First Days of Class

Grade 9 Science
(applied or academic)

The following first days of class presentation outline the first

week (4 days due to the holiday Monday) of a grade 9
general science class with 26 students.
Before The First Day

 Become familiar with OSR, I.E.P.’s

I.C.R.P.’s
 Havea classroom setup ready to
go with supplies and containers
 Create a seating plan based on 26
students and long table instead
of single desks.
Classroom Setup

 Container at front of room with

supplies (pencils, sharpener, hole
puncher, stapler, rulers, handouts
from previous days) all with
names on them and tape outlines
 Cellphone bin (discussed later)
Seating Plan (26 Students)
Expectations
 Respect for all
 When someone has the floor we
are quiet
 Attentive, listening, responsive
 Absolutely no derogatory terms
 Teamwork – working together
throughout the year
 Nocellphones unless otherwise
stated
Activities/Class Responses

 Partner Cards: 1. fill out

questionnaire about yourself. 2.
fill out questionnaire about
assigned partner
 Cellphone Policy: Class decides
whether they keep phones and I
take it if I see it, or they hand
them in to a bin when they enter.
Day 1
 Class structure (front bins~10min)
 Introductory game – 2 truths and a
lie (~30-40 min)
 Introduce myself
 Misguided “facts” about science
 Students make one for themselves
 Go over my expectations (10-15min)
 Cellphone policy – write down
information for the debate (<10min)
Day 2
 Collect
cellphone policy debate
homework
 Organize the class randomly into
two groups to prepare arguments
for the debate (2x13)
 Have the debate
 Allowsteam building, time for
me to reiterate my expectations
throughout class, and analyze
evidence
Day 3: How it works
 Dedicated to get students
thinking
 Demos to engage inquiry: rope in
a container, electrical circuits,
double displacement reactions
 Time to check the text and web
for answers
 Homework: Students pick a topic
from the local community they
are interested in and research it
in terms of the course content
Day 4: Exploration Day

 Create a Padlet with the class

about topics from previous days
 Go over semester plan/course
outline and try to relate local
interests to science curriculum
 Outdoor day to examine local
wildlife (if fall course) or google
street view
Important Notes

 Constantly assessing students

(cooperation, independence,
behaviour, work ethic, etc… to
determine best behavioural
strategies and academic delivery
 Lookfor student interests that
may S.T.E.M. into inquiry work!
(see what I did there? ;) )