That first day back to school seems far away but I want to plan for it now so I can enjoy the time between the end of this year and the start of next. I find that getting my first day plans together is the best way to ease my mind and truly allow me to relax over the summer. To do that I use back to school stations on the very first day with students.
Why I use stations for the first day
I like to start my introductory activities as stations throughout the classroom on the first day. I have students move around to get familiar with the space but also to have an idea of what this class will be like for the year – we’ll be moving and interacting and exploring too! Back to school stations have worked for me for the last few years so let me share how I do it in my classes.
The Set Up
I put a desk, a few chairs (depending on the number of students in class and the number of stations), and the components for the station all together. I space them out around the room so there’s not just space for students at the stations but a smooth flow around the room.
Now depending on the grade I’m teaching I might have a very specific flow – move from email etiquette to textbook pick-up to introductions, etc. If I do then I put this on the board or project on a slide so students have a ready reference for where to go when the signal to shift happens. If I’m with seniors I put the list up and then they can circulate between stations without having to follow a specific path. I just tell them it’s like musical chairs, if there’s a seat you can be at that station, if not, move to another – this prevents a lot of crowding!
The Stations
I aim for 5-7 stations with about 5-10 minutes at each station. You could divide these stations over a few days if you have other elements that need to be covered in class – diagnostic, forms to complete, and so on.
Course Outline Review
Supply students with a copy and have them write a question and a comment about what they’re seeing. What are they excited for in the course? What do they want to know more about?
Introducing You
I want to get to know my students in a variety of ways and so I present some options depending on the grade level of the group. Maybe it’s a few lines of poetry they need to write to introduce themselves along with the completion of a more formal get-to-know-you survey (digital or printed). You can find a copy of a digital get-to-know-you form in this other post.
Class Rules
I co-create most class rules every year so this is a great chance for students to suggest two rules for our class. In a subsequent class I put these suggestions into a slideshow for student review and more specific input and adjustments before we finalize and post in our room.
Email Etiquette
A quick lesson and an opportunity to review and to correct an exemplar or even to email me a first-time email as a way to assess their understanding and to create a class email list.
Goal Setting
This is something I do throughout the course and the first day is a great start to make sure students know that they are co-creators of class goals but also creators of their own goals. I have students set a SMART goal for the first part of the course. This is something we review before midterms whether it’s been achieved and a new one is needed or still working on the goal and it needs revision. Want a more full lesson? Check this lesson with step-by-step instructions as well as exemplars and midterm check-in opportunities.
Textbook Review
These last two stations are options depending on the class I’m teaching. The textbook review allows me to sign out books to students and them to spend some time exploring some big ideas for class.
Book Stop
This is also optional depending on your class timing. This station is a *just in case* since there are always a few students who rush through the work and need something productive to do while others continue with their station work. The Book Stop is officially my classroom library so students can pick their first book to read (I have silent reading in grades 9 and 10 for the first 10 minutes of every class). But this station could easily be some magazines or daily newspapers or a suggested article or two for review. Current events are always part of my class so students will quickly get used to the presence of print and digital news media sources; this acts as a great introduction to this for my grade 11 and 12 students.
Looking for the full group of stations?
Check out this ready to print and go Back To School Activity Stations so you too can have a seamless first day!
These back to school stations have made the first few days of any school year much easier. It also means I can start to get to know my students faster since I don’t spend much time just talking at the front of the class and can circulate throughout the classroom.
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