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Lesson Plans and Activities for Back to School

For Broad Grade Levels:


For  Kindergarten

Starting School  Welcome to Kindergarten:  Tips for the  Kindergarten-bound

These are first day of school activities and stories,beginning-of-the-year assessments, a first day checklist, and more for
kindergarten teachers.

Welcome to School - The Gingerbread Hunt Use this activity on the first day of school to help put the kinders at ease and to acclimate them to the school environment and personnel.

All About Me and School  Name games, getting to know you, poems, making friends, book list, and more.

Back to School Includes a first day checklist and first day activities.

Addie's Wonderful Watermelon Unit  Start off the year with a refreshing back to school unit with a watermelon theme! 

Getting to Know You  Find songs, games, activities and book selections at The Teacher's Room.

Back to Preschool  Activity Theme  Lots of songs and teacher tips that are especially suitable for beginning the school year and when "new" children enter your class.

For Elementary Years

Tips and Strategies for the Elementary School Years

This mystery box activity gets kids excited about learning new things (P-6)

This is a brief "Welcome To School" activity idea (2-3)

This "Personality Sack" idea presents the student to his classmates (4-5)

Here is a first-day journal activity (1-2)

Forms and Checklists   Printable parent and bus information form, first day checklist.  (Preschool, K, 1-2, 3-5)

Here Kinders learn their way around school on the first day while hunting for the Gingerbread Man (K-1)

Here's an idea for a first day of school "Class Puzzle" that shows each student's importance (2-4)

Boosting self-esteem is the object of this first day lesson (2-4)

My Favorite Papers   Students fill out papers throughout the year all about themselves.  ( 1-2)

Try this great activity for first-of-year introductions (K-1)

This idea organizes first day of school activities around the rules "be kind, be safe, and be your best" (K-3)

This All-About-Me homework project is due on Day 1 (2-4)

For Elementary Years

It's Time for Back to School    Clip art, calendar templates, poems, and activities ( K, 1-2, 3-5)

This "Meet the Teacher Day" scavenger hunt and self-portrait activity results in a class quilt(K-3)

Use "Personality Crowns" to help children get to know you and each other (K-3)

Here is a scavenger hunt classroom mapping activity tailored for students with different abilities (3-5)

Back to School Activities    Book list, poems, bulletin board ideas, lots of great ideas and activities. ( K, 1-2)

This idea connects you with your students before school even starts (K-3)

Here is an idea for an open-house display (K-4)

"M&Ms and Me" is a yummy back-to-school ice breaking idea (3-5)

How Do You Do?   A circle game to learn the names of classmates  ( K, 1-2, 3-5)

This kindness exercise promotes acceptance and cooperation throughout the year (K-4)

Using a video to introduce the rules and the teacher wards off first day laryngitis here (K-5)

Start the year with a "Words of Wisdom" poster created by last year's students (1-5)

Students create long-term "Goal Clocks" in this lesson (4)

For Elementary Years

This is another version of the "Summer in a Can" vacation show-and-tell activity (3-5)

First Day of School Activities  An index to over 14 activities with hundreds of ideas for the first day of school.  ( K, 1-2, 3-5)

Always a good back to school idea - Me Bags (an alternate version) (K-5)

This idea involves taking "then and now" student pictures for a beginning of school name learning aid and end of year gift (K-6)

Here is another "Getting To Know You" activity idea (3-6)

Back to School Rules   Learn the basic classroom rules to have a safe and productive year. ( 3-5)

This "All About ME" box idea comes with a secret note inside (1-4)

"Me Bags" is the name of this first day of school getting acquainted idea (1-5)

This "Welcome Sack" idea warmly presents back-to-school expectations to your students(3-6)

First Day of School: I'll Get to Know You   To welcome children to school and help them get to know one another.  ( 1-2, 3-5)

Here's another version of the "Me Bags" idea (1-5)

For Middle School

Tips and Strategies for the Middle School Years

This first day of school "quiz" is a fun "getting to know you" and your expectations activity(4-12)

New middle school teachers will appreciate these back to school articles on classroom management, discipline, and preparing for the first days of middle school.

This All-About-Me Scrapbook contains pictures, symbols, journal entry, interests, and expectations (5-12)

Here are "Ten Rules for Back-to-School Success" (5-12)

This great beginning-of-school idea lets students introduce themselves with a "Box of Me"(6-8)

Here is a fun true/false introduction activity for the first day of school (6-8)

For Middle School

Tips and Strategies for the Middle School Years

This first day of school "quiz" is a fun "getting to know you" and your expectations activity(4-12)

New middle school teachers will appreciate these back to school articles on classroom management, discipline, and preparing for the first days of middle school.

This All-About-Me Scrapbook contains pictures, symbols, journal entry, interests, and expectations (5-12)

Here are "Ten Rules for Back-to-School Success" (5-12)

This great beginning-of-school idea lets students introduce themselves with a "Box of Me"(6-8)

Here is a fun true/false introduction activity for the first day of school (6-8)

For High School

Tips and Strategies for the High School Years

Here are 101 things high school teachers can do on the first week of school.

A New School Year and a New School: Tips for the New Kid in Class

A New School Year: Let’s Talk About It - Conquering Back-to-School Anxiety with Conversation

Getting Ready for School: Line Up Homework Help in Advance

Getting Ready for School:  Getting Ready for School in a Tight Economy

General

HotChalk's Back to School Tips Column

Personalized Plates   This is a great activity for the beginning of school that can be displayed for an open house. 

Back to School @ The Lesson Plans Page   Help and tips for every age.

