Extroverted English teachers will never understand how nerve-racking the first day of class is for us introverts. Though I have ten years (x2 semesters each) of first-day experience, the back-to-school butterflies fluttered just as much on year ten as they did on year one. A lot of my anxiety came from planning first day activities that didn’t match my teaching style at all. I did what I thought I was supposed to do which was read a boring PowerPoint about myself and explain all of the rules. Nothing says, “let’s make learning fun!” like rules and boring teacher facts. 😉 So, I decided to change my first day of school routine and never looked back. Instead of talking at the students, I chatted with them. Instead of telling them the rules, we made them together. Instead of pointing out the supplies, I let them discover them.
This shift in approach not only eased my first-day nerves but also set the tone for an engaging English class from the start. Over the years, I’ve refined these strategies into a set of go-to activities that make the first day of school better for both students and teachers.
Here are my favorite first-day-of-school activities for high school and middle school English that will help you set the tone for an incredible year.
ELA First Day Activities for Middle & High School
Introduce Yourself with BINGO
A fun and low-pressure way to introduce yourself as a teacher is to create a BINGO board. You’ll title it “How (your name) are you?” and then put all your favorite things inside. For example, mine has iced coffee, psychological thrillers, and dogs. The idea is that students can look at your board and see what they have in common with you. If they like a lot of the same things, they might get a BINGO, but if not, you’ll likely have at least one thing in common with every student, which creates natural talking points. After seeing your board as an example, students can create their own and mingle with classmates to find commonalities. This creates an organic icebreaker without forcing it.
If you’d like a teacher and student BINGO template, you can download those here: First Day of School Activities
Use Rhetoric to Sell Your Class
Rhetoric is something that English teachers teach regularly, yet it might not occur to you how powerful pathos, logos, and ethos can be when it comes to introducing your class to your students on your first day.
While we sometimes think of rhetoric as a persuasive technique for argument and sales, I believe the art of persuasion can apply to almost anything– including the influence you have in your classroom. When you really think about it, all teaching is one big persuasive speech. We convince students to learn, we open their minds to more points of view, and we prove why what we teach matters. While all of this will take place over the course of your class, it’s important to start your journey of influence on day one. If you can tap into all three sides of the rhetorical triangle—their hearts, their minds, and their trust–on day one, then you set yourself up to make an impact this school year.
To do this, think about ways you can show your expertise and your heart while also making a logical case for your curriculum and classroom procedures. This part of my first day agenda only takes around five to ten minutes, and it starts by greeting each student at the door with a smile and directions for sitting so that they feel comfortable and aren’t left out of the “cool table.” I then take attendance with a fun attendance question to lighten the mood and begin to learn names. After this, I project a single slide that tells about my heart, my qualifications, and my curriculum. I have found that the less time I spend in front of the room on the first day, the better it is for both my students and my nerves.
You can grab my slides templates here: ELA First Day: Back to School Stations, Meet the Teacher, Syllabus, Icebreaker
Review with an ELA First Day Activity
If you are looking for a fun first day activity that doubles as a sneaky review, then this is it! Students fill out an “open book” profile that helps you get to know them in an ELA-themed way. From identifying imagery to reviewing grammar terms, this activity not only gives you insight into their personalities but also reinforces key literary concepts. It’s a creative, low-pressure way to start building connections while subtly setting the stage for the skills you’ll explore throughout the year.
You can grab your editable copy here: First Day of School Activities
Set Up First Day Activity Stations
The first day of high school or middle school always comes with a lot of housekeeping tasks, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring! Setting up stations is a fantastic way to get students talking and moving while taking care of those essential back-to-school items all at once.
Back-to-school Station Ideas:
Get ELA students excited about reading
This back to school activity is my favorite because it helps build excitement around reading from day one! I implement independent reading at the start of class every single day, so naturally, I want my students to choose a book on our first day of English class. I allow students to browse my classroom library and check out a book on the spot, or they can try their luck at one of the new and exciting books that I have in the book raffle! The book raffle works like this: display your new or highly sought after books and have a cup under each book. After you talk up the books, students can come through and add their name to the cup if they want to enter for a chance at first dibs on checking it out. This would work extra well if you had one copy of the book for each class, but I didn’t and it still built excitement for reading with all of my classes!
I start this book raffle tradition on the first day of school and then continue it throughout the year. It’s really fun to do themed book raffles, and you can take a look at my Halloween and Valentine’s Day themed book raffles too!
Promote classroom ownership on the first day of ELA
First day activities for middle schoolers or high schoolers provide the perfect opportunity to signal classroom ownership. You can do this through décor and norms which I’ll outline below, but another fun way to add ownership is by having students brainstorm your classroom playlist. Music in the classroom can create cues and change energy levels. In our book Keeping the Wonder: An Educator’s Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful Learning, we discuss how music can serve as a “flashbulb prop,” helping students anchor memories to specific lessons or moments. Whether it’s an upbeat track to energize the room or a calming tune for focused work, your classroom playlist becomes a shared experience that students will remember long after the school year ends.
Set up a worry or “I wish my teacher knew” box:
Back to school can be an exciting but also stressful time of year for many students. To get them in the practice of acknowledging their stress and worries, set up a worry box based on this article from Harvard: Two Techniques for Reducing Stress . However, be warned. Some silly answers you make you laugh while other serious answers will make you sob. You can decide if you want this to be anonymous or not, but if they leave a very worrisome anonymous note, you will have no way to address. it.
Go on a classroom scavenger hunt
While going over procedures and classroom materials is a necessary first day of school task, it doesn’t have to be boring! Simply turn it into a scavenger hunt instead! Students in this station walk around the room to find all of their supplies and will even complete a few subtle icebreakers along the way such as “find Mrs. Bible and tell her your favorite time of year.” If you want an editable version of this scavenger hunt, you can find it in my First Day ELA Resource.
Condense boring first day English class activities
There are lots of housekeeping items that need to be taken care of on the first day of middle school or high school ELA class. If possible, condense these tasks into a first day station stop.
Cutting my syllabus down to a one-page infographic has ensured that I relay all of the important information AND that my students actually read it. For this station, I have students read their syllabus and other housekeeping items such as learning how to access the daily agenda slides.
Another station idea that can go with the syllabus or in a separate station is a “Norm Brainstorm.” The idea is to give students ownership over some of the classroom norms. For example, when is an accessible time to have earbuds in? What is a fair bathroom pass policy? Etc. To make it even more interactive, you can provide prompts or scenarios for students to discuss, or let them vote on the most popular ideas. This process not only builds community but also ensures that the norms reflect the needs and perspectives of everyone in the room.
Make classroom decor as a first day activity
I love creating cute and cozy classrooms and think that it’s important for each student to be represented in the space. One way to do this is with a get-to-know you activity that doubles as classroom decor. Students use a dictionary page or book page to create banners that you can display all year long! Some art out page prompts include:
- Three words that describe your past, present, and future
- Three words that describe you
- Three words you connect with
- Three words that represent your goals
You can find more examples in this post: Get-to-Know-You Activities for Secondary Language Arts Class
Close with an ELA Craft
Since students likely won’t finish their classroom craft in the 5-7 minute station, this makes the perfect end-of-class filler activity too. There’s nothing worse than not having enough first day activities planned because it makes the end of class awkward and sets the tone for the rest of your lesson plans. So, if there’s extra time after the stations, have students finish decorating their banners and start stringing them together to display! You can walk around the room, learn student names, and have one-on-one time with each student.
If you want to save time and start the school year off right, be sure to download my First Day ELA Pack! This bundle has everything you need for a fun, stress-free first day that lays the foundation for a successful and engaging year!
