ES
This is our second post about what to do on the first days of class.
If your students don't speak any Spanish, you should start with this article.
If they're in Spanish 2 and above (intermediate or advanced) here are some ideas about what we do in our classes:
Some things are going to be pretty much the same for all levels: I start by introducing myself and making sure everybody is in the correct room, I take attendance and I give them some basic procedures about how the class works (see checking for understanding on our first post).
The main difference is that when students speak some Spanish, we can use the target language to introduce ourselves and get to know them. These are our 2 favorite activities to do that:
1) Conoce a tu profesor:
You'll find this activity, and many others, in the free warm-ups section.
We offer it in two different formats: PDF or an editable Google slide in case you want to make any changes.
We (Laura and Álvaro) have both used this activity with our students and they loved it.
You can let students try to guess the information individually or play in groups.
It works well either way, it just depends on the number of students you have in your class.
Groups is a better option in large classes so the activity is more dynamic.
Once you check your students answers, reveal the right information and have some fun at the things your students think that scare you, let them play by themselves in small groups.
They've all seen how the activity works so they should be much more relaxed than when they entered the room.
With this activity they'll get to know each other while they have fun.
There won't be much time left after that.
Students used Spanish on the first day in a relaxing way, and I'm sure they enjoyed knowing things about you through this activity rather than through a traditional presentation.
2) 50 cosas sobre mí
David Rees wrote a song that is perfect to help students introduce themselves in an original and engaging way.
There's just a problem: it mentions vodka. The drink. Not school-appropriate at all.
So we edited the video and deleted that part.
Nobody will notice the cut and the song is now school appropriate. Check it out:
But it's not just the video, there are some free activities that come with it. You'll find them in the Imprimibles... (o no) section of our website.
The result? Your students will introduce themselves in a super cool way.
Not Hola me llamo Audrey. Tengo 14 años. Soy de Estados Unidos.
Something much more personal such as Hola, me llamo Audrey. Se me da bien bailar y colecciono rocas.
These are the two main activities we use in our classes on the first days.
But check out the Primeros días tab in the free warm-ups sections for many more free ideas and activities.