Back To School First Week Activities Get to Know You Middle School All About Me
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Selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★This was a hit with my students and the first few weeks back to school. I was able to establish a lot of rapport with my students using worksheets from this bundle!!
Blair W. · September 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource for my older classes. with grades K - 12 coming through my room this is a great bell ringer activity for my older classes
SAMANTHA R. · July 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★These activities are great for the very first week of school! They gave me a chance to learn more about my students. Thank you.
Crystal W. · December 2018 · TPT review
Rated by 133 teachers on TPT (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
This Back to School Journal and Activity Workbook gives upper elementary and middle school students 31 printable pages for the first weeks of school. It includes goal-setting worksheets, first-week reflections, get-to-know-you prompts and drawing pages such as Instagram selfies and tablet sketches.
The pages help you learn about your students while they get to know each other, build classroom community and express themselves through writing and drawing. Use them in homeroom, ELA, advisory or as early finisher work. They support leadership, self-reflection, social-emotional learning and creative expression.
WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)
- 31 printable Back to School worksheets
- 1 optional title page to make a full journal or workbook
- First Day of School Reflection
- My Goals for the Year
- About Me / About My Friends
- Summer Journal and Comic Strip
- Tablet Picture Drawing: Summer, Future Dreams, Movie Character
- Instagram and Selfie Drawing Prompts
- Time Travel and Throwback Activities
- Find Someone Who community icebreaker
- Acrostic Poem, Graphic Organizers, Think-Pair-Share
- Compliment Coaster for class community
- Student Leadership and Teamwork Activities
- Journal Prompts and Creative Writing Tasks
HOW TO USE IT
Print the full pack and staple it into a back-to-school journal with the cover page, or print individual pages to match the day's focus. Use them for whole-group discussion, bell work, morning journaling, early finishers or small-group community building.
The pages work well in the first week of school and throughout August and September for building classroom community, developing SEL skills and setting academic and personal goals. The drawing pages also make a fun bulletin board or hallway display.
FAQ
Who is this for?
Classroom teachers, homeschool families and guidance counselors working with upper elementary and middle school students in Grades 5 to 9.
How long does it take?
You can stretch it over 2 to 3 weeks, or pick pages to complete in 2 to 3 class periods. You can also use pages here and there through the first month.
Do I have to use every page?
No. Print the full journal or choose individual pages.
Is it editable?
No. It is a non-editable PDF.
ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (133)
★★★★★ “This was a hit with my students and the first few weeks back to school. I was able to establish a lot of rapport with my students using worksheets from this bundle!!” Blair W.
★★★★★ “Perfect for getting to know the students at the beginning, middle, and end of the year!” Elizabeth S.
★★★★★ “These were great activities to do with my homeroom class!” Hannah D.
★★★★★ “Helpful resource for teachers just starting out in middle school” Shannon G.
★★★★★ “These activities are great for the very first week of school! They gave me a chance to learn more about my students. Thank you.” Crystal W.
★★★★★ “A great resource to start the year with! I used it the whole first 2 weeks!” Brenna M.
★★★★★ “Excellent back to school activities! I use them for my AVID classes” The A.
★★★★★ “Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! More than enough activities to kick off the school year” ashley B.
★★★★★ “Jam packed with great memories. I pulled certain ones that fit with a unit on "Who Am I".” Nancy N.
★★★★★ “Great for both regular classroom teachers and art teachers!” Katie K.
★★★★★ “GREAT resource for starting the new year! I used these activities as Bell Ringers during the first few weeks of school.” Shannon C.
★★★★★ “Excited to use these as station rotations in order to learn more about my students.” Christina E.
Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.
TERMS OF USE
Images and lessons are copyright products.
YOU MAY: use this resource in your classroom or homeschool, and print and distribute it to your own students only. Additional licenses are available for school-wide or district use.
YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers or districts without licensing, upload, resell or give away any part of it, or convert it into editable formats or use it online.
Sincerely,
Ms Artastic
Pairs Well With
More selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★So many to choose from - I printed a variety to have if we ended up with extra time on day one.
Jennifer B. · September 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★these saved me my first two weeks this year for morning work activities.
