What is a good first day (or week) problem or skill to teach my third grade students?

Question

I would like my student to be able to answer excitedly "What did you learn at school today?" Whether it's a fun way to spell a big word or a easy way to complete a math problem..... Any ideas?

Answer 1

My honest advice is the first week should be HEAVILY centered around expectations. So, students should be learning how to sit, sharpen a pencil, take out a book, move around the room, line up, turn in papers, get your attention, blow their nose, write on paper, answer a question, use the restroom, etc. If you do not focus your week more on this than academics... You are in for a rough year. However, see what you are saying. Just find something they all enjoy like a cartoon or book and do some phonics, art, fluency, etc. to go with it. I am sorry, I am at a loss. I am just trying to plan the expectations, haven't gotten to the actual academics yet.

Answer 2

The first week of school I focus heavily on procedures.  I too, teach third grade, and expect respect at all times.  It seems strange to expect it all the time from 8 and 9 year olds, but if you set the tone the first week, and stick to it, It is amazing!

If you're looking for the answer to "what did you learn today?" you could set it up so that one day, the answer could be "We learned the WRONG way to walk in the hall!  It was great!"  Another day it could be "We learned the WRONG way to stack our chairs."  or "line up" or "get snack" the possibilities are endless.  I know, it sounds strange, but kids do get a kick out of learning something that isn't correct.

Every year I use non-examples to hook the kids.  I do silly things such as model the wrong way to pass a pencil to a friend (throw it across the room after I shout "here, I've got one!") and the right way (tap my friend with the pencil, and no talking.)  The wrong way to be in the hall (stomping feet, dragging feet to make squeaky noises, talking loudly, hands on my neighbor) and the right way (quiet, soft feet, hands at my side, mouth shut, eyes ahead.)  The wrong way to line up (run into line, poke my neighbor, stand backwards, bump into everyone around me and talk) and the right way (slowly push in my chair quietly and walk into line, face forward, keep my hands at my side)

The feedback I get from parents at conferences during the 2nd week of school is quite amusing.  Some even ask if I really did throw a marker across the room and fall into line.  Like I said, it sounds strange, but the skill I want my students to learn right off the bat, one of the hardest to teach is respect.

Oh yeah, one vocabulary word that goes along with it is "dendrite" which is a new connection in your brain.  It happens when you learn something new.  It's a fun side note to learning these new "routines" that the kids are building new dendrites every time they learn something new.

Good luck and have fun!  I love third grade!

Answer 3

I agree with Open Admin, I think you should center aroung expectations the first week. Introduce class room objects, yourself, what they can/cannot do, certain fun things they will learn, and etc.

Answer 4

My first day of ninth grade, the teacher taught us that the large muscle in your neck (the one that runs up the side) is called the sternocleidomastoid.  He said 'So when you go home today, and your parents asked you what you learned, you've got something to tell them!'

30 years later, I still remember.