Back to School: First Week of School Activities - Middle and High School English

Get ready for back-to-school and your first week of school activities without jumping head-first into serious course content. This bundle for secondary ELA/English includes all the back-to-school essentials you need. From your course syllabus/expectations to an engaging theme review lesson and fun this or that activity, you’ll have your first week handled without spending your precious last days of summer sitting in front of your computer. 

Here’s what you’ll find in this back-to-school essentials bundle:

Days 1 and 2:

1. Welcome new students into your classroom with this digital daily agenda template. You’ll have a consistent, recognizable format to share important information with your students. And the coffeehouse themed background? Well, that’s just a vibe. All you need is a coffee shop playlist and your classroom will be the place to be. 
2. This infographic class expectations/syllabus template presents that same-old-same-old information in a visually engaging way. Trying to avoid being at the front of the room all day? Consider having students look for the most important details by completing the included scavenger hunt activity. 
3. Whether you choose to break out colored pencils and markers in class or send it home with students, this All About Me template is a great introductory activity for your middle school or high school students. With it, you’ll get some insight into your new students both personally and academically. 
   

Days 3-5:

1. This accessible, high-interest theme review activity using well-known animated short films is a fun, but meaningful way to spend three days in the first week of school. Students review the difference between topics, themes, and morals; the characteristics of a good theme statement; practice identifying theme statements and conclude the activity by writing their own. 
   

When You Have Time:

As a bonus, we’ve included a This or That? icebreaker activity. With 25 prompts, you can spread them out over the course of the whole first week, or do a full class period get-to-know-you and binge all 25 prompts in one go!

Click the links to learn more about each resource included in this Back to School: First Week of School Activities for Secondary ELA bundle. Don’t forget to check out each product's preview for more details.

1. Digital Daily Agenda Template for Google Slides - Coffee Shop Vibes
2. Minimal Infographic Syllabus/Class Expectations Template
3. All About Me Template for Middle and High School Students
4. Identifying Themes and Writing Theme Statements - Secondary ELA Review and Practice

Questions? Let us know in the Q&A or email us. We’re here to help you have a successful start to your school year.

Related Resource: 

Want to keep the theme momentum going and roll your first week of school activity into your first unit of the year? Check out this week-long theme activity Supporting Theme Using Character Analysis. Using an animated adventure movie as the text, students relate the protagonist’s change over the course of the film to a theme statement they generate for the movie. Has English class ever been so fun?

Standards Addressed:

CCSS CCRA.R.1

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

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