How Do You Start Class?

At this point in the school year, students know your teaching style and routine. They have a certain expectation that you have set as an educator when they walk through your doors. Some teachers start class with a question, some have students complete a warm-up, some use QR codes, and some simply jump right into the lesson. Depending on what you teach, these can be all great ways to start a class/lesson. I wanted to share some things that I do daily in which I feel have been fun for the students and get their minds ready to learn.

1. First, I have my objectives, warm-up, and procedure on the projector screen for the students. They know to look their first before doing anything.

2. As students are beginning the warm-up or logging into Blackboard, I have a joke ready for them. As dumb as my jokes may be, they get the students smiling which can be hard to do for many students in high school. CLICK HERE for a great resource of jokes for teachers!

3. I usually give them 2-3 "fun facts" of the day. Even at the high school level students are amazed to know that "2 million videos are added to YouTube everyday." I get my facts from Uber-Facts.com. Note: Most are clean facts but some can be inappropriate. Just be careful what you share!

4. Lastly before we jump into the lesson, I will show them 2-3 of the top headlines from USA Today, Mashable, CNN, or Forbes. Sometimes it is a short video clip, info-graphic, interesting tech news, etc. As much as our students live on their phones and social media, it amazes me how little they know about what goes on outside of their bubble they call school. Usually these will spark some lively discussions.

All of this takes only 3-5 minutes but to me it is extremely worth it. Some will argue that I am wasting several valuable minutes of instruction time. I will argue back that I am prepping the brain to maximum learning. By capturing students attention in the beginning of class, I have them ready to engage, collaborate, and learn. 

What are some ways you get your class going and ready to kick butt? Would love to hear some new ideas! Thanks.

-RD