Questions to ask your students

• What are you passionate about?

• How do you want to be recognised?

• What do you see as your greatest strength?

• What name do you want to use when being called on in class?

• What will a successful school year look and feel like at the end of the year?

• What are the characteristics or attributes you respect in a teacher?

• How do you want to be treated in this classroom?

Learn what your students like

• Focus on learning three things about each student by the end of the first term - make sure it is nothing about school or how they work, so that you can spend the rest of the year discussing their passions with them genuinely and as you come across them in your everyday life

Boring Wins

• Ask students to tell you something really boring about themselves

• This takes the pressure of students trying to think of something fascinating

• Examples that students can't use (creativity wins): I don't like mayo on sandwiches, I put my socks on both feet before I put my shoes on, I am left-handed

BS (or Bologna (pronounced 'bah-low-knee'))

• Students get into groups of 3-5 students

• A deck of cards (per group) is dealt out to all students in the group (so there are no cards left over)

• The aim of the game is to lose all of your cards

• The first player has to put down Aces

  • If they have Aces, they will put them face down and say "I have put down 2 Aces"

  • If they don't have Aces, they need to lie and place cards down anyway with confidence

• If the next person thinks that person is lying, they will call Bologna

• The cards then get flipped over (only if someone calls Bologna) - if Player 1 was lying, they need to take all of the cards in the deck, but if they were telling the truth, Player 2 will take all of the cards

• Player 2 then puts down 2s,  and Player 3 can either let the game play on (and assume Player 2 isn't lying) or call Bologna

• The game continues until one person has no cards left

The Letter Project

• Ask each student to write you (the teacher) a letter to help you get to know them

• It can be about whatever you want but it could include - what they like, how they learn, what they don't like, favourites, their family, etc

• You then write them a short letter back, acknowledging what they have said and making connections with them

• This one activity helps you: build connections, see how they write, check literacy levels, monitor anxiety, understand their values and favourites, show students that you are willing to give them your time to help them

• Source: TikTok user, Waste of Humanity

What I'm strict about vs what I'm not strict about

• This is a great slideshow to show students at the start of the year 

• Instead of just a stock-standard list of expectations that they will see in every class, be explicit in what they will expect in your classroom

• Examples (for things you or may not be strict about):

  • • Materials, food/eating, light roasting (light teasing), talking, my name, extensions, bathroom breaks, language, calling out, off days, sending emails, phones, plagiarism, AI, offensive comments, being late, doing the work, airpods, students being in the classroom without a teacher,

• Source: TikTok user, Miss C

First roll call

• Your name

• Your favourite condiment/sauce

Starburst Activity

• Hand students in the front row a Starburst or wrapped lolly of different colours

• Students in the front row get to pick first (as a reward for sitting in the front row) 

• Students will then have to answer a question based on the colour of the lolly they have

• For example:

  • Pink = Favourite people

  • Yellow = Favourite colour

  • Red = Favourite place

  • Orange = Favourite hobby

• Teacher can then share their answers while students think about their answer

• Teacher then asks each student for their name again, and their answer

• Source: TikTok user, Miss C

Human Bingo

• Give each student a bingo sheet with prompts like “Find someone who plays a sport” or “Find someone who has a pet.” 

• Students walk around the room and talk to classmates to find people who match the prompts.

• They write the name of a student who fits each square on their sheet.

• Sheets can be pre-filled by the teacher or created by students with unique facts about themselves.

• Once complete, ask students to share a few interesting things they discovered about their classmates.

• Hot tip: There are many templates on Google and Teachers Pay Teachers if you prefer not to make your own.