA
Grades: 7-10
Other First Week Ideas
Need some more help planning the first week of the school year? Check one of these posts for more ideas!
Explore middle and high school activities for the first week of school on TPT to make this your best back to school ever.
