As summer quickly comes to an end, I am starting to think about planning for the first week of school so I wanted to throw together a list of my best back to school tips for high school science teachers. We have all experienced those teachers that spend the whole first day back going over the syllabus and classroom expectations. Now don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a time and a place for those things. But I think the first few days with your students are the most important for setting the tone in your classroom. So here are my 5 best back to school tips that you can use in your high school classroom to engage your students right away.
If you are planning for your first few weeks back to school, make sure you sign up for my free resource library where you can get access to all sorts of free science resources to use in your classroom.
Tip 1: Don’t go over the syllabus on the first day
As I alluded to previously, the first thing you do not want to do on the first day of school, especially with high schoolers, is to just go over your syllabus. Instead of going through the boring policies about the class, I think it is more important for students to get to know you as their teacher and for you to begin to get to know your students.
This does not mean that you won’t be going over some of that important information in the first week of school. I just think there are probably better ways to incorporate that information, rather than trying to do it all in one class on the first day.
Most of the syllabus information – like contact info, course description, etc. – is information that students can truly read for themselves. Information about specific policies can usually wait until the first true big graded assignment. For example, I have a specific grading policy that I want to make sure my students understand. But instead of boring students with this on day one, I wait until I give the first graded assignment (which is definitely not on the first day of school, or even the second). I find times to incorporate the policies when it is more natural.
Tip 2: Set up a cell phone policy on the first day
There is one policy however, that cannot wait. And that policy is my cell phone policy. I have found that this is one thing that I need to do on the first day to have any sort of control over phones moving forward. In teaching high school (and I am sure it’s the same for every grade now), cell phones are a problem. I have found a system that has worked for me in my classes. I hope it will work for you too because we all know the struggle!
When it comes to phones in my classroom, I am stuck in between “I never want to see them out” and “You need to learn when it’s responsible to use it in class”. I really wanted students to learn cell phone responsibility. This is because, in life, you need to know when it’s appropriate to use and not use phones. But the problem is, high schoolers definitely do not know when it is appropriate and not appropriate to be on their phone. They need to be taught!
In my classes, I make all my students sign a cell phone contract. It is literally a piece of chart paper that states “My cell phone will be away at all times unless instructed by the teacher to use it”. They all signed it (some students put up a fight at first but eventually they all did sign it). I have never had a student blatantly refuse to sign it. But that is something I would definitely refer to my admin about. I then hang the poster on my wall. This is so I can constantly refer back to it throughout the year when students take their phones out.
If a student has their phone out when they were not given permission, I simply take the phone. I put it on my desk for the rest of the class. It is crucial that as soon as students sign the contract, you start taking phones. This helps to set the precedent in the class. You need to be consistent about taking the phones for the policy to work. Obviously, check with your administration to make sure it is okay to take a student’s phone.
I have had students refuse to give up their phones. I nicely remind them of the policy and I point to the signed contract that hangs on my wall. If they still refuse after that point, our district policy is to refer them to the office.
This policy has really worked for me so hopefully it is one that you can enforce as well.
Tip 3: Get to know your students
Not only do I not want to go over the syllabus on the first day, but I also want to avoid jumping into the hardcore content. Instead, I want to use this time to help create a positive classroom environment. I want my students to leave my room on the first day, excited to be in my class. And the most significant piece of that is to get to know your students.
There are so many different ways to get to know your students. Many involve awkward icebreakers. I personally am not a fan of icebreakers, especially in high school, because it can really trigger anxiety in students. Instead, I have students do an about me assignment on the first day.
Students get one slide to share 10 facts about themselves in the form of pictures, quotes, and digital stickers. For each image, they must include a short sentence that indicates that the image is telling us about them.
This is not something they will present, but rather something I use to create a classroom scrapbook. And the best part is that students will get really creative. It is such a fun and easy way for students to share some things about themselves. Because I am a visual learner, this helps me quickly get to know my students and I can bring up little facts about them when I need to to help bring about that sense of classroom community.
Tip 4: Let students get to know you
Along the same lines as getting to know your students, students need to get to know you. The students need to see you as a person, not just a teacher. I know it can sometimes seem scary letting students into your personal life, but you are doing the same in them when you ask them to share about themselves.
I find that letting my students get to know me really helps students trust me and respect me as their teacher because they see that there are things that we may have in common.
To share about myself, I also create one single slide about myself. I share my single slide when I am introducing the about me activity. I find 10 facts to share about myself, usually ones that students will find the most interesting or unique.
Additionally, before sharing my about me slide, I have students play a little game of “Investigate the teacher”. This is a great way to introduce skills such as making observations and inferences. I have students go around my room to make observations and then make an inference about what that observation means or tells them about me. High schoolers (even my seniors) enjoy trying to figure me out. This is a fun and engaging way for students to get to know you.
Alternatively, if you don’t want students roaming around the room, you could create bags with secret clues about you. You can have students walk around to each of the clues, make observations about the clue, and then draw a conclusion about what it implies about you. It is just as fun as the activity described above, but a little more structured.
Regardless of how your students get to know you, they will surely appreciate you more as their teacher.
Tip 5: Learn student names quickly
To help create that positive classroom atmosphere, it is crucial that you learn names quickly. Students will feel appreciated when their teacher knows their names. I had a college professor once that walked in on the first day and went around and stated the name of each student in the room – talk about impressive!
One thing that is crucial when trying to learn the names of students quickly is to create a seating chart. Students should be sitting in the same seat every day for the first few weeks of school, or until you know everyone’s names. The kids may complain a bit that they can’t sit with their friends. But I always just fall back on the fact that “I need to learn names”.
On the first day, I do not call on each student when I do attendance. Instead, I walk around the room and have each student introduce themself. This ensures that they are giving me the correct pronunciation of their name. I also think it is way more personable than having them raise their hand across the room.
While I am walking around the room having students introduce themselves, I also have them introduce themselves to the students they are sitting near. My classes are seated in groups. I have them introduce themselves to everyone in their group just in case not everyone knows each other.
To help keep the conversation going in their groups while I walk around, I use daily attendance questions. An attendance question is a simple this or that style question that is meant to spark conversation among your students. So while I walk around, each student can share their response with their group mates.
At the beginning of each class, I have each student quickly share their answer to the daily attendance question. This helps me acknowledge every student in every class but is also another way for me to get to know students while creating a positive classroom atmosphere.
Hopefully, these five back to school tips will help you as you are getting ready for a new school year. I have tested out all these tips in my high school science classroom and they have definitely been a game changer for me! Best of luck and happy back to school season!
