On the first day of school it is important for students to become familiar with their personal work spaces, lockers or cubbies. Arranging desks in clusters of four or seating four children at a table offers them a chance to connect with others. Lay out name tags so that students know where to sit and where to keep their things. Allow them some time to meet those around them. Distribute any necessary supplies and encourage the children to decorate their name tags and make self-portraits with a few words or sentences about themselves underneath. You can hang these self-portraits around the room or on their lockers.
Most third grade teachers conduct a morning meeting at the start of the day. Gather the students together and begin introductions. Introduce yourself and any assistants in your classroom. Form a circle and allow the children to introduce themselves and share a favorite book, color or food, and something they did over the summer. This activity helps students get to know each other and gives them something to remember about each person. You can use a ball and have each child roll the ball to someone else when they finish speaking. You can teach the children how to give a proper handshake when meeting someone new. Let them pass a handshake around the circle. Talk about good communication skills such as making eye contact and speaking clearly. Next familiarize the class with your morning meeting routines, which might include reading a morning message, noting the date and how many days you've been in school, and reviewing the day's schedule. This is also a great time to read a story such as "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg. In this book, a character is nervous about her first day of school. In the end, the reader learns that the character is the teacher. Finally, invite the students to help you create a class constitution. Together, generate a list of classroom rules that will help create a safe, respectful learning environment. Have all the children sign the bottom.
The classroom will be new to most students. Take them on a tour and show them important areas or features of the room. For instance, show them where the pencil sharpener is and tell them when they are allowed to use it. Show them the classroom jobs chart, where finished work goes or where to find different kinds of books. In addition, take the class on a tour of the school. Although some students may already be familiar with every area of the school building, this activity gives you an opportunity to remind children of proper behavior for walking in the hallway.
Play some games that help children relax and learn more about each other. You can do a classroom scavenger hunt, requiring them to find different objects in the room. You can also do a human scavenger hunt and give them a list with instructions such as, "Find someone who rides the bus to school" or "Find someone who has a younger sibling." They can wander around the room asking each other questions and signing each other's sheets.