Ways to Incorporate College-Going Culture into Beginning of the Year Activities

In an effort to bring a college-going culture to your school, we want to begin the school year with our message to students that they need to be thinking about their life after high school. We understand that not all of our students will be going to college but being college-ready also means being work-ready.

For most of these activities, there will just be a college-going flavor (there’s that word again!) to the activities you already do. Here are a few add-on suggestions for the first day.

Bingo/Signature Activity

In this activity, you have a series of squares that you have descriptions at the top of each square and then a space below for students to sign their names.

How to add college-going flavor: Have a few of those boxes related to college-going knowledge or experience. Examples:

Has a brother or sister who attends
Cal State Hayward (East Bay) / Knows what A-G requirements are / Is planning to leave the Bay Area when s/he goes to college / Has visited a college campus outside of Hayward / Can name two technical schools

Writing

Many teachers like to get an idea of students’ writing abilities and also like to get to know their students by making them write a little bit about themselves.

How to add college-going flavor: Ask a couple of college-related questions such as, “Are you planning to go to college?” or “What are you planning to do after high school?”

Peer Interviews

Put students into pairs and have them ask each other 3-5 questions about each other. Then each person will interview their partner and then present the person to the class.

How to add college-going flavor: Have one of those questions be college-related such as, “What are you planning to do after high school?”

Artifacts

Have students bring in 3-5 items to represent themselves. They will explain, either in writing or in front of the class how it represents themselves.

How to add college-going flavor: Have one of those things that they bring in represent their future. Give examples such as, “If you’re planning to go to college, you could bring a college sweatshirt or a print out of a college web site.

Student Data Sheets/Cards

Teachers normally distribute these to gather information about students such as home numbers, parent contact info, etc.

How to add college-going flavor: Ask a question (perhaps even include a check-off box) about why students are taking the class. If your class meets an A-G requirement, include that as one of the check-offs. For example, a World History teacher would have options of: (1) It’s a graduation requirement (2) It meets an A-G requirement for California universities (3) I’m really interested in this topic (4) Other