7 UNIQUE Ways To Begin Class

The first few minutes of class is the PRIMER that sets the stage for how the rest of the period goes! It is the TIME that a teacher has to bring students IN and HOOK them. When students transition from period to period, a lot happens between those minutes before they enter your classroom. Instead of jumping right into your material, give students an opportunity to get into the "learning mindset" you want them to be in for your lesson. I have found that when I take time to do these quick activities before I dive into the content, I am able to create a better sense of community and build stronger relationships with students. Also, you have given their brains a chance to transition from their last class or relationship drama in the hallway!

1. Jokes: Laughter calms and brings us all together. There are thousands of free short-clean jokes on the internet. CLICK HERE for tons of quick and easy to use jokes!

2. Fun Facts: No matter what content you teach, there is always something fascinating and unique to share with students. Here are some fun ones! 50 AWESOME facts about everything!

3. Storytelling: What did we use to learn before PowerPoints and Prezi's? STORYTELLING! How often do you open with a compelling story the relates to life or your content? CHALLENGE: Pick a lesson you are teaching this week or next and write down how you can OPEN with a story instead of saying, "OK class, today we are learning about XYZ."

4. Brainteasers/Puzzles: In order to keep the mind sharp, it needs challenged from time to time. Using brainteasers or puzzles on the board before class gives students a chance to get the "thinking motor" cranked up! CLICK HERE for my favorite site to get brainteasers and puzzles.

5. News: Powerful learning happens when we bring the real-world into our classrooms and lessons. As a business teacher, I try to share interesting stories and videos where applicable. It often opens up some awesome debates and discusions. Some of my favorite sites are Flocabulary for the weekly rap news recap, Mashable for technology and business news, and Twitter for trending stories!

6. Meditation: The mind is constantly going 24/7. Students are as stressed out as ever because they are constantly connected. Why not use apps like CALM OR HEADSPACE for 2-3 minutes to let them practice breathing, scanning their bodies, and relaxing the mind? IT WORKS and we need to be teaching students these coping and calming skills so they can better perform in school and life!

7.  Soft Skills: Get students up and interacting right off the bat! Put up wacky questions on the board like "If you could be a superhero for a day, who woud you be?" OR "If you won a million dollars, what would do with it?" Let them talk and discuss unique ideas. Lastly, practicing handshakes, eye-contact, and non-verbal skills are so important in an ever changing digital-world. 

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts on the 7 UNIQUE ways to start class with your students. Be bold. Be unique!

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