Class Code of Conduct I
When I saw my classroom had a blank bulletin board, I knew I wanted to use it to connect with students through memes. Whether they are sarcastic, witty, or silly, students enjoy the humour, and the memes are definitely an effective way to communicate classroom procedures.
I built the meme wall for my students, but it created a buzz in the school and students not enrolled in ELA that quarter could often be found milling around my meme board. A vice-principal even came into the room asking to see this "meme wall I keep hearing about." The meme wall had a watercooler effect where students would gather and chat. I'd love to see this sort of thing posted outside of a classroom where it can be more of a school community, rather than a sole classroom feature.
Looking for memes? Check Pinterest. It's a teacher's dream.
I built the meme wall for my students, but it created a buzz in the school and students not enrolled in ELA that quarter could often be found milling around my meme board. A vice-principal even came into the room asking to see this "meme wall I keep hearing about." The meme wall had a watercooler effect where students would gather and chat. I'd love to see this sort of thing posted outside of a classroom where it can be more of a school community, rather than a sole classroom feature.
Looking for memes? Check Pinterest. It's a teacher's dream.
Class code of conduct II
Many teachers have a class set of rules posted somewhere in their classroom for their students to follow. What about creating the classroom rules with your students on the first day of school? As a community, create a Class Code of Conduct by brainstorming the positive behaviours that everyone will strive for throughout the year. Once the code is written, have everyone in the class (teacher included!) to sign their name together. This is a very powerful activity to let all students know that we are collectively responsible for our behaviors and successes.
friendly letter
This icebreaker serves two purposes: As an ELA teacher, I receive a quick snapshot of students' writing abilities, and the students share their goals and interests. The students who choose to write to a famous author give the teacher a glimpse into their reading preferences. When the teacher writes a letter as an exemplar, the letter serves as an introduction to students and parents/caregivers. Have a copy of Kurt Vonnegut's letter for reference. His signature alone is worth the Google search.
Instructions
Introduce yourself in the format of a friendly letter. You have the choice of writing a famous author, such as the student did when writing Kurt Vonnegut — or — introduce yourself in the format of a friendly letter to your own fabulous teacher in Room X. Consult the two options lists below for what to possibly include in your letter.
OPTION A: WRITING A FAMOUS AUTHOR
OPTION B: WRITING TO (TEACHER NAME)
Should you choose Option A, you will still need to provide me with a transcription of the letter. If you choose Option B and write to me, you are free to add any other information you deem relevant. If you have any particular medical conditions, for example, it would be good I know in advance so as not to be surprised. Also, you are free to ask me questions—I will respond!
In terms of formatting, friendly letters should be single spaced and written in cursive writing (handwriting). As a double-spaced composition, the letter should be at least two pages in length using 12-point font. Good luck and welcome to Room X!
Instructions
Introduce yourself in the format of a friendly letter. You have the choice of writing a famous author, such as the student did when writing Kurt Vonnegut — or — introduce yourself in the format of a friendly letter to your own fabulous teacher in Room X. Consult the two options lists below for what to possibly include in your letter.
OPTION A: WRITING A FAMOUS AUTHOR
- Name, age, birthday
- Where you live & school that you attend
- Context for writing: In other words, why have you decided to write a letter to this particular person?
- Your background in writing/filmmaking/art, etc. Go into detail here and describe a project that you completed of which you feel proud
- Three particular questions related to writing or the artistic craft in which this individual is involved
- Contact information and what you hope to receive from this individual
- A line of gratitude
OPTION B: WRITING TO (TEACHER NAME)
- Name, age, birthday
- Where you live
- General interests and hobbies (in/out of school)
- Job? Volunteer experience?
- Favourite subject in school—and why
- Favourite novel and film (you can provide a short synopsis if you like)
- Favourite word/least favourite word in the English language (keep it clean!)
- Something you are very good at—and, something you are not so good at
- Something strange that happened to you this past semester
- Where you see yourself in ten years
- A goal for this school year and for this class
Should you choose Option A, you will still need to provide me with a transcription of the letter. If you choose Option B and write to me, you are free to add any other information you deem relevant. If you have any particular medical conditions, for example, it would be good I know in advance so as not to be surprised. Also, you are free to ask me questions—I will respond!
In terms of formatting, friendly letters should be single spaced and written in cursive writing (handwriting). As a double-spaced composition, the letter should be at least two pages in length using 12-point font. Good luck and welcome to Room X!
Scavenger Hunt I
Create a "Get Acquainted" handout of student descriptions. Give students 10 minutes to get as many initials as possible of people in this class who fit the descriptions given below. Students should try and find a different person for each category.
Here are some description ideas, but you can tailor them to fit your region and school demographics:
____ Someone whose birthday is the same month as yours.
____ Someone who wears glasses.
____ Someone who wears the same shoe size as you.
____ Someone who skis.
____ Someone who has black hair.
____ Someone who likes the same TV show as you.
____ Someone who has the same last initial as you.
____ Someone who has lived in Lethbridge about the same time length as you.
____ Someone who speaks more than one language.
____ Someone who has visited another country.
Here are some description ideas, but you can tailor them to fit your region and school demographics:
____ Someone whose birthday is the same month as yours.
____ Someone who wears glasses.
____ Someone who wears the same shoe size as you.
____ Someone who skis.
____ Someone who has black hair.
____ Someone who likes the same TV show as you.
____ Someone who has the same last initial as you.
____ Someone who has lived in Lethbridge about the same time length as you.
____ Someone who speaks more than one language.
____ Someone who has visited another country.
scavenger hunt II
Create a handout for students to fill in with their favourite items, such as favourite sport, colour, movie, school subject, song. Once students fill in their favourites, they are to mix and mingle around the room to find other students in the class that listed the same favourite items!
It's all in the bag
Fill a paper bag with 5 items that represent who you are and share them with your students along with a brief description of why each item is important to you. Students love to find out this kind of info about their teachers! Have students do the same activity by bringing in a paper bag filled with their own items the next day to present to the class.