FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL lesson plans

 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I love the first day of school.  I try to make my class stand out on the first day by making it fun, meaningful, and memorable.  Here's what I do for my beginners and HERE is a link to the actual slides:

1. As students come into the room, I greet them with excitement and energy. I have fun music blasting and instructions on my screen:

2. When I bell rings, I welcome students and start introducing our class theme for the school year. This year my theme is POWER UP.  I start by sharing a YouTube video of what super heroes look like without the special effects.  I tell them that super heroes are special because they can do things the average person is not able to do.  But it's not real!  But the amazing thing is there is real power inside of you.  We discuss what kind of power we have to harness in order to learn new skills and make progress.  We watch couple short clips from YouTube about the difference between talent and skill.  All students are capable to learn an instrument.  We watch a short video with Rob Landes demonstrate the progress on the violin from the first minute up to a several years.  The amazing thing is that all of us have this ability super ability to grow and improve at whatever we decide to work on.

3. After introducing the theme, I tell students that it is time to POWER UP.  It's time to start putting forth the right kind of effort and focus to learn how to be amazing.  I teach important procedures in with entertaining stories and we practice following procedures.

4.  Students get their custom folders and write their names on it with a sharpie.  Inside the folder are items they need for the first week.  

5. Time to start learning!  We pass out straws and I teach students hold to hold a bow using the straw with fun music in the background.  We move together and practice bow exercises.  Then I tell them I am paying them to come to school today and I give them each a penny.  They practice balancing the penny on top of the straw. I challenge them to a game of 'minute to win it' the next day.  They are instructed to put the straw and pennies in their folder and to practice for tomorrow.

6. We talk about the need to practice and put in effort at least a tiny bit each day. They are given and tracker to help guide their practice.  It very simple and doable.  I guide students through a short information sheet and teach students how to hand in papers...I use these papers to make my seating charts for the next day.

7. I quickly review the supplies students need for the class so students who don't yet have instruments can begin the process of renting.

8. If time, we do a 'first day survey' where students answer some fun questions.