The first day of school is one of the most exciting (and stressful) days of the year for teachers. In my opinion, the most important thing you should focus on is relationship building. That first day is such a great opportunity to get to know your students and help them get to know you. However, with procedures to teach and names to learn it can be hard to come up with a meaningful way to introduce yourself. To save you time and provide a fun and relevant way to connect with your students, I’ve created this free first day of school artifact lesson using Google Slides.
Artifacts are objects made and used by humans. In this lesson, students analyze 5 artifacts that belong to the teacher. Students make inferences about the teacher based on the artifacts. For example, if a teacher brings in a ballet shoe, her students may infer that she is a dancer. In past years, I brought my artifacts to school and passed them around the room. However, since that is not possible for many because of distance learning, I’ve created this lesson in Google Slides.
In the second part of the lesson, students select 5 artifacts that describe them. They use these artifacts to introduce themselves to the class. Again, if you are teaching in-person, you could ask students to bring the 5 artifacts to school. If not, you can use the Google Slides I’ve provided below.
Lesson Plan – Part 1
Lesson objective: I can get to know my teacher by describing and making inferences about his/her artifacts.
1. First, download the free lesson by clicking here.
2. Then, access the Google Slides by clicking on the blue box on page 2. After you click on the link, a new tab will open in your internet browser. You will be asked to make a copy of the resource into your Google Drive. Click “Make a copy”.
3. Go to your Google Drive and locate the resource.
4. Next, read through the presentation and edit any directions to fit your needs (all of the text boxes in arial font are editable).
5. Copy and paste images of 5 artifacts that describe you. Artifacts are objects made and used by humans. Pick objects that will help students infer truths about who you are a person. They should be pictures of things you actually own and use. Here are some ideas of artifacts you could choose:
- your favorite book
- something you collect
- an item that represents the college you went to
- your favorite game
- an object that represents your family
- something that represents your personality or hobby
- an item that represents something you are good at
6. Now, go to your Google Classroom and add an assignment. Select the Google Drive symbol and find the resource you want to assign to your students.
7. You must make a copy for each student. This is so important because it ensures that students do not edit your original file.
8. Each student will now have their own copy of the resource. Students will read through the slides and write descriptions and inferences about each artifact. Then, they will type their answers in the text boxes. When students are finished, they can turn in their assignments.
Lesson Plan – Part 2
Lesson objective: I can select five artifacts that describe me.
1. First, access the student google slides template by clicking the blue box on page 3 of the lesson plan.
2. Next, the link will open a new tab in your internet browser. You will be asked to make a copy of the resource into your Google Drive. Click “Make a copy”.
3. After making a copy, go to your Google Drive and locate the resource.
4. Read through the presentation and edit any directions to fit your needs (all of the text boxes in arial font are editable).
5. Now, go to your Google Classroom and add an assignment. Select the Google Drive symbol and find the resource you want to assign to your students.
6. Finally, you must make a copy for each student. This ensures that students do not edit your original file.
7. Each student will now have their own copy of the resource. Students will read through the slides, insert images of artifacts that describe them, and fill in the text boxes. When students are finished, they can turn in their assignments.
Download the Free First Day of School Artifact Lesson
I hope that this free lesson plan will help you share some of yourself and help get to know your students. And most importantly, I hope it helps you have a fabulous first day!
If you haven’t already, click to download the full lesson plan.
More Free Resources
You may need more resources to engage your students and make history come alive in your classroom, which is why I’ve created some great free lesson plans you can use today. Click hereto check out more free lesson plans, including resources on the parts of the US Constitution and timeline activities for the Civil and Revolutionary Wars.
You can find even more free activities in my free resource library.
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