Make a Big Welcome Book

Social Studies

Students will work as a team to create a “Welcome Book” to help new students feel at ease, and to express a personal view of their school and themselves.

What You Need

large sheets of drawing/construction paper
yarn, paper fasteners, or other binding materials
optional: camera for taking individual or class photos

What to Do

Help students brainstorm what information they might include in a Welcome Book for new students by asking questions such as the following:
- What do you like best about your school?
- What would you tell a new student to help that person feel at ease?
- What rules does a new student need to know?
Make a list of students' ideas. Then give each student a large sheet of drawing paper and let the students work in small groups to create big-book pages for a class Welcome Book. You may want to suggest the following ideas:
- Draw a picture of yourself with your name at the bottom.
- Draw a picture map of your classroom. Label the reading corner, coat closet, desks, bookshelves, or other areas.
- Write the rules students need to follow in your class.
- Paste a snapshot of yourself onto a big-book page.
- Paste a snapshot of your class onto a big-book page.
- Write something nice about your teacher.
- Draw a picture of your teacher, the cafeteria, or the playground.
- Create a “My Favorite…” page, which might be entitled “My Favorite Game at Recess,” “My Favorite Song to Sing in School,” and so forth.
Help students bind their pages into a class Welcome Book. When new students arrive, assign a classroom buddy to present the book to them to look at together or individually. When the new students are ready, encourage each of them to add a page or a snapshot to the Welcome Book.

Teaching Options

The Big Welcome Book could be expanded or adapted for all classes and kept in the main office for any new student.
New students might enjoy adding to the Big Welcome Book by drawing pictures of the school or friends from where they lived; students from other countries could include something from their native land.
As a challenge, students might consider what visitors to the school (including parents) might need to know in order to have a pleasant visit. Students can create a Visitor's Big Book to be kept in the main office.