First Day of School Plans

 

For first day of school plans in my 2nd grade classroom, I like to keep things simple. My main goal is to have my students want to come back to school the next day. I don’t want to overwhelm my students with learning too many rules or procedures on the first day of school. 

 

That is why I pick a few key ones and teach them in an engaging way. Students also need to build up their stamina of being in a classroom after summer break, so I keep the activities in my first day lesson plans short and add in movement when I can. So today I thought it would be helpful to share with you my first day of school plans for 2nd grade. These are geared towards my 2nd grade classroom but these lesson plans for the first day of school will also be good for 1st grade and 3rd grade. You can find these plans in a google docs for you to make edits to here.

 

 

This blog post is also going to be super helpful for first year teachers. When I was getting ready for my first year of teaching, I spent way too much time setting up my classroom. Then all of a sudden the first day of school was the next day and I didn’t have any plans. I was up in my classroom until 8pm that night before trying to figure out what to do the next day.

Don’t be like me. I was so exhausted the next day! So after teaching years of 2nd grade, I’m happy to say I love my first day of school plans. They are easy to set up and I don’t have to panic each year wondering what I am going to teach on the first day of school. So let’s get into my lesson plans for the first day of school. Want all of these plans typed up and ready to go for you?

Get your free copy of these plans plus my back to school checklist here.

 

Lesson Plans for the First Day of School

 

I greet students at my classroom door as they come in. Then I tell them to find the desk with their name tag on it and to start coloring their name tag. I have them sit down with their backpacks for a bit because once I get everyone to their desks, I call students over one at a time to hang up their backpack on their hook, move their lunch count number, and then I take a picture of them holding a sign that says, “First Day of 2nd Grade.” Later I’ll use this picture on the cover of their memory book that I send home at the end of the school year.

 

Once I get through all the students, I will tape up their name tags on the front of their desks. This is just temporary so I use painters tape.

 

 

 

When I have time after school, I take those down, glue them to a piece of colored card stock for a border, and laminate them. Then I tape them back up so that they last all school year. Find these editable name tags here and the First Day of School Sign here.

 

Then I’ll have students move to our gathering place in the classroom. I’ll teach the routine of doing this. I have a Classroom Routines and Procedures PowerPoint that makes this so easy to do. It has all the steps written out. We read those together and talk about the expectations, like hands to yourself and voices off while they move.

 

Once we get back to our gathering spot I teach my students my attention getters. I have two that I use in my classroom. The first one is clapping three times and students clap three times back. The other one is just me counting down. By the time I get to 1, students should be quiet and have their eyes on me.

 

After I introduce these I like to have students practice. So I give students a question to talk about with a neighbor, then when I want their attention back, I will use one of my attention getters. If you want students to get some more movement, you can have them mingle around the classroom to find a partner to talk to.

 

After that, I like to do any activity that helps my students get to know me. This activity also helps me get to know them. I fill up a bag with some items of things I like. For example, I put in one of my running shoes because I like to run. Also, I put in one of my favorite video games because I know my students will relate to that.

 

Before I reveal what’s in my bag, I use my Classroom Routines and Procedures PowerPoint to go over speaking in a lesson. Students need to raise their hand and be called on if they have something to say. I call on students to pull an item out of my bag. Then I explain why I like it or what it represents. After each item, I let students raise their hands and tell me if they relate to that item as well. Then it’s my students’ turn to “make” their own bag filled with items they like.

Using my Classroom Routines and Procedures PowerPoint again, I will share the steps on how we pass out papers in our class. Then I pass out a page that has a printed bag on it. Students draw things that they like.

 

 

The page has some lines on the bottom so students can list out the things that they draw. This is a great and simple way for me to get to know students’ interests. I like to collect the pages and take note of what each student likes. Find these Get to Know You activities here.

 

Then it’s time to get students up and moving again so I like to teach students the procedures involved in getting ready for recess. I use my Classroom Routines and Procedures PowerPoint to teach the steps on how we line up. Then we go over how to ask to use the bathroom and I make a chart of good, better, and best time to use the restroom. I keep this up of the first week of school to help remind my students of when they can ask to use the bathroom. After that, I show my students what to do everyday when we return from recess. I like to have my students come back into the classroom, get a drink and hang up their jackets, and then meet me at our gathering spot.

 

To help my students calm down from recess, I always read them a picture book when they come in. So I show my students this process. Then we line up and I show students where they line up outside when they bell rings at the end of recess. We then practice walking into the classroom and following the routine I just showed students. I like to do this before recess so that students know exactly what to do when it comes to recess time.

 

As part of my first day of school lesson plans, I like to go over some things that help us stay healthy in the classroom. What I mean by this is teaching my students how germs spread. I like to have them watch a science video “How do Germs Spread” from Mystery Science. 

This video demonstrates to students why covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze is really important. It also goes over why we should wash our hands and the correct process of doing so. After the video,  I share some posters that show the correct way to cover their mouth, wash their hands, and get a tissue. We have a class discussion about why these things are important. I have a couple students volunteer to show the class how they cover their mouth, wash their hands, and get a tissue.

 

 

By this time, it is about 10:00 which is our recess time. It is a well deserved break for me and my students. As students are out playing, I’m getting materials ready for our next lessons and activities.

