BACK

TO FRE
E

SCHOOL
FAVORITES!
FUN WRITING AND DRAWING ACTIVITIES FOR
STUDENTS TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER!

A GREAT FAMILY KEEPSAKE!

RAINY DAY ACTIVITY ICE CREAM

I love chocolate and vanilla

swirl ice cream on sugar
cones

I love to walk on the

beach when it rains.

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 MY FAVORITES

PLACE TO READ Game COLOR

FRIEND TOY TELEVISION SHOW

MOVIE / video FLOWER OR PLANT ADULT

Name ___________________________ copyright©RuthS.

 MY FAVORITES

RAINY DAY ACTIVITY COMPUTER SONG

pet DOG
WILD ANIMAL

SNEAKERS CLOTHING TIME OF DAY

Name ___________________________
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 MY FAVORITES

BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER

PIZZA CEREAL ICE CREAM

FAMILY ACTIVITY RESTAURANT VACATION

Name ___________________________
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 MY FAVORITES

AGE OR GRADE BOOK ART ACTIVITY

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY

Math

SOCIAL STUDIES TOPIC SCIENCE TOPIC GYM ACTIVITY

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 MY FAVORITES

HOBBY TOWN OR CITY CAR

STUFFED ANIMAL SPORT SPORTS TEAM

STORE Famous person COUNTRY

Name ___________________________
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 MY FAVORITES

Brother or Sister INDOOR ACTIVITY PARK

musical instrument CARTOON OR COMIC BOOK BIKE

OUTDOOR activity summer activity WINTER activity

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copyright©RuthS.
Name ___________________________

MY FAVORITES

Select four of your favorites and think of two adjectives that describe them.
A noun is a person, place or thing.
An adjective describes a noun.

EXAMPLE: FAVORITE - DOG ADJECTIVE - CUTE ADJECTIVE - FRIENDLY

1 Favorite _____________________________________ Adjective ______________ Adjective ______________

2. Favorite _____________________________________ Adjective ______________ Adjective ______________

3. Favorite _____________________________________ Adjective ______________ Adjective ______________

4. Favorite _____________________________________ Adjective ______________ Adjective ______________

Select three more favorites and describe them in sentences. Include one adjective to describe each one.
Circle the adjectives with a colored pencil.

Example: Pizza is delicious. Delicious is a word that describes the noun, pizza.
The huge seagull flew over the beach. Huge is an adjective that describes the noun, seagull.

1. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Draw a picture of one YOUR favorites from this page.

copyright©RuthS.
 OUR
FAVORITES

copyright©RuthS.
 MY
FAVORITES
Cover to take home

Name _______________________________________

DATe _______________________________________

TEACHER ___________________________________

copyright©RuthS.
 Ruth’s Suggestions

These fun back to school activities can be done the first week of school or any other time of year. Give your students one
page a day and collect them when they’re finished. When all pages are completed, they can make a keepsake booklet
to take home. Have students work in small groups and encourage them to talk about their favorites as they work on them.

Frames around the favorite boxes should be shaded in different colors using colored pencils.

Favorites can be illustrated in the little thumbnail frames or words or phrases can be written within the frames. If words are
written, they should fill up the entire box so they’re big enough to see. Some students like to draw “bubble” letters which
then can also be shaded in. For students who have difficulty writing or drawing, small pictures from magazines can be
pasted in the boxes.
Suggestions about some of the favorites

Page 2
Adult - This should be a special adult in their lives like a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, teacher, or any other
adult they admire. There is another card for “famous person” so encourage them to choose the suggestions I made for
“adult”;
Friend - Some students may not want to share their favorite friend. It’s important to respect their feelings and tell them to
complete the favorites they’re comfortable sharing. This could lead to hard feelings if there are other friends in the class.
You may have them write the qualities of a good friend. if this is the case. Examples: faithful, caring, kind.
Toy - Older students may want to share a toy they loved when they were younger.
Movie or Video - Be sure this is an appropriate movie or video. You might suggest a film they might have seen that’s based
on a book they’ve read or another film shown in class.
Game - Can be a board game, video game, or any other type of game they enjoy.
Color -Can be a color they love or a sentence about coloring in coloring books.

Page 3
Computer - iPad, Mac, PC They may not know the differences between PC’s and Mac’s. PC’s are any computer brands
other than Macs, like Dell, Hewlitt Packard, etc.
Pet - I included a box for DOG but not one for cat. Sorry! Students should use this pet box, if they have a kitty. or any other
type of pet.
Song - Also be sure the song title and lyrics are appropriate. Suggest a song they might have learned in school or one they
sing in a school chorus.
Time of Day - Suggestions are: dawn, day time, afternoon, dusk, evening. A description about why they like a certain time
of day is suggested or it could be a picture depicting gorgeous sunset.

Page 4
Family Activity - Suggestions are: Going out for dinner, playing games or sports together, reading with family members,
shopping at a mall, etc.
Vacation - This can be a family vacation they’ve taken or a vacation they’d like to take.