Bulletin Board Ideas

Bulletin Board Ideas Grades Various

Discussions

Break the Ice   Several discussion activities to start of the year   3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Assembly

Assembly Themes  Here are several "Welcome Back" themes that can be used in a school assembly.  K-8

Rules

Rules   Get your students off on the right foot.   Grade Any

Printables

Back to School Journal & Activity Pages   FREE printable Back to School journal & activity pages! (PDF format)

Printable Back to School Match-up Worksheets  Create your printable worksheet from your own matchups or use our premade lists.

Back to School   Tons of printables for back-to-school.

Printable Back to School Word Scramble   Create your own or use our word list

Back to School Themed Units are available at edHelper.com - Reading, Math, and Printables!

Back to School Printable Worksheets   Check out our large selection of "make your own" and "premade" worksheets!

Activities

First Week @ Little Giraffes  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Kissing Hand, and other back to school activities. Includes photos.  

 "What are we going to be studying this year?" is answered here with props and a game(P-12)

Fourteen MORE Great Activities for the First Days of School!   Activities to help you get to know your new students -- and to help them get to know you! - Education World  Preschool, K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

This clever first day idea makes it easy to send birthday cards to students (2-12)

Getting to Know you

 Student Name & Photo Cards  Learn student names easily and have a resource for the entire year.

Students become familiar with the special characteristics of their classmates using this idea(P-12)

Fourteen Great Activities for the First Days of School!  Activities to help you get to know your new students -- and to help them get to know you!   Preschool, K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

"Getting to Know You with Toilet Paper" is a really cute ice breaking idea (K-12)

Getting to Know You   To help children quickly get to know one another and set up an atmosphere for learning.  1-2, 3-5, 6-8

Here students introduce themselves via a 9-square ME quilt construction (K-12)

Me In A Bag Grade Any  A fun way for students to not only learn about you, but to also learn about each other.

"Three Truths and a Fib" is a funny get-acquainted activity (Multiple/Other)

Icebreakers   The teacher and students will learn each others' names and some information about each other.  3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Here jujubes are the get-acquainted incentive (Multiple/Other)

Icebreakers/Mixers   A collection of ideas for getting to know each other   3-5, 6-8, 9-12

This "Getting to Know You" guessing game will leave you humming the song by the same name (Multiple/Other)

Truth and Lies Game   This is a fun, get-acquainted activity. Used in the beginning of the school year, during a class party, or at the end of the year.    Preschool, K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Curriculum Subjects

The following lessons are grouped by subject, but most can be used in any class
Art:

Computers & Internet:

Math:

Here students make a classroom graph showing how many letters are in each student's name (K-3)

This is a clever numerical way to introduce yourself on the first day of school (3-5)

Here's a good first day idea for gathering birth dates and teaching bar graphs too (4)

Reading & Math Text Grades Any  This are hand-on activities to allow students to review upcoming concepts and do quick assessments.

MathForum offers a discussion and first day web resources for math teachers.

Back to School Themed Units are availabe at edHelper.com - Reading, Math, and Printables!

Multidisciplinary:

Language Arts:

After each student creates a self-descriptive bubble map, the class graphs the popular adjectives in this first day of school idea (K-5)

This idea starts as a beginning-of-the-year bulletin board and ends as a memory book compilation of student writing assignments (1-5)

Here students share their special "gifts" after reading Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree"(1-5)

This beginning-of-the-year "ME Box" idea helps students focus their writing (1-8)

Printable Back to School Crossword Puzzle Create your own Crossword or use our premade word/clue list.

Here students create a booklet about their vacation or summer event (2)

Back to School Themed Units are availabe at edHelper.com - Reading, Math, and Printables!

This first day of school idea uses "Miss Nelson is Missing" to teach classroom rules (2-3)

This is another beginning/end of the year activity called "Memory Book" (2-5)

Back to School Poems & Activities Color poems, pocket chart activities, other poems and songs for back to school.  K, 1-2

Back to School Word Search Create your own or use our word list.

Students interview each other in this first day idea (3)

"Talk Time" is a good first day activity to get students talking (3-5)

In this idea, students write letters to themselves at the beginning of the year and read them at the end (3-6)

This is an "All About Me" memories and goals book idea (3-6)

Beginning of the year activity using The Rainbow Fish

Here is an "All About the Teacher" bilingual poster idea (4-5)

This classmate interview template is an interactive language arts activity and an ice-breaker(4-6) 

Use this back-to-school art activity to review writing paragraphs (4-8)

Be Careful With Your Words Grades Any  Help students understand the importance of thinking before they speak.

In this beginning/end of year lesson, kids read letters written to them by last year's students (4-8)

Here is a "Mighty Mike, Brilliant Brianna, Talented Tamika" name learning game with adjectives idea (4-8)

Students interview classmates here while working on writing and oral presentation skills (4-8)

This is a fun group "Things we have in Common" activity for learning about classmates (5-9

The Kissing Hand Activities for using The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn on the first day of school.  K

This is a good beginning-of-the-year lesson for introducing essay structure (6-10)

Buddy Bags and Venn diagrams are used here as get-acquainted tools to compare and contrast students (7)

In this get-acquainted game, students look up creative adjectives to describe themselves(7-8)

This "Cubicle Reading and Writing" lesson is appropriate for back to school time (7-12)

This back to school lesson involves the evaluation of poems (9-12)

ESL students learn to form questions here while learning information about their teacher(Multiple/Other)

Beginning of the Year Songs and Poems  Starting the year off right with these fun songs about cleaning up, listening, lining up, back-to-school, calendar songs, number poems, color songs, and more!   K