As students are introduced to one another at the beginning of the new school year, playing group activities allows them to form relationships quickly. The game "Hot Seat" is a fun, fast-paced activity that allows students to learn about each other. Ask a volunteer to sit in front of the class. For three minutes, classmates may call out questions for him to answer. Keep count of how many questions the student in the hot seat answers. Call another volunteer to try to answer more questions.
Another activity that encourages students to work together is called "Alphabetical Order." As students enter the classroom, ask each on to write her name on a name tag and place it on her shirt. When all classmates are present, instruct them to line up against the wall in alphabetical order using their first names.
Vary the methods used to get students reading each day. Read a short story by echo reading. Read a small section of text (or have another fluent reader read), and encourage students to mimic the reading aloud using the same pace and voice inflection. Students can also listen to a professional reader as they read along with a CD. Upper-elementary students' confidence in reading improves when they are partnered with a lower-elementary student reading buddy. Meet together frequently throughout the school year, and teach the older student to read patiently with the fledgling reader.
Scientific activities allow students to observe proven principles in action. Many teachers begin the school year with this explosive activity to excite students about science. Bring a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke to an open area outdoors. Drop in a package of mint MENTOS candies. The gum arabic coating on the candy reacts with the aspartame in the Diet Coke creating a copious amount of bubbles. A fountain of soda will shoot up to 20 feet into the air. Another hands-on activity involves observing the release of water tension. Fill a bowl with water. Sprinkle a tablespoon of black pepper across the surface of the water. Allow students to touch the water's surface with a dab of soap on their finger. The soap breaks down the water tension causing the surface layer of water to rush to the edge of the bowl. The black pepper will be carried with the surface layer of water, making the reaction easier to observe.
Math skills improve with practice. Rather than using more worksheets, give your students the practice they need to master skills by using math activities. Play "Multiplication Top-It" by removing the face cards from a deck of playing cards and dealing the rest of the cards, face down, between two students. They both turn over the top two cards and multiply the numbers they see. The player with the higher product keeps all four cards. If the product is the same, players turn over two more cards to reveal a new product. The player with the higher product keeps all the cards. Play continues until one player holds all the cards. Another activity to practice math skills involves a beachball and permanent marker. Write the factors to be practiced all over a beachball. Toss the ball to a student. Instruct him to multiply, add or subtract the two numbers his hands land on. Keep tossing the ball to other students in the class for more practice.