Julie R. · September 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★love these! So great to use during the first week of school with my students!
Kelsey Malone · August 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★A great bundle of activities to pull from the first week of school. I enjoy the variety and being able to select what I know my students will enjoy.
Laura B. · August 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★I really liked having the options to choose from to start off the year. My students put a lot of time into making them colorful.
Jill M. · July 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★Perfect. This is useful to keep things fresh for the first week and make sure not to do the same activities as every other teacher on the hall.
Katie J. · July 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★Worked well for use with middle school students in a special education classroom.
Emily Dinsmore · May 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a great resource and wonderful addition to my classroom.
Jessica S. · April 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★thank you
Meagan E. · March 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a fantastic addition to my classroom! The resource is professionally designed, easy to follow, and saved me so much prep time. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the layout and content. My students were engaged, and it fit perfectly into my curriculum. Highly recommend!
christine A. · February 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource to use when getting ready for back to school. This had lots of different activities to choose from to help you start to get to know your new group of students. It's also a great way for students to get to know each other.
Kayla F. · January 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★This project bonded our class together. Thank you for the multiple ways to do that.
Nicole C. · November 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a great resource to use for back to school with my 5th graders. They were engaged and excited.
Michelle A. · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Very useful to use in my classroom, it really helped my students.
Elisha C. · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★This resource was a life saver! I have multiple grades in my classroom so finding a resource that can be easily followed and understood is difficult to find. This bundle was great as it was easy to follow and the kids really enjoyed the activities!
Dalia H. · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★An excellent resource for getting to know my new students!
Jessica Piazza · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Resource was easy to use and incorporate into everyday lessons.
Lori M. · August 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★This resource was a great way to get to know my students in a way that was fun while also creating things to decorate the classroom. The students enjoyed this quite a bit!
Hunter H. · August 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★I love this resource and it helped my students be successful.
That13Teacher · June 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource to get to know my new students!
April B. · August 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★The perfect way to give options to my students and get to know them as well. Thanks so much for putting this together.
Nicole M. · April 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★nicely laid out and easy to use with students
Hannah Orlowski · April 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★My students were engaged with these activities and understood the assignment easily. I love these resources as they give you everything you need to completely teach a lesson. I am very excited to purchase more throughout the year!
Ms Walden Content Creations · November 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
shanna D. · November 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★So much fun getting to know the kiddos in the beginning of the year
Jamie O. · October 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★So many activities to pick from. It will fill so many days throughout the year and allow students to be creative or update what they like. Great resource.
Magic in 5th Grade · October 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Nice
Keith Z. · October 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Lots of great activities for the first week
Mrs L · September 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★My students were very engaged with the pages we have done so far. I actually think this is a resource we can keep circling back to for year-long engagement.
Carla Z. · September 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★My students enjoyed these fun resources. I did not have time to use them all.
laura L. · August 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Great product!
Amy Warner · June 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★My kids loved these activities. You can use them digitally by saving them as a background to a google slide and students can "write" on them. Such a time-saver. Thank you!!
Lorene P. · October 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★This was great for those first few days of school!
Robyn M. · September 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★very engaging activities
Dawn Thompson · September 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★My students loved these new back to school activities!
Julie D. · August 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Great for back to school
angel B. · February 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★A great resource to ease back in to school!
Charisse L. · February 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Perfect for getting to know the students at the beginning, middle, and end of the year!
Elizabeth S. · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★GREAT
DANA H. · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource for that first week of school!
Jamie J. · December 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Nice resource! Thanks!
Brittany Dault · December 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks!
Heather R. · November 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★These were great activities to do with my homeroom class!
Hannah D. · November 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Can't wait to try this!
Nichole G. · November 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Fun stuff!
kelley B. · November 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great
Schooling Secondary with Sarah Salazar · September 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great first week activities
Sherri S. · September 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★great stuff!
Lisa Mingone · September 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a great resource to kick off the new school year!
APL Social Studies · September 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great!
Ann R. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great activities!
Rebecca S. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Helpful resource for teachers just starting out in middle school
Shannon G. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
Kerry W. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★I love the variety and enjoyed using the activities on the first day of school!
