A Back to School IB PYP Activity
Ah, back to school thoughts are upon us once again. Summer. It just FLIES in, doesn’t it? I’m always torn between dreading going back to work and excitement for the start of a new school year, new kiddos to get to know and maybe even a new classroom.
Whether you start sooner or later, I wanted to share one of my newest back to school activities that you can use with ANY age level. Part getting-to-know-you and part craft, it is so cute and the kids absolutely LOVE that it is all about them and even looks like them. I can just see them all hanging up in my classroom, with their adorable t-shirts telling all about Who We Are. A perfect back to school display.
This is simple to prepare and acts as a fabulous getting-to-know-you activity for those first days back. I planned it for about 2 hours a day, over 2 days.
Three Parts to Complete
The front of the t-shirt is divided into sections and is a critical thinking activity that requires the children to reflect and think about their answers. There are different options for the front of the t shirt. You can decide which you prefer, based on the needs of your class or allow the children to choose for themselves, thus encouraging student agency. ( You can learn more about implementing student agency in this post here. ) Basically, the children have to answer the question for each section of the t-shirt in a drawn format, making them think more critically as they reflect upon their answer and how they will show this in picture format. The result is a seriously colourful design that is unique for each child in your class.
- Traditional getting to know you questions such as – My favourite book, My challenges are, I love, My family… etc.
- The Transdisciplinary themes – colour what each theme means to you. (Who We Are, How We Express Ourselves, Sharing the Planet, How the World Works, How We Organise Ourselves & Where We Are in Place & Time.)
Next, is the back of the t-shirt. This focuses on the Learner Profile and is a great beginning of the year review of the traits of a learner.
It asks the children to reflect upon themselves within each part of being a learner. They can write their answers in each section of the t-shirt or draw their answers.
Lastly, there is a template for the head and shoulders and the arms. The children will draw their self portrait on the front of the template. I like to use craft materials for the hair, which the children love to do too, plus it allows us to review and practice our classroom procedures for self management and working with materials. 
Glue the head and shoulders and the arms in between the finished front and back of the t-shirt and voila, you have a whole class of beautiful card figures that allow you to get to know a bit more about your kiddos as they learn more about themselves as learners. You can find this activity here in my store.
I hope you love it as much as I do! And please, share pics of your kids’ work on Instagram with me. I love to see how my resources turn out in other classes. You can find me on Instagram @pypteaching. Don’t forget to tag me so that I can see it.
