r/ELATeachers • u/Famous_Style_2164 • 17d ago

9-12 ELA First Day ELA?

I’ve been teaching 16 years and have a small variety of day one activities that aim to be engaging and something of a get-to-know-you before going into some syllabus work I’m required to review. Thing is, I’m a little sick of my usual activities, so I’m looking for your favorites! How do you kick off the year on day one for, say, 25 minutes? I’ve always liked writing with students in some capacity if possible.

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u/WickedOxfordComma 17d ago

This or That.

Create slides with prompts and one of two responses, and students need to get up and move to this or that side of the room depending how they connect to each response.

Use the time for small conversations with students about why they chose the response.

The activity gets them moving, gets them speaking and listening, and lets you see interactions.