First Day of School Introduction Activities
Students Introduce Themselves With a Reflection Questionnaire
Aug 29, 2009
Teachers can help start the new school year with a self-reflective activity for students. A introduction lesson plan that involves a student questionnaire will quickly get students thinking and sharing. A student questionnaire's purpose is two-fold. First, it helps teachers get to know their students. More importantly, though, it encourages students to think more deeply about themselves.
Design a Student Questionnaire
The teacher should prepare in advance a "Who are You" questionraire as an introduction lesson and distribute a copy to each student one day during the first week of school. Questions should start out asking about general topics and move to more specific and thought-provoking as the questionnaire progresses.
Student Favorites
The questionnaire can ask students any or all of the following topics in relation to their favorites. Answers to the questions will help reveal the student's personality.
- color
- movie
- book
- celebrity
- artist
- song
- vehicle
- place
- food
- musician
- TV show
- personality type
Student Descriptions
After students explain their favorites, they can be encouraged to describe themselves by answering the following questions.
- What makes the student feel happy?
- What makes the student appreciate life?
- What makes the student angry?
- What makes the student sad?
- What does the student wish people would better understand about you?
- What is one irrational fear the student has?
- What are three words that best describe the student on a good day?
- What are three words that would best describe the student on a bad day?
- If the student could change one thing about himself, what would it be?
- If the student could change one thing about his environment, what would it be?
- What is the student's number one wish?
- Name one thing the student feels he must accomplish in his life.
Student Goals
After students complete the first half of the questionnaire, they will likely feel more comfortable answering more provocative and challenging questions about how they envision their futures. The following questions will encourage students to think about what they want out of life. These types of questions are especially beneficial for high school students who will soon be facing important decisions.
- What is the first major thing the student wants to do when he graduates high school?
- What is the student's first-choice career?
- Where does the student hope to live some day?
- What three states must the student visit? Why?
- What three countries does the student wish to visit in his lifetime? Why?
- Name one undeveloped skills the student would like to improve.
- Which two hobbies does the student want to explore, but hasn't yet?
- What about the student will change when he is an adult?
- What about the student will stay exactly the same when he is an adult?
- What does the student hope he will lose when he is older?
- What does the student hop he will never lose?
- What does the student hope to find one day?
- Does the student consider himself an optimist or a pessimist?
- Does the student want to be a parent someday?
- Name three specific goals the student wants to achieve before he is 30 years old.
- Name three additional goals the student would like to achieve in his lifetime.
- Name one quality the student would like to inherit from his parents.
Completing a student questionnaire is not only a great introduction activity for the first week of school, it can help students get to know one another. After students complete their own questionnaires, they can interview one or two other students, selecting specific questions for different students. At the end of the activity, the teacher can ask students what they learned about each other and about themselves. They might also want to identify with which students they share similarities and interests. Who knows? Perhaps this lesson plan revolving around a simple student questionnaire will pave the way to new friendships.
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