3 First Week of School Ideas for Middle School ELA That Actually Work
If you asked me to pick my favorite day of the school year, I'd probably surprise you with my answer.
It isn't the last day.
It isn't the day state testing ends.
It's the first day of school.
Actually…can I cheat a little and say the entire first week?
There's just something special about welcoming a brand-new group of students into your middle school ELA classroom. You get to build relationships, establish routines, introduce your classroom expectations, and create excitement for everything you'll learn together during the year.
Of course, I was always nervous the night before. (One of my classmates even described me as a "hardcore introvert" in my high school yearbook!)
But the moment students started walking through the door with their nervous smiles, excited chatter, and fresh school supplies—I remembered why I loved teaching middle school.
Over the years, I experimented with plenty of back-to-school activities for middle school ELA. Some became instant favorites. Others...well, let's just say they were one-and-done.
These three ideas, though? They worked every single year.
1. Purposely Mispronounce Every Name During Attendance
Yes, on purpose.
Before you panic, hear me out.
Instead of trying to pronounce every unfamiliar name perfectly, I intentionally mispronounced every student's name during roll call.
Then I asked each student to teach me how to say it correctly.
Here's why it worked:
No student felt singled out for having a name others might consider "difficult."
Every student had the opportunity to tell me exactly how they wanted their name pronounced.
We all shared a laugh together, which helped break the ice on a day that can feel stressful for middle schoolers.
It immediately communicated that learning everyone's name mattered to me (and that it was perfectly okay to make mistakes as long as we were willing to learn).
2. Teach Classroom Procedures with Charades
Let's be honest.
Reading through classroom rules isn't exactly the most exciting first week of school activity.
So instead, my students became the teachers.
We played a classroom procedures charades game where students acted out both the right and wrong ways to do everyday classroom routines.
They demonstrated things like:
Entering the classroom
Asking to leave their seats
Using the classroom library
Getting the teacher’s attention
etc.
The exaggerated "wrong" examples were always hilarious, and because students were actively participating, they remembered the procedures much better than if I had simply explained them.
Sometimes the silliest activities become the most effective teaching tools.
3. Introduce Your Daily Routine with Music
One of my favorite classroom management strategies involved...cheesy songs.
I set alarms on my phone using different songs for each part of our regular class period.
During the first few days of school, whenever one of those songs played, I paused our activity and explained:
"If this were a normal school day, this is the point in class when we'd be..."
Even though we weren't following our regular instructional schedule yet, students quickly learned the rhythm of our classroom.
By the fourth or fifth day of school, those familiar songs became natural transition cues.
Students already knew what came next, which made implementing our regular routine feel easy instead of overwhelming.
Why the First Week Matters So Much in Middle School ELA
The beginning of the school year isn't just about icebreakers or decorating your classroom.
It's about building the foundation for everything that comes afterward.
When students know your expectations, understand your routines, and feel comfortable in your classroom, they're able to spend less energy wondering what will happen next and more energy engaging with reading, writing, discussion, and learning.
A strong first week pays off for months.
Looking for more fun(ny) ways to engage your middle school students in ELA?
These interactive lessons have kids moving their bodies, making silly noises, and actually LEARNING important ELA skills!
