Middle School
First Days of School
English / Language Arts
Classroom Scavenger Hunt / Role Play
For the teacher:
Think of all the classroom procedures that have to be taught over and over again
for our students to get to the point that they are doing what we expect them to do
out of habit.
It’s a lot!
Plus, every teacher in every classroom on a student’s schedule will have a slightly
(or very!) different set of routines, procedures, and expectations.
I’m going to tell you a story…
Imagine being 13 years old with seven teachers and seven different classes. In one
class, he’s allowed (and encouraged!) to go to a cabinet, find the staples, and refill
the stapler should it run out. He’d better not bother the teacher with that! In that
classroom, he needs to take care of the issue.
Now he goes to his next class and notices the stapler has also run out of staples. So
he opens a cabinet, pretty sure there are staples in there, and the next thing he
knows he’s being reprimanded for rifling through the teacher’s personal storage
cabinet. Oops! He forgot, and now he feels like he got in trouble.
Then this student moves on to the next class of the day. He’s dying to go to the
bathroom. After kind of sort of getting in trouble in the last class over the storage
cabinet issue, he’s a little gun-shy. So he patiently waits until the teacher is at a
stopping point in the mini-lesson and quietly approaches to ask if he can run to the
restroom real quick. The teacher gives him a strange look and states that he doesn’t
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have to ask, he can just go as long as the pass is on the wall which means no one
else is out.
Finally, this student moves along to the last class of the day. He’s had lunch, and
he drank a lot of water after those salty potato chips! He’s dying to go to the
restroom again, and he sees the pass hanging on the wall. He takes the pass and
leaves at an appropriate time, only to come back to an irate teacher. The teacher
demands to know why in the world he thought he could just walk out of the
classroom like that! Perplexed, this student quietly answers that he saw the
restroom pass on the wall and so he thought that since no one else was out, he
could go. Oh, no… This particular teacher expects to give permission first. Oops.
As you can see, YOUR classroom rules, procedures, and expectations will differ
slightly from your students’ other teachers’ classrooms.This impacts every aspect
of how a classroom runs, from how and where to turn in assignments to when it’s
ok to get up out of a desk.
So the purpose of the Classroom Scavenger Hunt & Role Play activity is to
make your personal classroom routines memorable by having the students get up,
move around, think, and even act out appropriate procedures. Don’t be surprised if
you find yourself doing this activity more than once (not a bad idea!) or answering
the same questions over and over about basic classroom procedures.
I like to label things in my classroom (with 3 x 5 index cards) and make it as
obvious as possible what students are expected to do, where things are stored, and
what’s in each drawer and cabinet. I even tell them about my fictional student
(from the aforementioned paragraphs) and they totally get it! They feel the same
way, too.
That’s not to say that you let those students who purposely and knowingly go out
of their way to ignore your classroom procedures get away with it. But you’ll learn
very quickly who is blatantly defying you and who is simply getting confused
about what is done or not done in your own classroom as compared to another
teacher’s classroom.
There are 20 topics / questions about the classroom which appear below. Edit,
delete, or add what you need as it relates to your personal classroom.
You can cut them out and use them as “task cards” where every student gets one
(or pair up students and let them move around and work together). You can also
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keep the paper “whole” and let students mill around the room trying to answer
each one (they don’t necessarily have to write down the answers… It’s more about
them knowing and understanding). If they’re not sure, it’s fine for them to guess
because you’ll go over everything in a few minutes!
Finally, bring the class back together as a whole and go through the questions,
letting students answer and discuss, followed by your own answers and
explanations for how things will work in your room.
This is the PERFECT time for you to model how to do things or how not to do
things. This is a great opportunity for you to practice with them HOW you expect
to “get the class back together” when transitioning from a loud(ish) scavenger hunt
activity to returning to their seats to engage in a discussion. Will you have a hand
signal so they’ll know that time is up and they are to stop the activity and go back
to their seats? Will you have a timer set up on your overhead screen or projection
board so they know to sit back down as soon as it goes off? What about the
appropriate noise level in the room as they move around and work and talk? Think
of these things ahead of time and then explain and model for your students so they
(and you!) are clear on those procedures.
And like I said, it’s not a bad idea to complete this activity more than once that
first week of school! It’ll save you a lot of time and headaches later on (not to
mention, it’ll help your students to feel comfortable and confident in your
classroom).
