All About Me First Week of School Activity

Another fun way to engage your learners from the first day of school is to take a moment to get to know them. This builds rapport and helps you quickly gain insight into some of the new personalities you have in your science classroom.

Task

Students are tasked with creating a one-page comic that highlights who they are. The comic provided by Cool School Comics prompts learners to think about hobbies, pets, favorite foods, and more.

One-Pager Templates

Three different one-pager templates are provided for this project. Each template increases creative freedom. The first template provides a prompt in each window. This makes it easier for students to come up with ideas if they are struggling.

The two additional templates do not have prompts and allow students the freedom to create whatever they wish.

The Benefits

This first week of school activity gives students the opportunity to feel seen in their new classroom. By giving them a medium to express themselves, it helps them feel welcomed. While the activity is not directly science-related, it does let them know, right from the first day, that they are part of the classroom community.

Lab Safety Overview

When it comes to lab safety, how do you get their attention and keep it? Simply going over the rules can result in a lot of disengaged students. This important information needs to presented in a manner that will grab their attention and keep them engaged.

Task

Cover the aspects of lab safety in a manner that is not boring.

Lab Safety Comic / Anchor Chart Poster

With graphic novels being such a trend right now, educators need to use comics as much as possible. They are sure to grab attention and engage today’s learners in reading.

The Cool School Comics has created a lab safety poster that is both funny and to the point. Your learners will be instantly roped in and excited to spend a part of their first week of school reviewing lab safety rules.

Interactive Notebook Covers

Interactive notebooks are a valuable instructional tool in science classrooms. They foster active learning, organization, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration among students. So, it should come as no surprise that many science teachers opt to start these notebooks during the first week of school.

Task

Inspire students to take ownership and pride in their interactive notebooks right from the get-go.

Interactive Notebook Covers that Rock

One way to get them excited about their interactive notebooks is to have them create attractive and cool covers. Cool School Comics has you covered (see what I did there).

With over twenty design choices, students can personalize their interactive notebooks with the trendy comic style. Each cover includes clipart of a variety of science topics allowing you the opportunity to select covers that align with your curriculum.

Benefits

Interactive notebooks require students to actively engage with the material rather than passively copying notes. One of the key advantages of interactive notebooks is their organizational structure. Students learn to categorize information into sections such as vocabulary, notes, diagrams, and reflections.

Every student has a unique learning style, and interactive notebooks cater to a variety of preferences. Visual learners benefit from colorful diagrams and illustrations, while kinesthetic learners enjoy hands-on activities like cutting, pasting, and creating foldables. Auditory learners can benefit from discussions and verbal explanations during notebook reviews.

Using interactive notebooks teaches students valuable study skills such as note-taking, summarizing, and reviewing. By actively engaging in the creation and maintenance of their notebooks, students develop organizational habits that can benefit them in all areas of their academic career.