What to Include in Your First Day of School Slideshow (With Free Download!)

*** Looking for a done-for-you welcome presentation for the first day of school? Scroll down for a free editable slideshow + teacher guide! ***

The first day of school sets the tone for everything — classroom culture, routines, expectations, and connection. But with so much to cover (and only so much time), it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

Enter: the first day of school slideshow — a simple, effective way to welcome your students, introduce yourself, and start building your classroom community.

A great first day slideshow helps set the tone for your classroom community while making students feel welcomed and informed. It doesn’t have to be long — just thoughtful, clear, and full of connection.

Here’s a helpful way to organize it:

About Me: Your Teacher

Use this time to show students that you’re human — someone who genuinely cares about their success. Let them get to know you beyond your role as a teacher.

What to include:

➤ A short intro: who you are, where you’ve taught, and how you got here

➤ Why you love teaching (or this subject/grade!)

➤ A few of your favorite things — books, hobbies, pets, snacks, etc.

➤ What you were like at their age — students love this!

About Us: Our Classroom

This is where you share what students can expect from your class — in content, behavior, and structure. Keep it warm and positive.

What to include:

➤ An overview of what you’ll be learning this year

➤ Teaching style: how students will learn (discussions, projects, tech, etc.)

➤ A few exciting units or crowd-favorite lessons

➤ Class values or goals (e.g., kindness, responsibility, effort)

➤ Key routines or procedures (arrival, materials, transitions)

Policies & Procedures

It’s important to set clear expectations early, but in a way that’s accessible and calm — especially on Day 1.

What to include:

➤ Attendance and tardiness

➤ Homework and late work

➤ Technology use

➤ Bathroom and hallway routines

➤ Grading basics and communication

Pro tip: Keep this part short and student-centered. Focus on what they need to know today to feel confident and safe.

About You: The Students

Encourage students to reflect on what kind of learner, classmate, and person they want to be this year. This part can be interactive or simply affirming.

What to include or prompt:

➤ “What do you want to get better at this year?”

➤ “What does being a great teammate look like?”

➤ “What are your goals for yourself in this class?”

➤ Tips for success: ask questions, be curious, give effort, stay kind

To prevent your slideshow from feeling like a lecture, here are a few teacher-tested ways to make it interactive:

* Play music as students enter — keep it upbeat and welcoming

* Show a photo of yourself at their age — let students guess your hobbies

* Ask quick check-in questions — thumbs-up if you’re nervous, snap if you love reading

* Say a “magic word” like “prepared” — when you say it, students rotate seats or clap once

* Let students sketch or doodle on index cards — what did they learn about you?

Want to skip the formatting and focus on connecting with your students?

Good news: I’ve already made the first day of school welcome presentation for you...and it's FREE!

What’s Included in the Free Resource Pack:

➤ A ready-to-use slideshow with 9 meaningful slides

➤ A completely editable version so you can personalize as much (or as little) as you want

➤ A teacher guide with slide-by-slide talking points and time-saving tips

👉 Click here to download the Welcome Presentation Pack
(Yes, it’s 100% free — because your time is valuable and summer should be sweet.)

Bonus: More First Week of School Tools for Teachers

Looking to prep more and plan less? 

Check out the full Back-to-School Toolkit — everything you need to make the first week of school smooth, fun, and totally prepped:

✔️ Open House Form Pack
✔️ Editable Syllabus Template
✔️ Student Info Cards
✔️ First Homework Assignment
✔️ Bulletin Board Quick-Start Kit
✔️ First Week of ELA Lesson Plans

👉 Get the full Back-to-School Toolkit here

__________________________________

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to have a powerful, purposeful first day.

With a thoughtful welcome presentation and a few personal touches, you can set the tone for a classroom that feels safe, connected, and full of potential.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth

P.S. Be sure to grab this FREE Back to School resource, too!

10 Powerful Writing Hacks for Teachers: Make Writing Fun, Engaging, and Effective

 

Teaching writing doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the right strategies, you can transform your students into confident, creative, and skilled writers. Whether you're focusing on persuasive essays, memoirs, research projects, or creative writing, these hacks will make your writing lessons engaging and effective. 

