While many teachers have just finished up for the academic year and new classes in September may seem a long way away right now, some have rolling year-round start dates and others are starting summer courses (like me!). Before you know it the new academic year will be here and you'll need some first class activities to plan in. There are always a couple of things I try to achieve in my first classes, regardless of level. Here are a few ideas to get your teen/adult classes off to a great start with minimal preparation! 🌟 And if you're looking for ideas for the primary classroom, I've got you covered here.
Getting to know the teacher/classmates
1. '4 of me' (thanks to my wonderful DoS Amy for this one!)
Students learn a little more about you and their classmates by sharing personal details while practising questions forms and reviewing different tenses. The information you ask Ss to write/draw can be easily adapted for all levels, I've used this activity with pre-A1 primary all the way through to more advanced students.
Give each S one sheet of paper and ask them to fold it into four quarters. They should number these 1-4.
Ask Ss to do the following:
Make sure you've been writing/drawing your answers onto the board as you go so that you can now demonstrate the activity. Ask Ss to make questions/statements about your answers in order to guess what they mean to you. Eg: Is Crispín your son? Is Crispín your favourite student? (No, he's my dog!! And yes, my Ss also find it amusing that I consider my dog to be a "person"!).
Once Ss have got the idea using your examples, pair them off to exchange papers and carry out the same activity.
Finally, take class feedback by inviting each S to share 3 things they've learnt about their partner to the rest of the class.
2. 'Personal star'
Much like the '4 of me' activity, but in a slightly friendlier star format! Again, it's very easy to pitch this activity to make it suitable for most levels and learners.
Draw a star on the board and in each point write a short answer to questions about you.
Ss look at the information and ask yes/no questions in order to discover what the 5 things mean to you. Eg: BLUE; Is your favourite colour blue? (Yes, it is!). Sometimes you receive unexpected questions or statements from your students which also turn out to be true, for example my students usually comment on the fact that my eyes are blue, which is also true.
Allow a few minutes for Ss to ask their questions and then reveal any they weren't able to guess, eg: THREE = the number of siblings I have; ANCHOVIES = a food I hate! Etc
Hand out some paper to Ss and allow a few minutes for them to complete their own stars with 5 personal facts. Be on hand to prompt with suggestions so that they don't copy the same 5 ideas from your demonstration.
Organise Ss into pairs and set them off asking questions/making statements to try to guess what the information means to their partner.
Again, when they've had sufficient time take class feedback and invite Ss to share 2-3 things they've learnt about their partner to their classmates.
3. 'All about.... ME!' quiz
When teaching online, asking Ss to draw or write details and 'exchange' them with a partner while not impossible, does demand a certain level of tech-savyness that not all your Ss may have on Day 1. An easy alternative is to make a quiz about yourself to play as a class, before setting Ss off into breakout rooms to speak in pairs.
I use kahoot to make quizzes and they work brilliantly as Ss can 'race' to submit answers and compete for points based on how much they already know or can guess about me (as I often 'inherit' entire class groups of Ss I've taught before they already know me and their classmates quite well at this point!). I've used it in face-to-face classes but it would work very well online too. Kahoot allows Ss in the classroom to play in small teams, so that you can generate some discussion of the multiple-choice options you've provided.
Typically I have questions like:
Which country am I from?/Where was I born?
How many years have I been at (name of school)?
How many pets have I got?
Which free-time activity do I do every week?
Where was my last holiday? Etc.
Play through the game, adding your own anecdotes and extra information as you go to personalise the activity a little bit.
Congratulate the winning team and if possible, have a small 'prize' available!
Ask Ss if they can remember the questions from the quiz and write them on the board.
Organise Ss into new pairs to ask and answer the same/similar questions from the quiz. If you're online, ask Ss to take a screenshot or a photo on their mobile before sending them off into new breakout rooms to carry out the task.
Again, class feedback when finished so that Ss can report back some of the things they've learnt about their partner to their classmates.
4. 'Find someone who... BINGO!'
One of the big drawbacks I find with the previous activities is that they call for a lot of pair work but not a great deal of mingling as a whole class. So an alternative, or perhaps something to use in your second lesson, is a whole-class activity like this 'Find someone who'.
Once again, this is an activity you can easily adapt for all levels. My B2-level Ss have to complete sentences with the correct prepositions, C1 Ss could be challenged to complete the statements with suitable phrasal verbs, etc.
Distribute a pre-made 'Find someone who...' bingo board (you'll find this B2-level example below) and read through the instructions.
Ss work in pairs to complete the statements with the correct preposition, before checking as a class.
Demonstrate how the mingling activity works by encouraging Ss to ask you the questions, checking that they use the correct question forms and encourage follow-up questions to anything you say "yes" to.
Ss stand up and move around the class asking each classmate several questions before moving on to find someone else. If you hear "BINGO!" too quickly, simply ask that S to continue until they have a second bingo.
Needs analysis
Some form of needs analysis is not only an incredibly valuable first-day activity for you as the teacher, but also helps your Ss to reflect on their previous learning experiences and to set some achievable goals. I find that lower-level learners generally prefer the safety of some kind of individual questionnaire; many actually appreciate a break from the very speaking- and listening-heavy first day activities. Higher-level learners are usually confident enough to complete the needs analysis as some kind of conversation or game, so here we have both options.
1. Personal interview
A simple personal interview document won't take longer than 5 minutes to create and could contain questions about:
basic personal information (name, work/studies, number of years studying English...)
why they're studying this course/English
official language exams (Have they taken any? Do they intend to in the future? Which?)
the areas of English they find easiest/most difficult
This activity is usually intended to provide a break from whole-class and paired activities, so ask your Ss to complete this quietly for a few minutes before taking some feedback as a class. I'd collect these in to look over later. You can find a simple example below.
2. Dice & question board
You can learn much of the above information with a more communicative dice & question board activity. Again, you'll find an example below you can use.
Provide each group of 2-3 Ss with one copy of the needs analysis sheet, two dice and a pen/pencil (I have these cards laminated and provide Ss with whiteboard pens to cross off the numbers as they go - I recycle them each year).
Ss take turns to throw the dice and use the total to discuss the relevant question from the board with their groupmates. This question is then crossed off so that it's not repeated.
Set a time limit and then take class feedback to see if your Ss have any common experiences/objectives.
I hope there's something here you might be able to use in any new groups you have starting soon. Have you got a 'go-to' first day activity I haven't mentioned? Please leave a comment to share!
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