Whether you have weeks or days until it’s back to school season for you, I am sure that you are already considering ways to make the first weeks of class the best yet. Even in high school, we know that the first 10 days of school are crucial to setting up expectations, making connections, and setting the tone for our classroom.
In today’s post, I am sharing my top activities to use the first few weeks of the school year. These activities are designed to engage students, foster a positive classroom environment, and ensure a smooth start to the academic year.
Building Relationships
On the first day of class, I like to make sure I am already learning my students’ first names, how to pronounce them, and if they go by a different name. I do this by stating that I will call roll by last name and they will answer with the name they go by.
Some may go by their middle name, some by initials, and some by an entirely different name not on your roster. This way, students are letting you know how to address them. If there are any differences, I just make a quick notation on my roster as I go through.
I don’t know about you, but I am a HIGHLY visual person. It takes me a long time to remember 150 different names UNLESS I have a visual. That is why I love to make name tents right away!
You don’t have to have anything fancy. Just paper and markers really. But, I like to provide some fun art supplies so they can personalize it a little and bring their personality to life.
I also love these name tents from Spark Creativity. They have some fun personalization aspects to them that can help you connect with your students as well.
For the first week, I give them back each day and at the end of class, I ask them to write on the back. They are responding to things like:
- a question I asked
- share something they are worried about
- share something they are excited about
- things they wished all their teachers understood about them
I take the time to reply to each one. This often shocks them and sets up the expectation that I will always take the time to hear them out about anything.
Field Trip to the Library
I like to dedicate the first 8-ish minutes to independent reading in my high school English classroom. Sadly, most of my 10th graders will report not having a read a single book since 5th grade. So, many do not know where to even start with a book they may like reading.
So, I love booking a day to go to the library within the first 2 weeks of school. Often the media specialists will take a few minutes reminding students how to check out books and other housekeeping details.
Then, we just spend the rest of the period looking for the perfect book. I take the time to talk to them about the last book they remember liking, shows they love to watch, video games they like play… anything really to help me or the media specialists make the perfect suggestions.
This way, they have all had the opportunity to check out a book and have it on hand the next day when we start the daily reading.
However, I also keep a stellar in-class library just in case they need something else, forget their book, etc.
Blending Academics and SEL During the First Week
Kids have been out of school for weeks and weeks at this point. Neither of you are entirely ready to jump right into academics, but you probably should have something that starts to turn their school brains back on!
I love completing this activity within the first 10 days of school. It is perfect for bringing light academic standards back and also engage in some fantastic SEL conversations!
Day 1- a deep analysis of the poem Invictus. I started this by playing an audio of Tom Hiddleston reading it (because all things are better when Loki is saying it!).
After completing the analysis and discussing the poem and the poet, we talk about how this poem specifically reads like a personal affirmation to keep his mind strong during such a hard time in his life.
Day 2- we discuss the author’s physical ailments and constant pain he had been in when he wrote the poem. We then shift the conversation to overcoming tough times in life, before sharing a short presentation on affirmations for inner strength. Then, students get to work on making their own!
Day 3- We completed a Schaefer paragraph analysis of the poem and the tone created. By reviewing Schaeffer writing and guiding them through the writing, helps to lightly bring back those academic standards we will build on all year.
What I extra loved about this activity:
❤️ it combines academic rigor with SEL goodness!
🥰 I had so many students comment that they have always struggled with and disliked poetry but they absolutely loved reading this poem in such detail and being inspired by it.
⭐ You could hang them on an inspirational wall, laminate them and give it back to the student when they need a pick-me-up, or both!
Activity to Deepen Literary Analysis
When I first started at my school, the 10th grade team started out the year making Lit Term reference books of 100 Lit Terms.
Honestly, it was awful.
It honestly had no use other than killing time. Most of the terms they would never actually use and they had to use their cell phones the entire time to look them up. Requiring my students be on their cell phones 100% of the time the first 2 weeks set an awful precedent.
The next year, I decided to switch to an activity that would serve a purpose and continue to be useful all year long. That’s when I created the idea of an archetypes reference book!
Creating these books are pretty easy and engaging:
In this activity, we cover the most common archetypes they will encounter in movies and texts.
- The Archetype Name and Definition: First I introduce the term of an archetype and the definition/characteristic of this archetype.
- We then discuss as a class, different examples they have seen this archetype from movies, books, comics, games, etc. This way, they are noticing how they have already been identifying these patterns for years- now they just have a term for it!
- They make a quick drawing and record examples that resonant with them.
For example:
Link from The Legend of Zelda series is the classic Hero archetype – A young hero chosen to rescue Princess Zelda and defeat evil forces.
Deadpool from Deadpool series is your classic Jester (while also being a literary example of the anti-hero) – A wise-cracking anti-hero who often breaks the fourth wall.
It’s engaging from the get-go, gets used all year long, and my students always say that by the end of the year it had truly deepened their analysis abilities.
First Unit of the Year
After we have gotten a good handle on archetypes, we dive head first into our first unit of the year where we examine mythological heroes around the world.
With this unit, I am tapping into my students’ deep love of heroes. We cover mythical heroes from Ancient Greece, Norse mythology, Ancient Japan, and even modern-day Comic Book heroes! My students aren’t just learning about these figures— they’re uncovering how each hero and villain reflects the deepest hopes, fears, and values of the culture they come from.
The room is always buzzing during this unit. Soon, they are learning about the real Norse gods and comparing them with the Marvel changes. Or standing on the desks to boast like Beowulf. Or debating on who is the better “hero” Batman or Superman?
To top it off, this unit culminates in a PBL project where my high school students collaborate with elementary students to create a brand-new modern mythical hero. They get to brainstorm powers, create an origin story, and even design illustrations. Knowing their younger “audience” will read and review it! The real-world connection makes their writing purposeful, their creativity boundless, and their investment in the project skyrocket.
It’s epic. It’s cross-cultural. And it hooks them from day one.
If you want more details on just this unit and my PBL project, you can read all about it in this blog post!
Want everything mentioned here (and more) ready to go?
I’ve bundled this Mythical Heroes unit together with the activities mentioned in this post. As well as warmups you can use all year long. These are the resources I use to make my back-to-school transition smooth and engaging. These warmups aren’t just for the first days—they can be used all year long to keep students thinking critically, making connections, and staying engaged.
Click here to check out the bundle and start your year strong!
Final Thoughts
No doubt you will have all kinds of procedures in place for a strong start to your year. Just remember to make room in those first few days to make connections by getting to know their names and personalities in a fun and engaging way. And have meaningful work for your students to engage in that blends academics and resiliency.
I hope this has inspired you in some way and you are bursting with ideas of all the possibilities that lie ahead this year!
Join my weekly newsletter!
Would you love to get weekly tips and resources for teaching secondary English delivered right to your inbox? Click here to join!
Around the World With Mrs. C 
One thought on “Engaging Back to School Activities for High School English: Build Relationships, Spark Reading, and Foster SEL”