Looking for ideas for the first day of school? Go to MiddleSchoolScience.com and click on "Odds & Ends" (she uses frames so I can't give you the direct link).

This is a nice description of how one teacher organizes herself and her class, including some first day of school activities. I would also like to invite the experienced teachers to post below (click on "contribute an answer") some examples of what you have done as opening day activities (aside from all the administrative paperwork). Thanks!

-- Michael Gatton (mg143@aol.com), August 30, 2001

Answers

Here's another source of ideas for the first day, the ScienceSpot's Idea Factory. First day of school, class starters, links to similar sites that I haven't had time to review.

-- Michael Gatton (mg143@aol.com), August 31, 2001.

Here's an idea from A to Z Teacher Tips with an addition from me at the end:

Introducing Science ..
Submitted by: Karen Wilson, Grades 3-6
A great introduction to Science at the beginning of the year is to talk about scientist. Give your students a piece of white paper and tell them to draw what they think a scientist looks like. Let them have about 10 minutes or so to do this. Then instruct students to write on the paper what they think a scientist does. Encourage them to use a word or short phrase. Ex. read, study, mixes things, experiments, observes, etc. After a few minutes, have students put their pencils down and ask them to share different words that they wrote. Ask the students, Do you read? Have you ever experimented with things? What about things in the kitchen? Have you ever created something? Objective is for the students to realize that they are all scientist. A scientist does not have a particular look. They are all scientists.

A couple of years ago I "deputized" my students as scientists because I noticed that sometimes when I asked a question, the response would be "I don't know, I'm not a scientist." So I made them all scientists. They were sworn in with an oath along the lines of:

(Repeat after me) I will always use the methods and habits of science, among them observation, asking questions, research, logic, creativity, cooperation, communication, and openness to new ideas, to seek answers to questions about the physical world around me.

or something hokey like that -- you can get creative or corney as you like. I pronounced them all scientists.

-- Michael Gatton (mg143@aol.com), August 31, 2001.