Classroom Activities for the First Day of Composition

The first day of any term provides specific challenges in terms of how to set the tone for your class, and this term proved no different.  There is so much information I have to download into my students in terms of what the class expectations are, assignments, the book, alternate resources, etc that it becomes overwhelming to both them and me.  So, here are a couple of things that I did this term that seemed to work well.

1.) Poem of the Day: I begin every class with the poem of the day.  It is how I get my students into the mindset that class has begun.  It also serves as their notice that they are tardy for class.  If the poem of the day has been read, then they are late.

More so than any educational purpose, I simply like reading poetry to them.  I don't ask them to talk about the poems, to write about them, or to analyze them.  I simply ask they they take a couple of minutes out of their day to listen to a poem.  On the first day of class, I always read "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins.  It sets up the term nicely and reinforces the idea that I'm not looking for them to tell me what the poem "really means."

2.) Four Sentence Introductions: Students are required to write four complete sentences about themselves in order to give the class a better idea of who they are.  They are required to give their full name in one of the sentences.  Once the entire class has finished writing their four sentences, they are required to read them aloud.

This activity is great because it is also an assessment tool.  I can begin to see where students are in their understanding of basic sentence structure.  While I don't collect this bit of writing, it could easily be collected and used to more formally assess where the class is at in their understanding of grammar and sentence structure.

3.) Don't Print the Syllabus: Portland Community College has an online system that creates a homepage for every class.  On this page is a repository for files.  I upload my syllabus onto the class page, show students where the syllabus lives, and then proceed to go through the syllabus on the overhead projector.

This is a new one for me as this is the first term I've tried it, but there were some fascinating results yesterday.  Students took notes as I went through the syllabus!!!  Instead of burying their faces in the syllabus document, they were looking up and engaging with me and what I was saying about the syllabus.  They knew they could always access the syllabus later, so they were more interested in what I had to say about the syllabus, rather than the syllabus itself.

Now, the proof is in the pudding, so I will have to wait until later in the term to see if students respond better to this method, but it looks good so far.

4.) Reading Aloud: I almost always start each term with the same reading by Anne Lamott from her book Bird by Bird.  It is the chapter entitled "Shitty First Drafts."  It is a comedic piece about process, about letting go of perfection in the first draft and realizing that writing is rewriting.  All of my classes stress this idea, that first drafts are all inherently "shitty" on some level.  This reading allows me to convey that to them in a humorous way.  Also, Anne Lamott cusses before I do, so there's always that.

I find it important to assess reading skills as well as writing skills early in the term.  In order to be a good writer, you must be a good reader.  I find that many of my students are underdeveloped in this area.  In fact, there are many times when I feel that it is students' reading skills that hold them back in my class even more so than their writing skills.  When you ask a student to write you a research paper and they have underdeveloped reading skill, then of course the result is going to be an essay that is more of a report than a synthesis of ideas.  Their reading skills are preventing them from really processing the material in a way that is conducive to the act of research.  So, I make them read aloud, paragraph by paragraph, moving around the room.

This activity is always met with an almost unanimous groan.  I simply explain to them why I am having them do it.  It doesn't make them hate it any less, but they come to understand why I am asking them to do it.  When we are forthcoming with our students about our methodologies, then we can help them understand the process they are being asked to participate in.  I find they appreciate the heads up.

5.) Student Entry Survey: College students, but particularly community college students, are a busy lot.  They have jobs, families, and other commitments.  I feel it is important to understand the dynamics working for or against my students, so I ask them to fill out a survey that lets me know some of this information.  I ask them what other classes they are taking.  I ask them about their work schedule, their hobbies, and what they hope to get out of my class.  All of this information allows me to build a personality profile for the class as a whole and to be sympathetic to their needs.  It also allows me to choose verbal examples that maybe match their hobbies and interests.

One thing I do include on this survey is a section where they are required to respond to a writing prompt.  They are asked to create a single paragraph in response to a question.  The questions are open and, usually, easy to answer like "Who is your favorite teacher and why?"  This paragraph allows me to understand the students comprehension of what a paragraph is as well as their ability to create complete sentences.

These are the things that launched my class this term: lots of writing, some lecture, and some reading aloud.  I think it is important to keep things fresh by moving from activity to activity, and it is important to set that tone early in the term.  Take it or leave it, but I thought I would share with my fellow teachers out there in cyberspace.