Going back to school can be stressful for EVERYONE! So clearly including Back to School Activities for High School is vital!
Students are running around the hallways, trying to figure out where they are supposed to go, walking around like they have never been to school before, etc. Plus, we as teachers are expected to have detailed, engaging lesson plans, but we know that administrators are moving students around within the first two weeks, attempting to jigsaw kids’ schedules together. There are so many students in and out out of your classroom, especially in middle and high school.
So this scenario is why we NEED lessons and back to school activities for high school and middle school to be simple yet engaging. You might not be able to start a unit yet or begin reading your first novel on the district-sanctioned pacing chart. And that is okay! Take it easy; have a plan, but go day by day…
Below are some of my favorite Back To School Activities for High School and Middle School Students!
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4 Back to School Activities for High School and Middle School
1. Visualize using Social Media
Let’s face it. Our students are consumed by social media. And if we were honest with ourselves, so are we. One way to engage students right at the beginning of the year is to capitalize on this obsession. In a good way, of course! Our students are always on their phones, so let’s put that knowledge to good use!
You can teach back to school activities for high school that include a FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL social media post!
Everyone can relate to what it feels like on your first day of school. Throughout the summer, we build this day up in our heads with images of the perfect schedule, an awesome outfit, and encouraging friends who get to see us for the first time in months, and that’s just the teachers 😉 Our students go through the exact same emotions! If they are in middle or high school for the very first time, then their fears can be even more daunting.
One easy activity we could incorporate is to have students create their IDEAL & REALISTIC First Day of School scenarios by creating social media posts! If you want to make this day even more stress-free, check out the pack below with back to school activities for high school that include organizers, rubrics, and teacher examples!
Need ideas for goal setting at the start of the year? Click below!
2. Write and Depict a PERFECT First Day of School
I can remember my first days and weeks of high school. The experiences stuck with me, and I don’t think I will ever forget them. Too many episodes of “Saved By The Bell” prepared me for an absolute let-down! There was no perfect schedule. They just put you in whatever class you supposedly needed. There was no awesome outfit. We wore private school uniforms. There was no group of friends awaiting my arrival. I was completely new, and because this school taught kindergarten through high school, many of the kids had been with each other for a decade!
Wow, I had such an anticlimactic first day. And it was so nerve-wracking.
Why not have students write about their own expectations as a part of back to school activities for high school? When we write, we learn! Putting everything on paper can be so relaxing and helpful! Afterward, if students are willing to share out, they might realize that all of us want the first day to be “Perfect” in our own way!
Click below to read about 13 Short Story Must-Reads for 9th graders!
3. Create a Film Scene or Movie Poster
We all love a good movie! And so do our students. When teachers and students are off for summer break, the go-to is the television or computer to watch whatever piques our interest! Why not make our students the stars of their own movies?
#1 BACK TO SCHOOL MOVIE POSTER
Directions: Create a MOVIE POSTER based on your IDEAL or REALISTIC BACK TO SCHOOL experience! Be sure to include the following: title, tagline, images, director, actors, release date, credits, etc.
Directions: Create a FILM SCENE based on your IDEAL or REALISTIC BACK TO SCHOOL experience! Be sure to consider the characters, setting, actions, and dialogue. Then, write a narration paragraph to introduce the scene.
Is the end of the year a stressful time? Make it stress-free! Click to read 11 Fun End of Year Activities for Middle School and High School Students!
4. Help Students to Set Goals
Setting goals is a FUN way to engage your middle and high school students as they start out the new school year! They can write about SETTING GOALS with a focus on the emotional, mental, physical, and/or spiritual areas of their lives!
We all have areas that could use a little improvement 🙂 And I don’t know about you, but I am a huge goal-setter! I have an entire Trello board dedicated to my goals.
Assisting our students in creating goals and making a plan for action can help with school, but it can also help in the real world.
SAMPLE BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL:
DIRECTIONS: Think about some ways you can grow emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually throughout this next year. List 1 or more goals in each category and explain how you might achieve each goal. Use specific examples to support your ideas! If you don’t want to make a personal goal, explain how someone, in general, could grow in each area.
Showing your students your own personal and career goals will be so helpful. Of course, they don’t have to be entirely real, but realistic is the goal.
I set goals for myself all of the time. This process includes daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly goals. Guiding our students through setting their own goals will help them in their academic lives and ultimately in their personal lives as well!
Include back to school activities for high school by clicking below!
#2 Goals Writing Activity
DIRECTIONS: Think about some ways you can grow emotionally, mentally, and/or physically this next year. How might you achieve at least 2 goals in 2 different areas? Use specific examples to support your ideas in at least 1 fully developed paragraph.
You can also offer differentiated options for students who struggle with writing. You can ask for 1, 2, or 3 paragraphs or more. It is totally up to you; however, even at the start of the year, we want to set our expectations high. Encouraging students to write, even on the very first day of school, helps to set the academic tone for your classroom!
Too often, students go from classroom to classroom on the first day listening to a syllabus reading, reviewing classroom rules and procedures, or participating in a “fun” yet random getting to know you game. But so many classes are doing this.
Why not include a relevant, personal, and rigorous activity at the start of this new school year?
*Providing an example for students to read can be really helpful as you include more back to school activities for high school! So check out the pack below for differentiated back to school activities for high school!
Why do we need FUN and ENGAGING back to school activities for high school and middle school when we have so much to accomplish by the end of the year?
- Teachers and students need time to get to know each other.
- Students need to know we care beyond the required academics.
- Fun activities can help create connections with other students.
- We can encourage critical thinking and writing without the stress of a long project.
- At the end of the year, we can go back and reflect on the very beginning.
Let’s make this new school year one for the books with easy-to-use back to school activities for high school in the ULTIMATE BUNDLE!
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