One important task for the first few days of school is getting to know the kids and their names. When you are an elementary teacher, trying to master your students’ names seems fairly easy when you only have around 20 kids. I try and make it a game with the kids to see if I can memorize their names by noon that first day; but I always seem to get stumped when I have 5 Katelynns in one class with 5 different ways of spelling!
I can imagine it isn’t always the case when you are a secondary teacher or when you are team teaching. The more kids you have the more your brain has to work to match the names with the faces. Here are a few activities that I have done that help my brain master these names once and for all!
Morning Greeting
Stand at your door every morning and greet the students as they come in. As they come in, check off their name on a list. It helps with matching names to faces and by time the morning announcements come on you'll be ready to submit your attendance! It's a great way to learn their names, but it's also a great way to start the day. I stand and greet throughout the entire year. I love starting my day this way and I think the students do too!
Pick Sticks
I write the students' names on sticks for an easy way to randomly choose kids. In the beginning of the year I will use the sticks to have the kids line up, pair up for activities, or divide into groups. I may write a hint on the back of the stick to help me organize the name with the face. I use them as often as I can the first few days. Not only does it keep the selections random, it helps me match names and faces. The more often I do it, the better my brain can store the information.
When I teach more than one class, the sticks are color coded. Each class has a designated color. I write the students names on the sticks in that color and keep the colors the same each year. My homeroom is always red, my science teammates' class is black and my math teammates' class is blue. I can easily tell which bin I need based on the colors.
Name Tags
I have the kids create name tags with a few personal attributes on them the first week of school. This extra element not only helps me learn their names, I learn a little bit about them as people as well. I usually have them keep them in their folders or in their mailboxes. It is a great visual to have on the desks in front of them. I have also handed them out as they have come into my room as a way to greet them and say "good morning".
You could also go the old-fashioned route and have students design a sticker name tag. They probably won't last past the first day, but they are a great start to learning student names.
Name Games
When I can make a connection in my brain with a kid, I can more easily remember their names. Some years I play a name game with them that works on the first letter of their names. For example, each kid must follow this pattern - my name is Jennifer and I am from Jacksonville and I like Jello. The kids love to hear the silly combinations they come up with.
Small Group Instruction
This is the best way to get to know the kids. Setting up small group rotations the first or second week is the perfect way to get a close up glimpse of each kid. Have a class list of the kids’ names ready to go and jot down notes. This will also help you zero in on them as individuals.
During the first week, use the small group instruction to introduce norms for the classroom, play getting-to-know-you games, or to just sit and chat. It's the perfect opportunity to pause the chaos of the first few days of school and work a little bit on relationship building.
Name memorization isn’t always easy but if you make it fun for you and kids - the task isn’t so grueling. Choose a strategy that is easiest for you because we all know there is so much to think about that first week. Maybe investing in sticker name tags for the first week might be the way to go!
Good luck!