Page 5
Age or Grade - This can be any age or grade they loved the most. They should explain why they love it.
Math - Ask students to select an operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, word problems) with an
example.
Science, Social Studies, Gym, Art, - These can be topics they’ve studied, in any grade. A science example can be a
picture of a thunder storm with the word “WEATHER” written at the top of the box.

Page 6
Hobby - Many students may not know what hobbies are. Examples are: collecting things like baseball cards, woodworking,
comic books, drawing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, science projects, etc.
Famous Person This can be a doctor, scientist, inventor, biologist, a president or author. I’ve had some students write names
of a relative because in their eyes, the person brings happiness to other family members or might have saved someone’s
life. It all depends on their interpretation of “famous”.
Town or City - This can be where students live. where they’ve visited or where they’d like to visit or live.
Country - Can be the same as “town or city”.
Sports Team - Possible illustrations can be football helmets with logos, tee shirt with name of the team.
Sport - Written descriptions of a sport they like to play or one they’d like to play.
Stuffed animal - Students may have had a favorite stuff animal when they were younger they can describe.

copyright©RuthS.
 Ruth’s Suggestions (2)

Page 7
Brother or sister - If they don’t have siblings, they may want to describe a favorite cousin.
Outdoor Activity - Suggestions are picnics, playing tennis, soccer, taking a walk in the city or country, walking a dog, etc.
Indoor Activity - Something they enjoy doing around their home like cooking, repairing something, writing stories, etc.
Park - Can be a park students have visited or one they’ve learned about. City, country or national park.
Musical Instrument - This can be one they play or one they’d like to play.
Summer / Winter Activities - These can be activities they enjoy or those they’d like to do. Those living in warm climates,
year round, may want to snowboard during the winter.

Page 8 - Blank Favorite templates - These templates can be used three different ways.

1) Give each student a copy of this page. Have students select three of their most favorite, favorites and write descriptions
or draw pictures of them. When they’re finished, they can read them aloud to each other in small groups.

2) Make several copies of this page, cut the templates, then hand one of the templates to each student. They each then
choose their favorite, favorite and write a description of it. Collect all of them and mix them up when they’re finished.
Hand one to each student and have that student read it aloud. You can ask the person who wrote it to raise his or her
hand if he or she wants to be acknowledged. If not, ask another student to read his or her card. Shy children may not
want to be recognized, which is fine.

3) Students can trade one of the templates they completed on page 8 with new friends. Or they can ask who has the
same favorites listed and talk about them. For example, if students likes to collect baseball cards, he or she should
ask who likes collecting baseball cards. Those who do, sit together and discuss their favorite players, teams and if they
play baseball.

Page 9 - Adjectives Younger children may need assistance when they do the adjectives page. Have them describe a
puppy or kitten and point out that words like fluffy and cute are adjectives that desribe a puppy or kitten.

Page 10 - Favorite Poster - Use as a bulletin board display topper where students’ favorite pages or templates can be
displayed.

Page 11 - Favorite Keepsake Cover - Use this template as a cover for students’ keepsake favorite booklets to take home.
They should draw pictures or describe their two most favorite, favorites on this cover and write what they are, in the boxes
above them. One staple in the upper left hand corner is the easiest way to put the pages together.

When they’re finished listing their favorites, you can tally the favorites. Ask how many listed chocolate as their favorite ice
cream. Count the number and write it on the board next to chocolate. Do this with the other categories to see which ones
have more “votes”.
Have fun!

Ruth

copyright©RuthS.
 Thank you for downloading my FREE BACK TO SCHOOL FAVORITES!
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As a long time member of the TeachersPayTeachers “teacher family” it’s been a pleasure sharing my lessons and
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NOVEL
Book or story
response
Book or story response task cards

RESPONSE TASK
task cards

CARDS -
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SCOOT FUN! NOUNS, VERBS, ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS - TeachersPayTeachers.com
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SCOOT FUN! SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES - TeachersPayTeachers.com
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Fantasy Essential Elements

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MANIAC MAGEE 32 Page Packet by Ruth S. | Teachers Pay Teachers

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NONFICTION FIND IT
AND CHECK IT -
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BEHAVIOR AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT FORMS
Behavior and Looking for an easy way to keep track of students who don't follow school rules? These forms are best used in
Classroom upper elementary, middle and high school. A student is required to complete the form that has a list of
unacceptable behaviors, sign it and take it home to be signed by parents or guardians. There is an area that
Management asks the student to describe how he or she might change the behavior. There is also a teacher form with
descriptions of various avenues that were taken to remedy the problem such as dean or guidance counselor
Forms for... by intervention, parent conference, parent and team intervention.
Ruth S. | Teachers Teacher Comments
~ Great resource. I like that the sheet is simple and direct. I like your materials very much. Thanks!!
Pay Teachers ~ Great fast and on the go resource for behavior check!
~ Great product and easy to use!!! :)
~ Thank you. I am a new teacher and these will be very helpful. Sometimes the student doesn't realize what
they did so this way I can mark and then we can talk about it later.
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Punch or Stamp Cards Class Management by Ruth S. | Teachers Pay Teachers FREE
Design A Game
Book Report by
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LANGSTON HUGHES
DREAMS by Ruth S. |
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Common Core Setting

