Facing History and Ourselves
Becoming Ourselves
Here's a great way to build community during the first days of the new school year. Participants read personal narratives, then craft and share their stories with others.
Curated OER
First Day of Preschool
Students discuss rules, have introductions, complete school tours, and more for the first day of preschool. In this first day of school lesson plan, students also discuss being good friends.
Curated OER
1,2,3 Art (First Day of School)
Pupils participate in a first day of school survey. For this art lesson, students answer three questions about art class, such as one thing they don't like about art class and their goals for art this coming year.
Curated OER
First Day at School
Students listen to a book about the first day of school. They divide into groups of four, and role play the story. They explain to the teacher what they like the most from the story.
Curated OER
A Touch of Green: St. Patrick's Day in the Classroom
Try these ideas to add some Irish flair to your classroom this St. Patrick's Day.
Curated OER
The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country
Students describe the contents of the First Amendment while telling about an example of speech that is protected by the Constitution and that which is not. They attempt to apply the First Amendment to situations that could occur in their...
Curated OER
Mad Libs Worksheet - The First Day of School
In this first day of school and parts of speech worksheet, students fill in the 12 blanks with the listed parts of speech to create a mad libs-style story.
Curated OER
ESL: First Day of School
In this first day of school worksheet, students review a picture of students not paying attention to their teacher, then list 7 things the teacher can do to get their attention.
Curated OER
Picture Fists Full of Kisses
Ease children's back-to-school jitters with this primary grade lesson plan based on the book The Kissing Hand by Ruth E. Harper. Starting off with a singing of the song "I Wish I Had a Little Red Box", children go on to discuss and...
Statistics Education Web
First Day Statistics Activity—Grouping Qualitative Data
Making groups of groups can help to organize data. Classes use statistics to group themselves using descriptive adjectives. The objective is for learners to understand that grouping qualitative data is useful when the original groups are...
Facing History and Ourselves
Dual Identities
Many of us have multiple identities. There's who we are at home, school, friends, and strangers. And often these identities come with different names. The third activity in the First Days of School series examines how names reflect...
Facing History and Ourselves
What's In a Name?
Rumpelstiltskin understood the power of names. The second lesson in the First Days of School series focuses on building community by recognizing the importance of the relationships among names, identities, and cultures. Learners engage...
Curated OER
All About Me & the School Experience
Students create a book documenting their school experience. After completing a class read of "Clifford's First School Day," students discuss what it is like being at school. They use a book template to create their own first days of...
Curated OER
"All About Me Book" Lesson Plan
First graders study their teacher. In this first day of school activity, 1st graders listen to a book created by the teacher that details the characteristics of the teacher (likes, dislikes, who he/she is, where he/she lives, etc). They...
Curated OER
introduction
Students participate in a lesson that is intended for the first days of school. They are led through introductions and how the class is organized for working on a daily basis. They sign behavior contracts and other paperwork as directed...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Day for the Constitution
The "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" law requires schools receiving any federal funding to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution. The lesson plans, materials, videos, questions, and activities...
ESL Kid Stuff
Intro ESL Lesson (Ages 8-14)
Introduce language learners to class behavior expectations, and each other, with activities that include greeting and name games, conducting a class survey, and creating a classroom rules poster.
Stanford University
Lesson Plan: Montgomery Bus Boycott
Most of us have heard of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Martin Luther King, Jr. But what about Claudette Colvin, Virginia Durr, Freedom Summer, or the Birmingham Children's Crusade? A five-lesson unit prompts class members...
Curated OER
Our First 100 Days
Students discuss what they want to accomplish in their first one hundred days at school. Individually, they use markers to decorate a journal in which they write down their ideas and accomplishments. To end the lesson plan, they share...
Curated OER
Getting to Know Our School
Students explore their school and the various types of people who work there (school nurse, custodian, and principal). They interview these people and complete an activity based on the information they have obtained.
Curated OER
Our Classroom Constitution
Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part instructional activity series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established,...
Curated OER
Bring United Nations Day to School
Ideas to honor the mission of the 193-nation-strong organization that fosters peace, sustainability, and human rights around the world.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Veteran's Day—Honoring All That Served
Looking for ideas on ways to recognize Veteran's Day? Check out this 92-page packet that includes exercises designed for all grade levels. Reading passages detail the history of the holiday, research projects get individuals involved in...
ReadWriteThink
Living the Dream: 100 Acts of Kindness
Inspire kindness in and out of school with a lesson that challenges scholars to perform 100 acts of kindness during the time between Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Valentine's day. Leading up to a celebration of friendship, learners...