UPBEAT ELA · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks. My kids love these!
Holly Goodrich · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★This is fantastic!
Brittany S. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★thanks!
Ariel Voigt · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Nice selection of activities. Well worth the money!
Alexia M. · August 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource
Krissy Williamson · July 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★I am excited to use these the beginning of next school year! Thank you!
Kaitlyn Christie · April 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★This is great for back to school. A definite keeper for beginning the next school year.
Jenny A. · March 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource for back to school
Ann E R. · February 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Product!!! Easy to use and engaging!
Leah bell · December 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★A great resource to start the year with! I used it the whole first 2 weeks!
Brenna McCabe · November 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks for such a wide variety of activities to choose from!
Susan D. · November 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks!!
julie I. · November 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Good first day activity
Janet P. · October 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource
Katherine G. · October 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★thanks for back to school activities
A P · October 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource.
Nicole Z · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you!
Mrs VDL · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Excellent back to school activities! I use them for my AVID classes
The AVID Teacher · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Awesome activities!
Solum in Sixth · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great activities!
Mademoiselle C. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! More than enough activities to kick off the school year
ashley B. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Students love these activities.
Lori G. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★A great resource, thank you!
Rhonda W. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks!
Carmella B. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource! Thanks!
Kelly L. · September 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
Strong in Sixth · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Lots of options.
Danyell Blue · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Now this is perfect for the very first day/days of school! Thanks a lot!
Charity Bolanos · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!! Thanks!
Mrs KCS · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★So helpful!
Audrey F. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource
Amy S. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Really looking forward to trying these in my classes this year.
Rebecca J. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Beautiful pages! can't wait to use this!
Danielle E. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you!
Lisa Berghammer · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great product!
Doris M. · July 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Resource!
Tracey M. · July 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★These are great activities! I can't wait to use them with my students next year!
Wendy N. · June 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Good Resource
Rachael M. · March 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource for start of school year!
Heather F. · January 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Jam packed with great memories. I pulled certain ones that fit with a unit on "Who Am I".
Nancy N. · January 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Resource for students. Thanks!
Rachael C. · January 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★good
Danielle H. · November 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you
Angela H. · November 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you. Excellent resource.
Shantal Masikewich · October 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great for both regular classroom teachers and art teachers!
Katie Kuryla · October 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★GREAT resource for starting the new year! I used these activities as Bell Ringers during the first few weeks of school.
Shannon C. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★I really enjoyed this product! It was a great resource for the start of the year!
Jessica K. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks for some great activities!
Sheryl B. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Used this at the start of school, was a big hit
Felicia M. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great product for back to school!
Brook D. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
Rebecca Thomas · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★A+++
Frances E. · September 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★My middle schoolers (EC) loved it!
Bee In The Stacks · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Average worksheets and activities. I do like the graphic organizers on leadership and that many of the handouts can be colored and shared with the class.
Debra C. · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks for all the resources!
Maria S. · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you!
Behind The Resource Room Door · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Looking forward to using these! :)
Jennifer L. · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Cant wait to use these in class!
Arielle C. · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Good resource
Hannah R · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Excited to use these as station rotations in order to learn more about my students.
Christina E. · August 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great quick activities to start the year!
Achieve Success · July 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great product! Thanks!
Violeta G. · July 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource--thank you!
Art Teacher's Muse · May 2017 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Resource! Thank you!
Jennifer A. · November 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Thanks for this useful resource.
Donna W. · November 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★great resource
Donna A. · October 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Great time-saver and engaging resources to use at the beginning of the year! Thanks!
J Loves ELA · October 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Excellent resource!
Wild about Teaching Middle School · September 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Awesome!!!
Debbie P. · September 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Love this thank you!
Kathryn N. · September 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
Karla P. · August 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!!!
Hedy M. · August 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★I can't wait to use this
Carmichaelfa321 · July 2016 · TPT review
★★★★★Fun!!
Nadia Z. · July 2016 · TPT review
Rated by 133 teachers on TPT (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
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