1st day of 5th Grade!

I had been feeling a little nervous since last week, but everything went really well. My kiddos look so much older AND taller. I am really glad that I decided to loop another year with them.

The day started like all the first days in school: greetings, daily schedule, goals, and photos. In another post, I mentioned that Lorraine over @ Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies has some great activities for the first days of school. I did the puzzle game.

I got the puzzles at Target in the dollar section just like she suggested. I got 5 boxes of the same puzzle for my 5 teams of 4. I told them that the first team to finish first would be the CHAMPIONS of the World. As soon as I said go, they jumped right in to figuring out what to do. What I thought was very interesting, was that the noise level went really high and then dropped as they figured out their roles within the team. I also found it fascinating to see who took charge and delegated politely, my leaders, and who were the team players. I even played the song We are the Champions by Queen. They were so engaged and motivated. I am really glad I did that team building game. Tomorrow we will be doing the other game--Fred the Worm.

Personalize a free digital collage

The other idea I "borrowed" came from Pinterest. The only thing I did was modify it to fit my grade level. I love the way the photos came out. I like to use Animoto. It is a free online service that allows you to make short videos/slides.  My kiddos always ask me to display their photos this way.

I really had a great day! I hope everyone else did too.

What activities do you do in your classroom that have been successful?