That changed this year. My first days of school have been memorable, and based on their reactions, my students will remember them as well. We switched to a seventy-minute block schedule this year, and my favorite comment was "I can't believe that was 75 minutes; that period flew." Students were engaged in meaningful activities that set the tone for the year. Students thought, discussed, collaborated, wrote, questioned and thought some more. Along the way, I realized that all of the things that I used to come out and say about rules and expectations were introduced naturally and seamlessly through the activities students were actively engaged in.
So, how did this occur? As all good educators do, I stole ideas from colleagues on Twitter, took advice from my wife who used one activity first and gave me feedback, and adapted pieces of past years' openings and made them student-centered. Students entered the room on day one and created items that represented themselves with pipecleaners. 
Here is the link to my #1st5days prezi:http://prezi.com/sklx8-qndvwp/opening-activities-2013-2014/?kw=view-sklx8-qndvwp&rc=ref-12572716&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
Next, they wrote down three words that described themselves. I surprised them by asking them to connect their words to their pipecleaner creation and share with their groups. This simple activity gave me insight into their personalities, interests, and, even more importantly, into their willingness to think and think creatively.
I was able to introduce my students to the "Keys to the Classroom." Students were invited to question everything including and especially me. They couldn't believe I was admitting that my opinion would be wrong multiple times this year and that it needed to be questioned. I asked students to think always. Students collaborated on what it meant to "collaborate with each other." And I asked students to take risks and step out of their comfort zone.
The next day students collaborated to create three sentences that connected the words: respect, trust, responsibility, quality, success, discipline, and fun. Watching students work together after the first day was enlightening. Different students stepped up in leadership roles. Students collaborated in Google documents while others created handwritten copies. The different group interactions, styles and products gave me valuable information about the dynamic of my classes.
Students then participated in their first snowball discussion. If you haven't tried this type of discussion, I highly recommend it. Students start the discussion as partners and then you combine groups after a couple of minutes. Groups grew to four and then eight and then full class. As the groups grew, the more animated the discussions were. We then reflected as a class what went well, what didn't and what we could improve on with our next discussion.
We ended our day with 6 word memoirs. It amazed me what sixth graders were able to come up with to detail their lives. They were so impressive that I am compiling them to create a video to share with their parents. (I will share that later on)
I learned a valuable lesson during these first few days of classes. If I expect students to collaborate, question, discuss and think throughout the school year, then I better set the tone and start from day one. You can't learn these things by hearing about them; you need to experience them. Based on my students' reactions, the experiences were a success. Now that the tone is set, I need to keep that momentum going.
What are some things you use the first few days of school to set the tone for your school year?
Joel, I did love your Prezi! So many ideas packed into one week. I bet the students loved it! I also bet they were thankful that your class was different from their other classes... Phew!
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