I’ve also included my own “answers” to the questions just for you to see how I do
things. Every teacher works differently, so you’ll have to do what’s right for you in
your own situation. But you can at least get a sense of some of the possibilities :)
Classroom Scavenger Hunt / Role Play
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Middle School
First Days of School
English / Language Arts
Find 3 examples of things that represent
“respect” in this classroom.
Locate the trash can(s). When would it not be
a good time to throw things away?
Where are the restroom passes? When would it not
be appropriate to leave the room?
If you have random forms and papers that you
have to turn in to me or have me sign for you,
where would they go, and what would be the best
way for you to give them to me?
When it’s time to turn in a paper
assignment, where should it go?
Where can you find extra pencils,
pens, markers, construction paper,
etc? How are these items
organized? What does that tell
you?
Let’s say you need to use magazines,
newspaper ads, or junk mail for part
of an assignment. Where are those
types of things located in the
classroom?
Role play: Show us how to enter the
classroom and how to exit the
classroom.
Locate the pencil sharpener. When would it not be a
good time to use it?
What are you not allowed to touch on my
desk? Why do you think that is?
You have a cold or allergies. Where
is the Kleenex or tissue box? Role
play: Show us an appropriate way to
go get the tissue and how you would
take care of that situation.
What if you think you need to go to the
nurse? How does that work?
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Where is the library pass? When would be a
good time for you to go?
Where is the classroom technology located?
Role play: Show us how to get it out and how
to put it away.
Locate the classroom book collection. Explain three
things you notice about it.
Name three helpful things that you see
posted on the walls in the room right
now.
Where is a stapler and a hole-punch that you can use?
Where are the extra staples if you need them?
Role play: You have a question but you see that
the teacher is talking to another student or
working with a small group of students. What do
you do? What don’t you do?
Your pen explodes and it was your very last one!
Where and how do you obtain another one so you
can keep working?
You left your notebook / class notes / favorite
book in your locker. What are your options?
My Personal Answers for My Own
Classroom Scavenger Hunt / Role Play
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Middle School
First Days of School
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1) Find 3 examples of things that represent “respect” in this classroom.
(This is soooo open-ended and answers will vary greatly…)
a) My poster on the wall that says, “Respect isn’t about what you
get, it’s about what you give.”
b) The fact that I have two clocks on the walls (because I respect
your time and I won’t waste it… So you need to respect our class
class time, too, by limiting disruptions and distractions).
c) The sign on my closet door that says, “Class Supplies: Please
keep things organized so we can all find what we need!”
2) Locate the trash can(s). When would it not be a good time to throw things away?
Location: 1 trash can by the door and 1 behind the teacher’s desk
It would NOT be a good time to throw stuff away when the teacher
is teaching a lesson. We can leave our trash on our desks and wait
until the teacher is done to go throw it away. Or, just throw it away
on your way out the door.
3) Where are the restroom passes? When would it not be appropriate to leave the
room?
There’s only 1 restroom pass, so only 1 person can leave at a time. I
don’t do separate boy/girl passes. Don’t leave during the first or last
10 minutes of class because you’ll miss important information. Also,
don’t leave in the middle of a mini-lesson where I’m teaching you
something because you’ll be behind when you get back. Once
we’ve started small group work or independent practice or
something like that, then you can take the pass.
4) If you have random forms and papers that you have to turn in to me or have me
sign for you, where would they go, and what would be the best way for you to give
them to me?
I’m talking about attendance papers, fund raiser papers, or other
“random” forms that I’m supposed to collect from you that don’t
really have anything to do with this particular class. Please don’t
ever hand me anything directly (because I’m moving all around the
room and I don’t want to risk setting it down and losing it). So any
paper of that sort simply goes in the blue basket on the shelf
labeled “SCHOOL FORMS TO TURN IN”.
5) When it’s time to turn in a paper assignment, where should it go?
Paper assignments are turned in one time at the end of class. You
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English / Language Arts
may place your paper or papers from that day’s work in the black
bin on top of the little file cabinet. It’s labeled “CLASSWORK”.
(Note: For me personally, I have my students turn in everything just
one time at the end of class rather than having them turn in their
papers as soon as they finish them. The reason for this is that first
of all, they tend to go back and look over/re-check their work
when they’ve finished it since it’s still laying there on their desks
rather than placed in the turn-in box. Another reason is that I love
to engage my classes in discussions as much as possible using
their own work to guide the discussions, and if students are
turning in their work the second they finish, then they don’t have
their papers sitting in front of them to refer to during the discussion.
