Get to Know You Activities for Upper Elementary
1. Interview A Friend
This fun back to school activity helps students get to know each other better while also practicing listening, speaking, and interviewing skills. Simply partner students up and have them ask each other questions while recording the answers.
Get a no prep version of this activity here or use these possible interview questions and tips for having classroom interviews to help your students get the most out of this activity.
2. I Wish My Teacher Knew
One of the best ways to get to know your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students is to let them tell you whatever they want to! This helps you learn what is important to your students and gives them an opportunity to get things off their chest.
This no prep resource includes a short questionnaire that allows students to tell you what they want you to know about things they like, things they dislike, things that make them happy, things that make them angry, etc. There is also a page with an open-ended writing prompt for students to tell you what they wish you knew.
Find out more about "I Wish My Teacher Knew" here.
3. Find the Fib
This is a simple back to school activity that is always engaging. Have students write two true statements and one fib about themselves. Then, they share their statements with a partner (or the whole class) and see if their partner can find the fib! Model this to students first with your own two truths with a fib.
While this makes a great get to know you activity, find the fib can be used in many other ways in the classroom! You can use it on the first day of school or anytime throughout the school year!
4. Find Someone Who
Find Someone Who is a classic get to know you activity, and for good reason. It's a fun, structured activity that allows students to talk to most of their classmates while learning new things about them.
Basically, students are given a page with a variety of statements and have to "find someone sho" can agree with the statement or answer the question. It's no prep and very engaging.
This resource includes 4 ready to go Find Someone Whos to help students get to know each other, review classroom procedures, and more.
You can also find other ideas for using Find Someone Who as a worksheet alternative here.
5. All About Me Poem
Introduce your students to poetry in a fun, low stakes way by having them complete an All About Me Bio Poem. This is a non-rhyming, structured poem that allows students to share a variety of different aspects of themselves. You can use this no prep template with a student example or create your own worksheet using this format:
Line 1: First Name
Line 2: 3 Adjectives to Describe the Person
Line 3: Daughter/Son Of:
Line 4: Who Loves…
Line 5: Who Feels…
Line 6: Who Needs…
Line 7: Who Gives…
Line 8: Who Fears…
Line 9: Who would like to…
Line 10: Resident of…
Line 11: Last Name
6. All About Me Bags
All About Me Bags are basically show and tell for back to school. Give each student a paper bag and have them fill it with 3 things about themselves that they want to share with the class. It's a great way to ease students into talking in front of the class and to begin to build a culture of kindness in your classroom.
Find out more about All About Me Bags and get a free template here.
7. Discussion Questions
You might also like some of these other back to school ideas.
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