Welcome to August, Happy Teachers! As we come to the start of another school year, I thought I would share some of my favorite First Week Back to School resources you can find on Happy Teacher Resources’ TPT shop. In this post, you’ll find student surveys, gallery walks, creative projects and notebook covers; anything and everything you need to start your Civics and American Government curriculum off from Day One!
I’ve got three types of Back to School resources in the shop:
First Day Student Surveys
An “All About Me” style student survey might seem formulaic for the first day of school, but there’s a reason the formula works so well! It’s a great print-and-go activity that’s easy to fit into a schedule that’s usually full of administrative drudgery, you get to learn a little bit about each student’s interests and goals for the year, and students don’t realize it, but this sort of activity also giving you an extra, secret insight into your new batch of kiddos.
Namely, can they fill out a student survey?
You get a snapshot of their handwriting, their neatness, their communication skills, how detailed they’re willing to get with their answers, or if they’re the kind of kid that just scribbles “I don’t know” under half the questions and leaves the rest blank. That is pretty valuable information to have, honestly. You’d be surprised how much you can glean about a student’s abilities and attitude just from something as simple as an “All About Me” survey!
I’ve got two up on Happy Teacher Resources:
“All About Me” First Day Activity: This is a great student survey that can apply to any subject area. There’s a digital Google Slides version included, as well!
For Civics and American Government specifically, though, I recommend:
“Vote For Me” Back to School Student Survey for Civics and American Government: Students pretend to run for President as they fill out a campaign slogan, talk about their best traits, and share what they would change about the world. You can easily segue this activity into a discussion about Civics, civic responsibilities, and how we elect representatives to implement policies we’d like to see in our country!
What is the Purpose of Government?
Now, you’ve gone through the bell schedule and the bus ramp protocol, you’ve figured out who’s getting hot lunch and how to ask for the bathroom pass, and you’ve broken enough ice to make a slushy. You’re ready to start your curriculum off as soon as possible, but also want to ease your students into the subject matter. The best advice I’ve got is to introduce your class to the central questions of your curriculum — for a class all about Civics and American Government, I consider one of the most important questions to be, “What is the purpose of government?“
For this, I have an engaging gallery walk that is perfect for the first week back to school! My “What is the Purpose of Government?” Gallery Walk guides students through the six goals of government listed in the Preamble of the United States Constitution. Students explore a gallery walk of over 30 images, quotes, newspaper headlines that show the American government in action.
This activity is a great way to show students how their government actually affects their daily lives — plus, they’ll get a preview of the importance of the United States Constitution!
For more U.S. Constitution Preamble resources, click here!
Civics & Citizenship
Most Civics curriculums start with Citizenship and Civic Duties in the first quarter, which makes these next two products ideal for the first week back to school! Following the idea of introducing students to key questions, I’d like to recommend to you: “What is Civics?” Back to School Gallery Walk and “What Does it Mean to be a Good Citizen?” One-Pager Project!
In the “What is Civics?” Back to School Gallery Walk students travel the room in a gallery walk showcasing the various rights and responsibilities of American citizens as they form a working definition of the word “Civics.” The first week in school, and kids are actively engaging with your curriculum and delving into topics they’ll be learning about all year long! This is a great introductory activity that students will love — and learn a lot from!
In my What Does it Mean to be a Good Citizen?” One-Pager Project, pictured at the top of this blog post, students brainstorm five traits of good citizens in a class discussion, then illustrate each trait in their Good Citizen One-Pager. This is such a cute activity, and perfect for a Back to School bulletin board!
Whether you’re excited to get back in the classroom again or dreading hearing that first bell ring, I hope you know Happy Teacher Resources is here to make your teaching experience a little bit easier! I have a ton of Civics resources up on TPT, including bulletin boards, bell ringers, and anything else you might need as you head back to school. Be sure to give the store a follow, so you always know when a new resource drops!
As always,
Happy Teaching 🙂