Social Distancing or not? That is the question for the 2021-2022 school year! So, what are we going to do about starting the school year? The school year is about to start and you are wondering what to do to 1. Teach your students about your classroom and 2. Not bore them to death doing it! Why not let your students TWEET Their First Day of School! Let's take a look!
Tweets with Students
Tweeting is still a thing, but it is more fun if you are a student and you've entered your classroom for the first time. Posting what you see and learn about your new classroom can be completed both with Social Distancing or not! Many of us are unsure of where we will be in August/September 2021, so, let's look at it both ways so students can TWEET their first day of school!
Tweeting their first day of school is easy if you don't have Social Distancing to deal with. Students can move around freely. Plus, they can explore without worrying about touching materials and keeping others away from them. For specifics about Tweeting their first day of school, read this post found on my original blog.
Social Distancing Tweets
What about with Social Distancing? Not one of us has any idea if we will be Social Distancing in the fall. I think we all have our fingers crossed that we won't, but, that is only a hope right now. My District is currently "maskless", which gives me A LOT of hope-but only the numbers will tell. So, how do we do this? Here are some ideas:
Students can share what they see in the North, South, East and West of the classroom. This will get them investigating to find the "best" stuff! In fact, you can turn this into an iSpy game, using the opportunity to introduce game rules in your classroom. Students can then iSpy items from the classroom to list on their "Tweet" page. Then, create a chart for students to list their finds from the North, South, "Tweet", and West. This is a great way for students to see each other and learn each others names. This is just one way to conquer Social Distancing and Tweeting their first day of school!
Pop-Up Tweets - Students will want to share! This is where students can complete their "Tweet" About Me page. Take some time to model what you would like them to produce. This is important to establish your expectation in posters, projects, and displays. Once they are finished, display their "Tweets" on the classroom display. Students can then come up and share their personal information. Students can pick which students they want to add to their personal "feed" in their folders. This may take some time over the course of the week, but that is a good thing. This can take the place of a Morning Meeting Circle that you do each day, since things like that are not part of Social Distancing.
Rules and Social Distancing make for one very long discussion! One way to beat the first day of school discussion is to Tweet their rules! Have students "Tweet" a rule they know about each location in the school. Then have students share their "rule" for an area. If another student has written the same idea, have them stand up! This will get them up and moving. This also places the responsibility of behavior expectations on them. This creates deeper meaning and acceptance for students when they are placed in understanding and sharing expectations across the school itself. Then, you can specifically add new expectations with Social Distancing. Another great way to beat 6 (or 3) feet!
Dealing with Tweeting the First Day of School and Social Distancing makes it a little harder to introduce students to new friends. Our school bought shields for in between students. These shields can be used with students to work in pairs. Students can find a place on the floor and place the shield between them. They can then engage in the activity together. Simply have papers that say "Same, Different, and Both" that slide under the shield. This way students on both side of the shield can place their letter in the correct area. Easy-Peasy solution to Social Distancing activities!
Great Ideas from You!
These are just a few ideas to help you with students during the first few days of school! These activities are just the tip of the iceberg of Tweeting the students first day of school! There are more pages to the book, including tools and the classroom library! You will also find a little book that students can use to learn or review procedures in the classroom! If you need help teaching about mask wearing, you can find my mask wearing product here. I'd also love to hear some ideas from you! If you would drop me a line below, I will share your ideas in a blog post too! That will make Social Distancing and Tweeting a little easier for our first day of school!
Blessings for the 2021-2022 School Year,
Comments