Happy August! Remember when I said I was going to write more this summer … wasn’t that a funny joke?! Ha! Do you ever feel like you’re running on a hamster wheel? Please tell me I’m not alone! Even though I haven’t written like I had hoped to over the summer, I did at least create a TikTok sharing a few of my favorite back to school activities to use with my high school students! They’re engaging, fun, tried and true, AND helped me get to know my students! Be sure to follow me on TikTok (@pettywopedu) for ideas for your classroom … sometimes it’s quicker to post a TikTok than it is to write!
Put a Finger Down
We’ve probably all seen the “put a finger down” challenges around social media .. the version of these challenges that my algorithm often shares typically has something to do with being a millennial 🤣 I created this challenge as a super quick way to get to know my students beyond the two truths and a lie that I typically use (that can get scary with high schoolers!). This activity was a fun way to learn about my students as individuals, as well as a bit about their study habits. It was fun! If you’d like to use this strategy, click here to make a copy of my template!
Hexagonal Who’s Who?
Ok, this was FUN! For whatever reason, I’ve strayed away from hexagonal thinking in the past. Maybe I just didn’t get the purpose or perhaps I just couldn’t see how it would work in my classroom. Either way — this activity helped me totally transform my thinking and hop on the hexagonal bandwagon! As with the Put a Finger Down activity, my goal with the Hexagonal Who’s Who was two fold – I want to get to know my students as individuals and learn a bit more about them as students. When everyone had completed their hexagon, we had such a great time finding connectable pieces on our hexagons and learning more about each other. The surprised, “you like unsweet tea?!” squeals that came from my students was hilarious! If you’d like a template for this activity, including a printable hexagon, click here!
Name Tents
As you know, I teach high school juniors and seniors. I feel like every time I see an activity on social media (lets be honest … when I see something on TikTok 🤣) I think, “oh, that looks so fun!” but almost immediately, I think, “yaaaa, my juniors and seniors will not be on board with that.” It’s safe to say that with the Name Tent activity at least, I stand corrected! I think I sometimes underestimate exactly how much my students like to be creative! Most of my students have had technology of some sort for almost the entirety of their education, and while I (obviously – I mean, look at the name of my blog 🤣) love using technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement, it’s not the end-all-be-all of education. My juniors and seniors LOVED this activity! It was such a great way to spend our first day – low stress, high engagement, and a great way to get to know each other! This activity could easily be adapted in many different ways throughout the school year … I’m thinking historical figures, novel characters, heck, event vocabulary terms or events! If you’d like a copy of this template, click here!
That’s all for today! I hope your school year is off to a fantastic start! I WILL WRITE AGAIN before the end of September! It WILL HAPPEN!
Thanks for reading 🙂
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