Plus, I like it when students have an “a-ha” moment because of
a discussion, and then ask to add more to their work before turning
it in. I love that because it shows their learning is ongoing!
6) Where can you find extra pencils, pens, markers, construction paper, etc? How
are these items organized? What does that tell you?
Maybe you don’t keep supplies like this in your class for students
to access as needed. That’s ok! But for me, I do. I keep these things
in a closet labeled “Class Supplies” and they are super, super
organized with labels on the shelves for everything. I always make a
point to show my students all my OCD organization because while
they are welcome to use these things, I absolutely demand that
these items are kept this way and that they always look this way.
After a while, my students know that one of the last things I do on
“creative” days is I check that closet to make sure it’s pretty :) If it’s
not, then no one leaves! I’ll v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y start re-organizing
things which is so annoying to them! Inevitably, a couple kids will
get up and take over for me and let me tell you, that closet stays
nice and neat :)
7) Let’s say you need to use magazines, newspaper ads, or junk mail for part of an
assignment. Where are those types of things located in the classroom?
I love to keep junk mail, magazines, etc. in a box in my supply
closet (with a label on it, of course!). Even though we’re so
technology-driven, my middle school students have always
enjoyed flipping through pages to locate examples of figurative
language, or persuasive messages, or symbolism used in ads or for
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various other things. It’s hands-on for them, and it lets me recycle
my junk mail and old magazines for a better purpose. Plus, it gets to
where some kids will start brining in things and dumping them into
the box, too, so I always have new stuff coming in that I can use to
make the learning real.
8) Role play: Show us how to enter the classroom and how to exit the classroom.
Really? For middle school students? Yes! We don’t bang the door
or turn the handle to make crazy loud noise. We don’t all crowd in
or out like a bottleneck. We do walk through the door and put our
hand / arm out behind us to make sure the next person doesn’t
get hit with the door. That person says “thanks” and then does the
same if anyone is behind them, too. We move directly to our seats
upon entering the room to put our stuff down. If we don’t, then
others can’t get into the room because not sitting down right away
creates a big crowd in that area by the door. Same thing when
leaving: we exit the room and keep going because if we stop three
feet outside the door to talk to a friend, then what about the 30
other people behind us?
9) Locate the pencil sharpener. When would it NOT be a good time to use it?
Don’t use it if it’s broken (duh) because trying to force it to work will
only make it worse. Don’t use it when the teacher is talking. Don’t
use it when we’re having a class discussion and other students are
involved in the discussion. Pretty much any other time is fine :)
10) What are you not allowed to touch on my desk? Why do you think that is?
Super easy: Don’t touch anything at all on my desk. Those are my
personal things. If anything goes missing, I’ll be looking at and
thinking about anyone who was at my desk. I don’t go through
your personal things and I expect you to leave my personal things
alone. If there’s something you’re dying to look more closely at, like
the picture of my family or something like that, please just ask. Plus,
if you accidentally took something and lost it or broke it, you know
you’d feel so bad! Please respect my personal items, and I promise
I’ll respect yours, too. That’s fair, right?
11) You have a cold or allergies. Where is the Kleenex or tissue box? Role play:
Show us an appropriate way to go get the tissue and how you would take care of
that situation.
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Middle School
First Days of School
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The tissue box is right by the trashcan (which is right by the door). If
you’re having a personal problem, grab a tissue and step outside.
If you’re sneezing and your nose is running and it’s just that kind of
a day for you, please take care of it, even if it’s during a time that
I’m teaching or talking. I want to show you respect by allowing you
to take care of things like that. We’re all human and it happens to all
of us from time to time. Now if you abuse it, like if you’re just getting
up to walk past someone else and look at ‘em funny or to cause
an issue, then you personally will no longer have that privilege. The
natural consequence for doing something like that would be that I
would bring you a tissue and you would have to take care of
business at your desk and then leave it at your desk until the end of
class. I would also have to give you a Clorox wipe to clean off your
desk to make it sanitary for the next class. You guys are older
and more mature now, though, so I’m sure that won’t have to
happen. If the tissue box is empty, please go to the supply closet
and get out a new one.
12) What if you think you need to go to the nurse? How does that work?
