First Day of English Class Ideas for the New Normal

After the past school year, we have been thinking hard to offer you ideas for the first days of English class, considering the new normal.

What does "new normal" imply?

It fundamentally implies carrying out activities that involve minimal possible contact, without ceasing to be fun and collaborative and also, that if we unfortunately return to virtual or semi-in-person school, they can be easily adapted.

Furthermore, we have considered the importance of digital literacy that we have to work on with our students from the first day in several of them, to make it as comprehensive as possible.

So, without further delay, we present what we have prepared for you. Pay attention because at the end of this post, you can access a downloadable pdf with all the ideas we show you plus extra very interesting ones.

IDEA 1: ACROSTIC GAME

In this activity, we will give each student a paper on which they will have to write their name vertically. With each letter of their name, they must write a word that describes them and that includes that letter, whether at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Afterwards, we will share all the documents.

DURATION: 30’
MATERIALS: pencil and paper
SPACE: classroom

IDEA 2: WHAT A PERFORMANCE!

The game consists of a genially board with a die and squares where we will put Say, do and act. It also includes cards with different actions grouped into those 3 themes. The children advance squares and reach the end when they get to the final star, winning the game (it is a game to practice speaking and dramatization).

DURATION: 60´
MATERIALS: genially board, genially die, genially tokens and cards
SPACE: classroom (digital whiteboard or computer necessary)

IDEA 3: BRAIN CHALLENGE

The game consists of 20 cards with different images related to words close to the children and typical of this time of the year: school things, family, home…

The children observe each card for one minute. Then the card is turned over and they can no longer see it. They are asked questions to try to remember details of the image (it is a speaking game to also work on memory).

DURATION: 45´
MATERIALS: cards, timer and die
SPACE: classroom

IDEA 4: WE ARE STARS!

This dynamic is designed for the first days of the school year; it will help us get to know our students a little and do a small initial assessment of their oral expression. In all probability, our students will already know each other from the previous year, which will make the questions and answers more fluid. If any student joins the group in the present school year, they will also feel integrated into the dynamic.

On half a sheet of paper, each student will draw a star; at the vertices they will write a word or a number that is related to some aspect of their life. The rest of the classmates, in turns, will ask if that number or word corresponds to something specific; for example:

2→ do you have two sisters?

Lizard→ is it your pet?

The teacher can start by showing their star and answering questions, this way the rules of the game will be clearer and the students will be encouraged to participate.

We can keep the stars in some corner of the classroom.

MATERIAL: PAPER AND PENCIL
SPACE: CLASSROOM
DURATION: 45 min

GROUPING: In a large group, organized in a circle (we will occupy all available space, keeping separation between students).

IDEA 5: REVISION WITH BADMINTON

Dynamic to review vocabulary the first days of school using badminton. First we set up the court using a rope and two chairs to establish the fields. They play in pairs, each in their part of the court to maintain safety distance. We give them fly swatters or rackets and a badminton shuttlecock. The game starts and each time a player scores in the opponent's field, the teacher shows them a flashcard that they must name in English or a flashcard that they must identify to get a point (It can be done with flashcards for lower levels and with sentences for higher levels). The rest of the class cheers while waiting their turn.

DURATION: 45 min
MATERIALS: Small rackets or fly swatters and badminton shuttlecock.
SPACE: Classroom if there is space, patio or gym.

IDEA 6: TABOO

Dynamic to review vocabulary and speaking the first days of school using a taboo game. The class is divided into two teams maintaining safety distance and they are given the sheet with their words corresponding to each of the team members who must explain to the opposing team. An example is attached that can be modified to the vocabulary you want to work on.

DURATION: 45 min
MATERIALS: Sheet.
SPACE: Classroom if there is space, patio or gym.

IDEA 7: GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Dynamic to get to know each other better. We can all fill it out together in class and then the students must paste or draw the required photos. Afterwards, to practice speaking, they can ask each other questions using the sheet to get to know the nearest classmate better, always maintaining safety measures. An example is attached.

DURATION: 45 min
MATERIALS: Sheet.
SPACE: Classroom if there is space, patio or gym.

IDEA 8: GUESS MY EMOTIONS

Start-of-course worksheet to review emotions using the eyes and eyebrows to reflect emotions, but covering the mouth with masks (new reality). The worksheet can be blank faces with a mask so they can reflect emotions with their eyes and eyebrows.

The students are going to guess the emotions that their classmates represent, but with an added difficulty, they are going to use the mask; with it on they are going to make gestures only with their face and their classmates are going to guess the emotion. The one who performs the emotion mime chooses a classmate who, if they guess correctly, will get a sticker to stick on their mask. Each student can only go out once to mime and each student can only guess another time.

IDEA 9: ALL ABOUT ME

We as teachers are going to prepare our own box so that the students get to know us a little better, especially if we are new.

We take a box and decorate it with the downloadable material that we leave you below, or as each one wants, we fill it with things that speak a little about us, something we like, something we don't like, that we love… for example in my case, a notebook or a teacher’s book since we are teachers, some music record or an instrument because I love music, something about London since we are English teachers, a drawing of a snowflake because I love winter and hate summer… something from our childhood… some food we like or postcards from places we have traveled to… some book because I like to read and they can also be used in activities later to read to the little ones…

How we will develop the activity

First we will arouse curiosity about a strange box that is there and with quite a bit of drama we will open it and show the students what it contains, naming each of the objects so that they become familiar with the vocabulary, always using simple phrases like ” I Like…”, “My favourite…” ” I hate…” after telling them the structures several times I will ask them, and we will put them back in the box. Then, to work a little on memory and vocabulary, I will ask them about the objects, for example which was my favorite or which is the one I hate or love, and thus work once more on the structures and learned vocabulary.