Here are ten hacks for teaching writing that will boost your students' success while making your job easier.

1. Provide Lots of Opportunities and Choices for Writing

Students thrive when they have frequent and varied opportunities to write. Offer engaging tasks such as:

• ➤ Writing about their favorite memories in this MEMOIR writing unit

• ➤ Creating fictional stories based on fun story cubes like this adventure writing FREEBIE

• ➤ Completing journal entries or quick writes like these for SEL

Letting students choose from a range of options encourages ownership and creativity in their writing.

2. Use Targeted Mini-Lessons to Teach Specific Skills

Focus on one specific writing skill per mini-lesson to make your instruction clear and actionable. For example:

• ➤ Writing strong leads

• ➤ Incorporating vivid sensory details

• ➤ Improving transitions between paragraphs

• ➤ Eliminating redundant sentences

Mini-lessons keep students from feeling overwhelmed and give them tools they can apply immediately.

3. Teach the Elements of a Genre Before Starting a Writing Unit

Before diving into a new writing project, explicitly teach students about the elements of the genre. For instance, if you're teaching narrative writing, cover elements like character development, plot structure, and dialogue. Use mentor texts to analyze these elements, and create anchor charts that students can reference as they write. Targeted genre studies like these set students up for success!

4. Provide Writing Opportunities in a Variety of Formats

Make writing exciting by incorporating diverse formats, such as:

• ➤ Using videos to inspire creative writing

• ➤ Writing fables or children's books

• ➤ Designing brochures or advertisements

• ➤ Writing imaginary pet sketches

Offering these options ensures that students stay engaged and practice writing for different purposes.

5. Sneak Writing Activities into Holidays and Special Occasions

Use holidays and special events to make writing festive and fun. Try activities like:

• ➤ Writing spooky Halloween stories

• ➤ Creating a Valentine's Day rebus

• ➤ Drafting gratitude projects for Thanksgiving

• ➤ Writing limericks for St. Patrick’s Day

These themed activities make writing feel fresh and enjoyable.

6. Encourage Students to Evaluate Writing While Reading

As students read, teach them to analyze the author’s style, organization, and use of details. Questions like “What makes this introduction effective?” or “How does the author build suspense?” help students develop a critical eye, which they can then apply to their own writing. Grab a set of free reading bookmarks about writing HERE.

7. Make Writing Assignments Interesting and Hands-On

Engage students with creative, hands-on assignments. For example:

• ➤ Create a picture frame filled with research writing

• ➤ Write in response to social emotional learning prompts on pennant flags

• ➤ Create thank you pockets with notes of gratitude

• ➤ Make 3D giftboxes with research about international holidays

These activities make writing feel purposeful and interactive.

8. Use Rubrics and Guides to Make Evaluating Easier

Grading doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Use clear rubrics that break down writing into specific criteria, such as organization, grammar, and voice. Share the rubric with students before they write so they know what to focus on. Peer and self-assessments can also streamline the process and encourage reflection. Every one of these turn-key writing units includes a rubric to easily evaluate writing.

9. Encourage (and Don’t Grade) Creative Writing

Let students explore creative writing without the pressure of grades. Offer fun prompts like, “What if your pet could talk for a day?” or “Imagine you discovered a secret room in your school.” Focus on self-expression and joy rather than mechanics to help students develop a love for writing. Find an entire collection of creative writing lessons HERE.

10. Celebrate Creativity in Writing with Displays and Sharing Opportunities

Showcase your students’ hard work by celebrating their creativity. Try ideas like:

• ➤ Hosting a Literacy Café where students read their work aloud

• ➤ Creating a class anthology of stories or poems

• ➤ Displaying writing pieces on a bulletin board or in a digital gallery

• ➤ Organizing a classroom poetry reading

Sharing writing builds confidence and helps students take pride in their accomplishments.

------------------------------------------

With these 10 teaching writing hacks, your classroom will be buzzing with creativity and productivity. From hands-on projects to literacy cafés, these strategies will inspire your students and streamline your teaching process. 

What are your favorite writing hacks? Share them in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth

P.S. If you're looking for more ways to liven up your ELA instruction, be sure to sign up for the Brain Waves Instruction newsletter here.

---