Set the tone during the first few minutes of the school year!

I like to begin each year with this simple activity. It is designed so students will be able to complete it without any questions. This gives me the opportunity to greet each student and start building relationships during the first five minutes of the year! It also helps students ease into a daily routine and understand that our classroom is a structured environment. This is the perfect tone to establish in any room!

For the warm-up, there are a few tasks each day. There are 3 types of tasks: getting to know you prompts, academic reflections, and procedure review questions. It should take 5-10 minutes for students to complete these each day. I usually spend a few extra minutes to have students share with a partner.

While students work, I walk around and use their responses as conversation starters. Once students have had time to write their responses, I will ask them to share with a partner. I might have them share with a shoulder partner or have them mix around the room to share with other classmates. This is a safe way for students to begin building relationships with each other.

Hopefully this product can help set the tone in your classroom!