If you think that it will take a long time, you are right, but it will give you insights to your students that will prove helpful through the year.

What a Great Class!
One of the first things to talk about to your class is safety, beginning with the fire drill. It is important to walk through the process. They need to know where to go and exactly what is expected of them. Children in a new class often find themselves in a different part of a building than they are used to and can easily get confused. 

A fire drill practice also offers a unique opportunity to convince your students that they are members of the greatest class that was ever formed. Usually, on the first day, the children are on their best behavior. After they have run through a practice fire drill, you can marvel on what an outstanding class they are. Declaring them a superior group makes them want to live up to their new reputation. Actually, this is an excellent technique to use as often as possible. How can you misbehave when the teacher is always bragging about you?

The Word of the Day                                                                                            
I found that a children's word of the day calendar was a great tool for teaching vocabulary. I hung such a calendar on a bulletin board near my desk. Each day a student would be called on to read the word and the sentence given using the word in context. First the student would review the previous day's word and staple it to the bulletin board. Then that student would call on his/her classmates to try to give the definition of that day's word.

At the end of the week, I handed out a Word of the Day Form and read off the week's words. The children wrote the words in the appropriate spaces on the form, not attempting to write the definitions or until after all the words had been written. Then they went back and wrote definitions of the words and tried to use the word in a sentence. They were given one point for each correctly spelled word, one point for each correct definition and one point for using the word correctly in a sentence.

I made a special point to emphasize that there is no penalty for missing a word. The students could only gain points for trying. This paper was not counted toward their grades. Mistakes were not even marked wrong. Points were simply given for correct answers. These points were exchanged for play money to be spent on items from the "prize box."

Classroom Bill of Rights                                                                                    
The most effective way I have ever found to set classroom rules was to institute a Classroom Bill of Rights. Approaching rules as "rights" was a novel idea to most children. They were used to thinking of rules as restrictions imposed upon them. The idea that they were being protected by the rules was a completely new one. We talked about the idea of respect and how everyone was entitled to it.  I directed the discussion and ended up with the following rights. You may want to

 You may even ask the children to help you come up with some rights. I found that emphasizing the first right, the right to respect, really set a positive tone in the classroom. I made it clear that I was expected to respect them and they in turn were

Take a Number Please
Another hugely effective procedure was to assign P.I.N. numbers - personal identification -  numbers to each student. I told the children that these numbers were going to be their number for the entire year, so they should learn them well. I taught the children from the first day to write their P.I.N. numbers on their papers right after their names. These numbers can be effective for many  different activities.

Get A Job
The first chance to use our personal numbers was when we decided on the classroom jobs. On the chalkboard, we listed the jobs that needed to be filled and I brought out the Number Can. The Number Can is a coffee can covered with bright paper. In it I put their P.I.N. numbers written on slips of paper. I walked around the room with the can and had a child draw a number. The person whose P.I.N. number was drawn got to choose the job that he/she wanted. They would then write their name after the job on the board. As the numbers were drawn, I

Who Am I?
This was a favorite bulletin board that I used for the first day of school. Beside being extremely easy to put up, it provides an insight into your children's abilities and interests. To create the bulletin board, simply put up the words "WHO AM I?" and attach to the board gaily colored sheets of construction paper. Also, cut out profiles on lined paper. Be sure to make sufficient cutouts so that there are extras on hand for mistakes or last minute new class members.

During the first day of school, do the "Who Am I?" bulletin board. Tell the children that they will be writing a description of themselves. They will describe themselves but not say what their names are. They will write their descriptions on the profiles. When they finish, you write their name lightly on the back and together you and the child will go to the bulletin board and staple the profile on a colored sheet. The next day you will read the descriptions and see if the class can figure out who the person being described is. Here are some ideas I wrote on the board to get the children started.