We have a Rule of B’s. Here it is: blood, bones, barf.
If you’re not bleeding out, if a bone isn’t broken, and if you’re
not about to barf, then you don’t need to go to the nurse (unless
you have a special situation and a doctor’s note, like you have
to go get your inhaler or you have diabetes and you have to check
your blood sugar or something like that). There’s absolutely nothing
the nurse can do for you if you have ant bites, a headache, etc. She
can’t give you anything for it—she’s not allowed to. Plus, I have to
stop and fill out a special nurse’s form to send you there. So it had
better be super important if you ask to go! On the other hand, if
you feel like you’re about to throw up, no matter what’s happening,
just GO. Believe me, I’ll understand!
13) Where is the library pass? When would be a good time for you to go?
I do have a library pass hanging on the wall next to my restroom
pass. I explain how our school library works as far as the times
that kids can go (before school, lunch, after school). Then I explain
my own rule which is that I can send two students to the library for
10 minutes at a time to find a book and return to class (only if their
work is already complete). Plus, you’ll get to know who your avid
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readers are, so some kids will constantly be going to the library for
books while others won’t go unless you make them!
14) Where is the classroom technology located?
Role play: Show us how to get it out and how to put it away.
In my class, we have iPads and laptops (5 of each) kept in a storage
cart so they can always remain charged up and ready to use. I share
the cart with other teachers. I make sure to have it on the first day
or two of class (or whatever day I get to do the scavenger hunt) so
I can open it up and model for them how to unhook the device,
remove it, and then how to plug it back in in the correctly-numbered
section. I also have three student desktop computers in the class
that are always available. This is where I point out the index cards
above each one (taped to the wall) that has the student login and
access code. Your classroom may be very different, but whatever
your situation is, this is a good way to address how to handle
the technology in your classroom.
15) Locate the classroom book collection. Explain three things you notice about it.
These answers could widely vary. For my own room, here’s what I
have that I discuss with my students (if they otherwise don’t notice
these things during the scavenger hunt):
a) All books are stacked neatly on the shelves with the titles (spines)
facing out.
b) The books are organized by genre (not by author)
c) Everything is very neat and clean.
d) There’s a clipboard hanging on a thin rope with a chart on it
so students can write down their first/last name, title of book, and
date that they borrowed it from me. I have to “due back” date.
16) Name three helpful things that you see posted on the walls in the room right
now.
Answers will vary and there are more than three things posted on
my walls! It’s just a way to open up a conversation about what’s
on the walls and what questions it may answer down the road.
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17) Where is a stapler and a hole-punch that you can use? Where are the extra
staples if you need them?
There are two staplers on my back table near the small file cabinet
where students turn in their paper assignments. Extra staples are
in the supply closet in a cute wicker basket labeled “Extra Staples”.
18) Role play: You have a question but you see that the teacher is talking to another
student or working with a small group of students. What do you do? What don’t you
do?
Even some middle school students will call out your name,
seemingly oblivious to the fact that you’re right in the middle of
talking to another student! So address this and connect it being
respectful and polite to each other. Whatever your own system
is, make sure your students understand it.
19) Your pen explodes and it was your very last one! Where and how do you obtain
another one so you can keep working?
Clean up the mess as much as possible, but don’t spend a ton
of time on it because you have an assignment to work on! If another
student sees what happened, hopefully he or she will show
kindness and offer to let you borrow a new pen. Otherwise,
help yourself to the supply closet and you’ll see my (cheap) pens
in the basket marked “CHEAP PENS” (they have huge fake flowers
attached to them with duct tape and they’re really ugly). You can
use that for the rest of class, but make sure you return it to the
supply closet by the end! Now if you really need it for your
next class so you don’t get in trouble for not being prepared, just
let me know, and then bring it back as soon as you can.
20) You left your notebook / class notes / favorite book in your locker. What are
your options?
This depends on school policy. Some schools couldn’t care less
if a student goes to his locker during class, but there are schools
out there where this is totally against policy. Otherwise, I say that
a student can wait for an appropriate moment in class and then
make a quick trip to the locker. Or, if there’s a way to not have to
go at all, like maybe the student can work with another student
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who has the notes, that’s fine, too. Either way, I personally choose
not to make a huge deal out of this. I know some teachers do, and
that’s totally fine, but it’s not my hill to die on :)
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