How Do You Move Beyond “What Did You Do This Summer”?
Relationships, connections, and collaborations are the key to classroom management successes. They open the door to knowing your students and their needs. At the beginning of the school year, spending time getting to know your students is an excellent investment of time.
In the past, teachers often started the school year by asking students what they did during the summer. Even before the pandemic, this question was flawed. Some students had summers filled with trips and visits to various places. Other students did not have an opportunity to leave their neighborhoods. Still, other students with troubling home environments had summers they were not interested in sharing. Add last school year’s pandemic to this mix, and this question becomes even more problematic.
Instead of asking what you did this summer, consider giving students a choice of how they share information about themselves. Students could draw pictures, answer questionnaires, write a letter or make short introduction videos using apps such as Flipgrid. For example, younger students could draw a picture of a pet that they have or a pet that they would like. If they don’t want a pet, students could draw a picture of something else they want. This type of question opens the door to learn about students without forced sharing that might make them uncomfortable.
Another idea is to have students create a Google Slide introducing themselves to the class. You can write suggestions of what students might include on the slide, such as favorite food, what they would like to do when they grow up, a place visited, or a place they want to visit in the future. Or you might list requirements such as name, date, two things you want us to know, etc., and leave the decision about what goes on the slide to the students.
Have you ever played Never Have I Ever? Let’s change the game up a little for our students. We can ask questions and have our students stand if they have “never” done the activity in your question. If they have done the activity, they sit. Ask a few questions at a time to get a feel for your group. Google to find “clean and safe” questions to ask your students, such as: Never have I ever not done my chores on purpose, or never have I ever jumped out to scare someone. We don’t want to ask students questions that will damage the bond we are trying to create.
Questionnaires are also great for getting to know your students. Ask questions on an Entry Ticket (questions asked as students enter the classroom) or Exit Ticket to gain insight into your students. Consider selecting two or three questions and creating a Google Form survey. As you get to know your students better, you can refer back to these questionnaires to review your students’ answers. You can use these answers, when appropriate, in your lessons to connect your students to the learning.
As the year moves forward and you get to know your students, questions can become more directed. Meaning you can develop questions based on learning or specific situations happening in the classroom. Below are a few questions I’ve collected to get you started. I’ve divided the questions by grade level in a way that works best for me; adjust to meet your needs.
Second - Third Grade Questions
What makes you happy?
What’s one thing you would like to learn this year?
What’s one thing you would like to do this year?
What is your favorite food?
I like it when my teacher ...? I do not like it when my teacher ...?
Do you have a favorite subject?
My superpower is…
I am really good at…
If I could … I would...
Do you have a favorite book?
Fourth -Sixth Grade Questions
What do you like best about yourself?
What was your favorite subject and why?
What do you do after school?
What’s the best gift you have ever received?
If you could give anybody a gift who would it be? What would you give?
What is your favorite memory?
Do you know the story of your name?
What do you want me to know about you?
Do you like to work alone or with others? Can you tell me more about your preference?
If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be? What would you like to talk about?
Sixth Grade and other students Questions
What would your family, friends, or favorite staff member say about you?
What was your favorite subject last year and why?
People think I am… but I think…
Write a poem or short story to tell me who you are.
What do you do after school?
What do you wish the adults in your life realized about students or young adults?
What is your favorite childhood memory?
What do you want me to know about you?
What questions do you have for me?
What is your favorite social media site? Why?
What song best represents who you are or your life right now?
It is crucial to building relationships with your students. Not only will these relationships assist you during challenging times, but they may also actually help to prevent a few challenges from happening. No matter what your students did during the summer, knowing them now is the key to building relationships and developing connections that will help your students collaborate and learn.
