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.