Lesson Deli Hop: Don't do this, instead try this!

For years I've been seeing these "getting to know you/me" worksheet/scrap book pages for the first day/week of school. They are fun, and the kids really love to tell everyone about themselves. But I just don't really understand why they are so big. I guess that's one difference between a classroom teacher and a private tutor. We get to know our students on different levels.

My first priority, when working with a new student, is to discover the most I can about their unique skills and abilities right away. This really helps me cater our lessons to their exact needs, which is often very different from one student to the next, even when we're working on the same or similar concepts. This is one area I sincerely tip my hat to all of you classroom teachers out there!

Part of my intake process included a Multiple Intelligences survey. I downloaded a free copy from a trusted source, and have used it for more than 2 years. It helps to a degree, but really wasn't enough for my purposes. So I got to work ;)

This spring and summer I've been fine tuning my survey to include goal setting and intelligence building ideas. I've even added a PowerPoint Presentation to use as a teaching tool, so students aren't only helping me get to know them, but they are learning more about themselves and how they learn. It's exciting to the student and their parent realize why some things have been so difficult for so long and why some things just come so easily. 

So, now I'm ready to share this with the world of teachers out there. Here's a new and improved way to get to know your students in the first day/week of school. You'll know a lot more than their favorite food and where they vacationed over the summer. Now you will know who is who in the classroom, and this will help you plan your lessons all year, to really meet the needs of your students. 

Here's what it looks like:

1. PowerPoint Presentation

2. Posters

3. Student Booklets (covers for girls and boys, and I"m working on an older version right now)

4. Intelligence Catchers (and some other fun and interactive skill building activities)

5. Teaching guide. (sorry, I don't have a pic, but you get the idea ;) )

For this hop, I pulled out the posters and made them half pages so you can get a peek at this workshop. Enjoy!

If you would like to win this workshop and $10 credit in my store, leave a comment on this post, and tell me how you plan to get to know your students this year! I will chose 1 winner on Monday, August 17th.

Oh, and don't forget to click through to the next back to school tip, from my friend Neetu at Cinnamon's Synonyms!