 

When students come back in from the classroom, they follow the routine we practiced and meet me at our gathering spot. I start to read the book, The Gingerbread Man. Now at first, this may seem like a strange book to read on the first day of school. But really it is setting up students for our next activity in my first day of school plans.

 

Towards the end of the book I have a gingerbread man clipart that I had printed out, cut out, and taped to one of the last pages in the book. On the back of the gingerbread man, there is a note from him explaining that he is going to run off to different parts of the classroom and that he will give the class clues on where to find him. Find the gingerbread man template I use plus my free editable first week of school plans here.

 

I do this activity so that students can get to know our classroom. The day before, I hide different gingerbread clipart around the classroom. Each one has clues that lead students to the next gingerbread man. I call of a few students randomly to use the clues to look for the specific gingerbread man. This makes it so each student gets a turn to look. When those students have found that gingerbread man, I tell students more about that area of our classroom. When students get to the end of the scavenger hunt, it leads us to finish the book. When we finish the book, I give each student a cookie to enjoy.

 

After this I like to do a brain break to get students up and moving. I love Go Noodle to do this. Then I show students our routine to get ready for lunch. That way when lunchtime does come, students already know what to do.

Then we move on to a First Day of School Math Activity. We make a graph of students’ favorite school subjects. Students choose from reading, math, or writing. They get a little page where they write their name and color the clipart on it. Then on our front whiteboard, I help students tape up their paper to make a picture graph.

 

 

After that, we convert the picture graph into a bar graph. I hand out worksheets with the grid and display it up on the board. Students follow me as we color what we need to color. Then there are a few questions at the bottom of the page asking us more about the data. We solve these problems together. I like doing this First Day of School Math Activity because it helps me get to know students’ favorite subject and I get a little glimpse of where they are at with basic math facts. 

 

Then it is time for students to get ready for lunch. After I walk students down to the lunch room, I quickly get things ready and set out for the rest of my first day of school plans before enjoying my own lunch.

When students come in from lunch recess they know what to do. They meet me at our gathering spot and I start reading the book, “I Show Respect!” by David Parker. Then we make a respect anchor chart so that students can learn what it really means to be respectful at school.

 

 

I have pieces of the anchor chart printed out and I just have to glue them on the big chart paper. We talk as a class about what it means to be respectful and why it is important. Here’s how I make this anchor more interactive with my students. I have little cards with different sincerios and students have to help me sort those sincerios on whatever it is an example of showing respect to the teacher, to classmates, or to the school. You can find these sincerios to print out here.

 

Then it’s time to have students do another little brain break from Go Noodle to get them up and moving. 

 

After that I have students go back to our gathering spot and I read to them The Little Red Hen. Now this may also seem like a weird book on the first day of school. But afterwards, we talk about the lessons we can learn from the book. I relate it to school by explaining that we all have to do a part in our learning. The teacher can’t do all the work or else the students won’t learn. We also have to take part in taking care of our classroom and school.

 

 

Then I surprise students by saying instead of making bread together like in the book, we are going to make strawberry lemonade together as a class. I make lemonade because we don’t have AC in our classroom so it gets hot in August with 20+ kids in the classroom. As a class, we make the lemonade together by calling on students randomly to each do a part in making the lemonade. Then I tell students I have to go put it in the fridge for it to chill and be ready for later.

 

Then to give students a break from listening to me, I have them draw a picture of our classroom. I keep these to put in their memory books that I send home at the end of the school year.

After that I do a lesson on being responsible and what that means. To easily do this I read a book and make an anchor chart like I did before with being respectful.

 

 

The book we read is “I am Responsible” by David Parker. We talk about what it means to be responsible and other characteristics you have when you are responsible. I glue these to our responsibility anchor chart. Then I get things interactive by having them sort cards with different scenarios. Students have to tell me if the example shows responsibility or not. Then I glue those on the chart. Learn more about making this chart with your students in this blog post here.

 

By doing these activities, it gives our lemonade time to chill. I tell students that we are going to go outside to enjoy our lemonade and have an extra recess. Students have to practice being respectful and responsible by waiting in line nicely and then throwing away their cups when they are done.

 

After our extra recess, students know to come in and meet me at our gathering spot. I end the day by reading to them my favorite picture book, “You Are Special” by Max Lucado. I explain to students that I want them to know that their 2nd grade teacher thinks they are pretty special. I like to read this book on the last day of school too.

 

Then it is time to teach my students our dismissal routine and send them out the door for the end of the day.

 

Getting back into the groove of school is exhausting for both teachers and students. After students leave, I quickly get materials ready for the next day and then I go home and rest. First day of school plans don’t have to be elaborate. I like to focus on helping students feel welcome in our classroom, teaching a few key routines and rules, and having fun so that students want to come back to school the next day.

 

Like these first day of school plans? I have them all typed up in a google doc along with my exact first week of school plans and back to school checklist. Get your free copy of these here.

Find all of my back to school materials in a big money-saving bundle here.

Learn more about Back to School activities in this blog post here.

 

I have a blog post sharing more about how I use my PowerPoint to teach classroom routines and procedures. Read it here.

 

Learn more about the classroom management strategies I implement at the beginning of the school year in this blog post here.

Meet the Teacher Night can be stressful when it is so close to the first day of school. Read my best tips for making meet the teacher night successful in this blog post here.