The first day of class is often very chaotic as you are taking roll, talking to students about classroom rules and beginning to learn their names.   For my classes, I also like to make notes about students on the seating chart about personal details of students, mainly because this makes it easier to learn their names quickly.  

For example “Joe, he plays baseball, or Jenny is in the band.”     While you are dealing with the bureaucracy of the first day, this short inventory worksheet can keep students busy and give you some insight into your students personal life.

I also use a similar activity with my anatomy class if I have more time, that allows students to work in small groups to gather information about each other.  

The project “Who Knew” uses slides to ask students questions and gives me the opportunity to circulate in the class and learn more about students.   You can access the slides, download them to your drive and change them for your class.

Grade Level: 6-12 | Time Required:  10-15 min