For the next session, I will ask them to bring something from home that defines them but it doesn't have to be such a big box but some object, that is, put in a box where it says, like mine, “All about me” so that they can get to know each other a little better among classmates and we can also get to know them.

DURATION: FIRST SESSION
MATERIALS: A BOX, MATERIAL THAT YOU HAVE AT HOME AND DEFINES US
SPACE: each one at their desk or in a circle maintaining safety distance.

IDEA 10: THE PREDICTION GAME

We are going to create a magical atmosphere in class and we are going to become "fortune tellers". To make it more realistic, we can pretend that we have a crystal ball that shows us the future or anything we have on hand, we can make them believe it is magical.

Once the atmosphere is created, the teacher will make a series of predictions that will happen throughout the year, and will invite the students to do the same.

Finally, so that there is evidence of our powers, the students must complete a worksheet with predictions about themselves. They must answer in each of the blanks thinking about how they will be at the end of the school year.

This worksheet will be kept until the month of June, when the degree of accuracy of each student will be checked.

DURATION: 45 min
MATERIALS: Crystal ball and parchment-shaped worksheets
SPACE: Classroom

IDEA 11: FIND A FRIEND

Each student is given a downloadable. Before starting, we explain the game and read the sentences with our students so that everyone understands them and knows how to ask the questions. Then, we go out to the patio to play the game. They must ask questions to their classmates and write the name of whoever has done it. Depending on the number of students, they may or may not repeat the name of their classmates. When everyone has it filled out, we go up to class and we can ask the questions again and make a graph on the digital whiteboard with Canva with the people who have done each activity in the summer.

DURATION: 30 min
MATERIALS: downloadable, pencil and eraser
SPACE: Patio

IDEA 12: CLASS PHOTO KAHOOT

New class? Here is a kahoot idea to help you and your students memorize each other's names. To prepare this activity, ask your students to send you their photos. Create the questions with their photographs and several names as options.

If the students already know each other from other years, you can vary the kahoot and instead of writing their names as an option, you can put data about them like their birthday, their parents' names, their favorite artist…

DURATION: 10 min
MATERIALS: Computers or tablets
SPACE: Classroom or computer room

IDEA 13: FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR I WISH…

In this activity we will give each of our students a sheet of paper and a pencil. The first thing we are going to do is write on the board: For this school year I wish… and we will explain that they must write on the paper what they wish to learn or know, during this school year, for example: For this school year I wish to learn more about China.

Next, and once everyone has written their wish on the paper, we will show them how to make a paper airplane (a simple one, nothing like boeing 747s). Once all the students have their airplane, in better or worse condition, we will tell them to close their eyes, count to 3 and throw it towards the board.

Once we have all the airplanes on the floor, we will begin to discover one by one what our students have written.

DURATION: 45’
MATERIALS: paper and pencil
SPACE: classroom

IDEA 14: BINGO WITH FRIENDS

During this activity the students are going to get to know their classmates' tastes a little more. For this, each student will have a bingo card that they must complete with different names.

Walking around the class they will have to ask their classmates until they find someone who answers yes to any of the questions they have in the different squares of their cards. Once they complete all the squares with a name, they must shout BINGO.

DURATION: 20 min
MATERIALS: Bingo cards
SPACE: Classroom or patio

IDEA 15: CLASSMATES´ COMPARISONS

To carry out the activity we are going to need a Venn Diagram (downloadable).

We give each child a Venn Diagram and a pencil.

Each student will have a couple of minutes to introduce themselves from their seat to the rest of their classmates. We encourage them to talk about their likes, hobbies, things that make them unique, things we have in common, etc.

Indicate them to find at least three things they have in common with other classmates and write them in the center of the diagram.

Indicate them to find at least three things that make them unique and different from the rest of their classmates and write them on the sides of the Diagram, as appropriate.

At the end of the activity they will show and comment on the result of their diagram with the rest of the class.

We can also participate and be one more member of the activity.

Duration: 45 minutes.
Material: Venn Diagram and pencil.
Space: Classroom

IDEA 16: BIRTHDAY GIFTS

The students will distribute themselves forming a circle that occupies all the space, keeping a meter and a half distance between each of them.

The teacher will begin the oral activity by saying to a student, “for your birthday I will get you a… (something that starts with the letter A)”.

That student will say thank you and continue with the dynamic. “thanks for (something that starts with the letter A).” Then this same student will ask another classmate the initial question. “for your birthday I will get you a… (something that starts with the letter B).

This second student will thank for the two gifts they have received: “thanks for (something that starts with the letter A+B).”

In this way, we will review vocabulary (from the same semantic field or not) using all the letters of the alphabet and forming chains of words.

ACTIVITY: BIRTHDAY GIFTS
DURATION: 30’
MATERIALS: No material.
SPACE: classroom

IDEA 17: WHEN I WAS AT HOME

The activity is speaking, the A3 sheet or cardboard is given in class and the students prepare it at home. The students must draw the 6 things.