Reviewing the syllabus, expectations, rules, procedures, and routines at the beginning of the year can be overwhelming and even boring. Most of us have sat through and probably delivered that first day of school monologue where the teacher reads through the syllabus, explains expectations, lists classroom rules, and watches students slowly zone out while pretending to care. It’s not exactly the most engaging way to start the school year, and it does nothing to build relationships, either!
After making this mistake my first year of teaching, I decided to skip the syllabus and procedures on Day 1 and do something fun and interactive instead: Investigate the Teacher, an activity where students get to know me by exploring my classroom for clues about my personality, teaching style, values, etc. And then when it was time to review the syllabus the next day, I ditched the lecture and reviewed it with back-to-school learning stations instead. This approach made for a much more engaging start to the school year, but I still needed a better way to review all of the expectations, rules, and routines in those first few days.
I decided there had to be a better way. After all, I had figured out more engaging alternatives to review the syllabus and get to know my students, so I started brainstorming. There had to be something that would still cover the essentials, but in a more student-friendly way. Something more interactive, engaging, and collaborative. Ideally, something that would help me build relationships with students and help them build relationships with each other. And most importantly, something that would make students more accountable for our classroom expectations and policies. (News flash: Clicking through a 50-slide PowerPoint and reading off the rules is not going to help students remember your beginning-of-class procedures, late work policy, and what to do if their Chromebook is dead.)
That active, engaging, and student-centered something ended up being a question trail, a kinesthetic activity I had been using for years….I just hadn’t ever thought about using it during the first week of school! Once I realized that I could use this fun, gamified lesson to cover the syllabus, expectations, and procedures, back-to-school season felt even more manageable and fun. This back-to-school question trail was the missing puzzle piece that helped me finally perfect my first week of school lesson plans.
SO, WHAT’S A QUESTION TRAIL?
If you’ve never used one before, a question trail is a gamified, kinesthetic activity similar to a scavenger hunt and a gallery walk (but even more engaging). This unique strategy consists of a “trail” of multiple-choice questions posted around the room. But here’s the catch: The answer to each question (A, B, C, D) sends students to a different question on the trail. When students answer each question correctly, they head to a specific spot “on the trail” and complete the trail in a particular sequence. If a student answers a question incorrectly, they end up at a question they’ve already answered, which is their cue to backtrack or check in with the “trail guide” (the teacher).
If you’re a visual learner and this isn’t “clicking” in your brain yet, here’s an example of what it looks like, featuring a question from my back-to-school expectations and procedures question trail:
All of the following are appropriate activities for when you finish an assignment early EXCEPT…
A. Reading your book (go to #8)
B. Working on IXL (go to #14)
C. Freewriting (go to #2)
D. Playing games on your Chromebook/device (go to #12)
The correct answer is D, which means students travel to #12 next. Students do not complete the questions in numerical order, but in the order dictated by the answers. The trail might take them from #1 to #12 to #5, etc.
Can you picture it now? Students are walking around the room, reviewing important procedures, problem-solving when they get a question wrong, and actively learning while you are the “guide on the side” checking their answers.
It’s a fun, low-stakes way to engage students while reviewing important information, and it gets them out of their seats during that first week when they’re still easing back into the routine of school and figuring out how things work in each class.
WHY YOU SHOULD TRY A QUESTION TRAIL
As you can probably tell, a back-to-school question trail is so much more engaging than a slideshow of rules. It turns content into a fun competition. If you’ve ever played Kahoot, Quizlet, Jeopardy, or any other game, then you know just how hype middle and high school students get, even if the only incentive is bragging rights. A question trail feels more like a game than a lesson, and students love that, especially during the otherwise boring first few days of syllabi, rules, and routines.
If you’re a teacher who values collaborative, inquiry-based, and student-centered learning, then a question trail is perfect for setting the tone for your year. All too often, we start the year with lessons, slideshows, and lectures that don’t reflect the type of teacher we are or the classroom community we strive to cultivate. Our back-to-school lesson plans shouldn’t be boring and dry…they should set the tone for a year full of student-centered learning.
One of the best reasons to add a question trail to your first week of school lesson plans is because it gets students up and moving during what’s usually a pretty sedentary “sit and get” time. Research shows that just 10 minutes of walking can enhance brain activity and memory, so a question trail makes sense if you want kids to remember all of your procedures and routines. It’s energizing and engaging, perfect for waking up those sleepy teens who are used to snoozing ‘til noon on summer break.
And finally, a back-to-school question trail is a no-brainer because you can repurpose the information you already have and create this lesson quickly. You can pull information straight from that PowerPoint you already have and plug it into a question trail template. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel!
A question trail is the best way to review procedures, rules, routines, and expectations. It checks all the boxes and it’s easy to create once you have a template. More on that below!
HOW TO USE IT TO REVIEW THE SYLLABUS, EXPECTATIONS, PROCEDURES, AND ROUTINES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
To create a back-to-school question trail, you’ll want to round up everything you want students to know and remember. Think about the information students need to know ASAP to be successful in your class, as well as your non-negotiable expectations and essential routines. You might even want to think about your pet peeves, things you find yourself repeating, and issues you had last year. For example…
- How should students enter/exit the classroom?
- What materials are students expected to bring each day?
- What should students do when they miss a day of class?
- What is the cell phone policy?
- What should students do if they forget a pencil?
- And so on…you get the picture!
Once you have this information, you’ll need to turn it into multiple-choice questions and plug it into a question trail template (or create your own trail from scratch, which takes a lot longer). Here’s an example of a question I created regarding Chromebook boundaries. Anytime I am teaching at the front of the class, I am pretty strict about students focusing on me and visually showing me they are not using their Chromebooks with the specific actions outlined in answer C.
When the teacher is teaching a lesson, what should you do with your Chromebook/device?
A. It should be powered off (go to #12)
B. It should be placed inside your desk or bookbag, completely out of sight (go to #7)
C. It should be closed, at a 45-degree angle, or facing away from you, unless instructed otherwise (go to #2)
D. It should be open and facing you in case you need it for the lesson (go to #13)
By now, you’re probably brainstorming everything you want to include in your back-to-school question trail or clicking through your Procedures & Expectations slideshow. If you need more ideas or inspiration to help you create questions, here’s a master list of “must-teach” procedures and routines.
For thorough teacher instructions and a list of 20+ specific question ideas, as well as the exact questions I use, you can check out this editable question trail template for reviewing the syllabus, procedures, routines, and more. This resource contains the exact questions I use, so you can edit the information to reflect your expectations and/or plug in your own classroom rules, policies, etc.
WANT TO USE QUESTION TRAILS ALL YEAR LONG?
If you love the idea of using question trails to engage your students, then good news: You can use this strategy all year long! Question trails work for any subject or skill, and they’re easy to create with a template and questions/info you already have. To learn more about using question trails in your middle or high school classroom, check out the following:
- Why you should try a question trail
- Question trail FAQ, tips, & tricks
- 10 ways to use question trails in your classroom
- Question trail templates for any subject
WANT MORE CREATIVE IDEAS FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL?
Want more engaging back-to-school ideas? These blog posts will help you plan a fun, student-centered first week of school WITHOUT any boring slideshows, lectures, or awkward icebreakers:
- Back-to-school activities for middle & high school
- Why you should try back-to-school learning stations
- A dozen ideas for back-to-school learning stations
- Why I don’t review the syllabus on the first day of school and what I do instead