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Chart and Student
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COMMON
CORE ELA
INFORMATION
AL TEXT
ARTICLE
(CHEETAH) -
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Poetry Task Cards by

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Hoot Student
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Bridge to Terabithia Student Worksheets by Ruth S. | Teachers Pay Teachers
Education
Quotation
Posters and
Student Activity
by Ruth S. |
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IDIOMS ARE
FUN PACKET by
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NonFiction Student
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VIDEO REVIEW

Movie
VIDEO REVIEW

Review for
Students by
Ruth S. |
Teachers

How To
Spell
Plural
Nouns by
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 FACTS or OPINIONS
You Decide Packet by
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VOCABULARY DETECTIVES TASK CARDS 5 Similes, metaphors personIFICATION

Who doesn’t love a contest? Because of a great response about my Detective Task Card Contests, I
https:// thought I’d share one I created for similes, metaphors and personification. Students can’t wait to find
examples of these different types of figurative language in books they read, because their cards are

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entered in weekly contests. All cards, instructions and labels of ther Detective Card jar are included. You’ll
be amazed how excited your students are to participate. Suggestions for prizes are also given.

Product/Vocabulary-Detectives- Teacher Comments

~ What a great way to get kids to search for and recognize these important parts of speech! Love them!

Task-Cards-5-Similes-Metaphors-
Thank you!
~ Thank you! What a great idea. I know my students will pay more attention to their reading! Thanks!
~ Competition AND Learning! Love it!
and-Personification-243257
~ I’m using this resource as part of my reading workshop program. I LOVE it!

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Foundational
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WINTER WRITING ACTIVITIES, STORIES POEMS FICTION NONFICTION

FFIFTY ONE PAGES of FUN writing activities for paragraphs, short or long stories, poetry, writing dialogue,

Winter fiction and nonfiction ideas. Coloring and drawing Instructions and suggestions are provided for all
activities.
Winter Sports – Write facts about the sport pictures or poems or descriptive paragraphs

Writing Winter “Poem in a Pocket” – Hands on cut and paste activity with pocket and mitten templates. Makes a
great classroom display.
Tracks in the Snow – Students are National Geographic reporters and are assigned to take picture of snow

Activities, scenes at Yellowstone National Park. Suddenly they see tracks in the snow. What happens next? Students
finish the story and draw a picture.
Avalanche! - Write facts about avalanches, or reports about avalanche rescue dogs or a newspaper
Stories, article about an avalanche rescue. Websites included.
Sleigh Ride – Students answer the questions about the sleigh ride, then color the sleigh. Questions are

Poems,... by
based on Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”.
Polar bear – Cinquain poem – How to write a Cinquain included
Writing horses’ dialogue about their winter experiences. (two pages)

Ruth S. | Acrostic winter poem Instructions included.

Months of January and February (2 different templates for each with illustrations) – Write any story on the
templates or describe the special “Random Acts of Kindness” and “Make a Friend” days instructions for
the month of February. Websites included. MANY MORE PAGES ARE INCLUDED!
 Autumn and
Fall Writing
Papers by Ruth
S. | Teachers
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Autumn ELA Student Worksheets and Art Activities by Ruth S. | Teachers Pay Teachers

You Decide!
Articles of
Confederation or
the... by Ruth S. |
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SHILOH
My Shiloh literature guidre can be used with guided reading groups, literature circles, or as
Shiloh independent seat work. They can also be used as assessments or homework. Activities
encourage students to brainstorm and collaborate in small groups in order to determine the
Student best answers.
Teacher Comments
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BEST set of worksheets I have EVER seen! Thank you, thank you! ~ ~ Love this!
s by Ruth S. ~ Great Resource. Thank you!
~ Thanks for helping me out with my Shiloh unit.
| Teachers ~ Kids loved it.
~ This was amazing and so helpful! Thank you!
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FIRST TEN THE FIRST TEN AMENDMENTS - BILL OF RIGHTS

Get your students excited about the First Ten Amendments of the Constitution as they read
AMENDMENTS situations they relate to. This packet includes a chart of the first ten amendments and worksheets
that ask them to decide which situations apply to the amendments using the chart. Great for
BILL OF debates and discussions in small or large groups. Students also have to think of other situations
that might violate the Bill of Rights. Answers are included.
RIGHTS by Teacher Comments
~ I love the real world applications. It will get kids thinking, which is a greater goal than just learning the
Ruth S. | content.
~ Wow, thank you so much for providing this resource! This should be a great activity for my 12th grade
Teachers Pay American Government students to do in order to help them review for their Bill of Rights quiz.
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~ Just what I needed. My students really enjoyed this!~ This was amazing and so helpful! Thank you!
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