Ever since I discovered glyphs it has been my favourite first day of school activity. I like to ease the first day of school by doing something fun and crazy. I tell the kids that I want to get to know them. Together, we will each a create a crazy self-portrait. I walk them step by step. This helps me determine who can follow instructions, who likes to work in groups and who likes to be alone. The kids think they are doing something non-academic and its just art. But the secret is that I use the portraits all week. I put them up so the kids can see it all at once. Each day, we read the portraits and learn things about one another. Sometimes, we record information and depending on the grade and interest, we create graphs and tables. Its so awesome. I leave the portraits up until Meet the Teacher Night to allow students to discuss their learning.
Here is a copy of my first day of school glyph. Make changes as you see fit. I give students a copy while I walk them through step by step.
You will need any size paper, crayons, pencil crayons, markers.
Have fun!
