It’s the first week of school and there’s lots to do, but what’s more important than getting to know your students? How about an authentic (real-life) writing activity to get the ball going.
Before you invite your students to introduce themselves to you, introduce yourself to them (great modeling!). Write a paragraph or two about yourself that you would like to share. It could be about your family, things you like to do, favorites, pet peeves, why you teach, etc., etc.
The main point is to write something down, and at the reading level of your kids. If you teach kindergarten, make a drawing and use a few simple words. I like the idea of printing what you’ve done and making copies for each kid (they can also take it home to share with parents).
Once you’ve led the way, invite them to introduce themselves to you. Helpful prompts have been: What would you like me to know about you?” or “How would you describe yourself?” You can broaden this activity by making the entire class the audience (i.e. “What would you like us to know about you?”). Make sure to let the class know from the beginning who the audience will be. In my experience, making yourself the audience often leads to more personal and insightful writing.
This activity will not only help you begin to learn about your students, it will also give you knowledge about their writings skills. Consider it a first week writing sampling, and use it to help inform instruction.
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