First Week of School Ideas and Resources Part 1

IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS, WE GO BACK TO SCHOOL…

Are you looking for something to do on the first day or first week of school? This FREE questionnaire is great for that and for getting to know your students. Yes, you might not have enough time to read through all the responses, but they are nice to keep on hand. You will be surprised what students are willing to tell you when you just ask.

All About You! (FREE questionnaire for first day of school)
• Two Pages (print front to back)

I just typed this up last night, but I have used something very similar every school year. I should have it saved on my computer somewhere… from before I organized my files.  I figured it would be much faster to re-create then to find it!  🙂  

I love to pass this worksheet out on the first day of school at the door.  With instructions on the screen to quietly complete the questionnaire, the students should get to work right away.  After all, it is the first day of school, so they aren’t sure what to expect and will be mostly obedient.  Obviously I don’t expect my students to sit there the entire class period filling out the survey, so an activity should be planned for after.  Maybe a pre-test?   Maybe an icebreaker? 

I don’t have a classroom anymore because I teach online, so if I want to use this activity I will have to change it greatly.  Here are a few ideas:

1. I can k-mail (our form of e-mail with the students) all of my students the list of questions (or perhaps a modified list), and ask for their response.
2. Create a Google Form for the students to fill out.  I can give the link to them at the end of class, and k-mail it to them as a back-up.
3. As soon as I get the list of students, I can send them a k-mail with the questionnaire.
4. I can decide not to use it.

How have I handled the first day in the past? I wrote a loose script one year, and completely winged it the next with my toolbox of activities and icebreakers.

How should you use this questionnaire?

Use on the first day or first week of school. You may or may not decide to read these, but it is a great way to get information from your students. I suggest handing it out to students as they walk in the room or having it on their desks. Then, they can get started on the questionnaire right away. Of course, make sure you have an activity for them to get started on once they finish.

What questions are included?

ALL ABOUT YOU!
• Your Full Name
• What name would you like to be called during class?

Note: If you don’t know the answer, or don’t feel comfortable answering, you can keep some questions blank.

ABOUT YOUR Family!
• Name(s) of parent(s) or guardian(s):
• Parent/Guardian’s Phone Number?
• Parent/Guardian’s E-mail?
• Do you have any brothers and/or sisters? How many?
• What are your brothers/sisters name(s)?
• Did any of your brothers/sisters attend this school?
• Do you have any pets? What kind? What are their names?

BACK TO YOU!
• What do you like to do after school?
• What is your favorite food?
• What is your favorite candy?
• Who is your favorite singer/band?
• What is your favorite TV show?
• Who is your favorite actor/actress?
• What is your favorite movie?
• What is your favorite sport?
• What is your favorite sports team?
• What hobbies you do enjoy?
• What is your dream job?
• Do you play any after school sports? Which ones?
• Do you participate in any after school activities or clubs?

ABOUT SCHOOL:
• What is your favorite subject? Why?
• What is your favorite math topic? Why?
• What math topics do you struggle with the most?
• What are you looking forward to learning in math this year? Why?
• Describe how you learn best.
• How do you plan to let me know if you need help with a topic?
• How much homework do you expect per night?
• How many pages of notes do you expect to take each day?
• What goal would you like to accomplish this school year?
• What time do you wake up for school in the morning?
• What time do you go to bed?
• Do you already know any other students in this class?

Finish the sentence
• I love teachers that…
• I dislike teachers that…

• Is there anything else that you want me to know?

The End.

Download the FREE printable version of this back to school questionnaire here.

Want to read about and download some more back to school resources?

First Week of School Ideas and Resources Part 2

First Week of School Ideas and Resources Part 3

First Week of School Ideas and Resources Part 4