First Week of School

We just wrapped up our first week of school! I really enjoyed meeting and getting to know our new 5th grade students!

Here are some of the activities we did to start building our classroom culture and learn more about each other:

"All About Me" Google Drawing

Students learned how to use some of the basic features of Google Drawings by creating a Drawing about themselves. The basic requirements were that they include their name, a picture of themselves, and text/images that describe their personalities or interests. I created an example to give them an idea of what it could look like.

I used this activity last year, and I really enjoyed what my students created. However, I decided this year to give them more time to just play with and explore the tools in Google Drawing. I feel like this really paid off because students were able to discover how to use some of the tools and share with each other instead of just relying on me to show them how to use it.

Here are some student examples:

Student Example #1

Student Example #2

Student Example #3

Flipgrid Introductions

Students created their first Flipgrid videos by introducing themselves and sharing something that makes them smile. They had a really good time using the stickers and other tools to decorate their selfies!

This year, I definitely want to spend more time giving feedback on their speaking skills. I also want to model and give more time for students to reply with constructive feedback to their peers.

Padlet Boards

Students shared information about themselves using Padlet boards. These are a great tool for brainstorming, sharing projects, and exit tickets.

Here are two of our Padlet boards from the first week of school:

First Day

Favorite Food

So, those were some of the highlights from our first week of school! What activities do you enjoy doing with your students?

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