Planning the First Days Back to School

Rural school near Milton, North Dakota, 1913 : Miss Margaret McKay, teacher. Image from the Library of Congress: Digital ID ndfahult b369

If you are already starting to plan the coming school year, or if you want to find some inspiration for something new this year, try some of these "Back to School" ideas:

MiddleWeb's Back to School for The New Middle School Teacher has a long and interesting list of links for The First Days of Middle School. I enjoyed reading through the discussion about the A Million Words... idea that is suggested as "A Wonderful Tool to Connect With Parents."

For younger students, the Responsive Classroom Newsletter features an article by a kindergarten teacher and offers her suggestions for the first days of school. You might also be able to use some of the Back to School Poems and Songs at the CanTeach website.

Education World offers several good resources for the first days. They have a Back to School Index including a list of Icebreakers and another good article with links on Planning for Your First Day at School.

As always, Kathy Schrock offers good Discovery School resources like the ones on the Back to School and End of Year Resources web page. Scholastic also provides Back to School icebreakers, activities and units. Take time to visit this extensive Blackwell's Best Back to School page of links to find templates, ideas, and more.

What are some of your favorite "First Days of School" activities? Please share some of your ideas or links to good resources.