SCHOOL MATTERS
Pair-work speaking activity at the beginning
of the school year
for 5th Graders
Summer is over, family vacations taken, new clothes and
school supplies purchased, children ready to go back to school;
and parents are ready for them
to go! These are August traditions and part of our getting
back into routine.
taining and fun pair work activity to get our often too silent
students to express themselves!
They speak about what they did
during their latest summer holiday, so this activity should take
place at the beginning of the
school year. Therefore, it can also
be used as an ice-breaker! StuThe beginning of the school dents practise the past simple
year
in
fifth grade
is a time
to allow
students
to
get
to know
each other,
the
teachers
and how
the classroom will
operate.
Create interactive
icebreaker activities and
activities
that will
introduce
classroom rules and regulations. in questions and answers and
Beginning-of-the-year activities learn to introduce themselves
also help teachers discover stu- and their partners. Finally, you
dent preferences, which teach- can adapt this activity after winers can then incorporate into ter, halloween or easter holidays
subject lessons.
of course! Have a good teaching
This is a quick, lively, enter- day!
18
missLINGVA / Autumn, 2015
•
Using iPads for learning
• Using Twitter (and in
math!)
• Given a special Thinking
Book
• Going outside to spark
our wonders and curiosity.
• Given a bug catcher that
you can actually bring back to
class to observe things
you caught!
(even a toad!)
Because
of this belief,
I begin all
classes focusing on having
the students
make connections between
themselves
and me.
I
want students
to learn about
one
another in a personal way. I
want to learn
about my students so my
instructional strategies can be
more personalized and tailored
to their needs and interests. Beginning class with a focus on
connections rather than content gives learners the following
messages: