Back-to-School For Health Teachers: Planning Your First Day

First Impressions Matter... Especially for Teens. I’ll never forget my middle school social studies teacher. On the first day of school, he blasted dramatic war music and stood at the front of the room gripping a measuring stick like it was a weapon. Every student walked in silent, awkward, and a little scared. When the bell rang, he turned off the music, burst out laughing, and said, “Got you guys! I love doing that kind of stuff.” Just like that, I liked him. And I still remember him all these years later.

Another teacher of mine stood at the door and shook each of our hands. He already knew all our names. I liked him too. One teacher made me feel excited to learn. The other made me feel respected and seen. Both made a lasting impact. Now as a health teacher, I think about them every time I start a new school year.

The Most Important Back-to-School Question

What do I want my students to feel in this classroom?

Your answer to that shapes everything - how you greet students, structure lessons, and build classroom culture. I want my students to feel safe being heard, comfortable being honest, and excited to explore their choices and lives. That’s why I created the LifeFluent curriculum and structured my first day the way I did.

Feel free to take my exact plan [Grab it HERE] or just take the pieces that resonate most with your teaching style!

First Day of Health Class: What It Looks Like

Set the Tone with a Simple Bell Ringer

As students trickle in (some late, some lost, some visibly taller than they were two months ago), I have a simple bell ringer on the board:

“Draw 3 emojis that best describe you.”

It’s low-pressure, open-ended, and gives them something to do with their hands instead of scrolling their phones.

Kick Off with a Team Building Challenge

Here's the Slide I Use!

Once class starts, I put students in groups of 3–5 and project a slide with 6 silly mini challenges. I turn on a timer, which immediately turns everything into a game. (Seriously, the second that timer starts, even something like “find a pencil” becomes a race.)

Tip: include the bell ringer prompt on the slide. It gives them a head start before the real game begins.

Introduce the Structure of Your Class

Next, I walk students through a simple slide agenda and hand out the syllabus. My syllabus doesn’t just list units and grading policies - it explains the “why.” Why health matters. Why these lessons connect to their lives. I call it “The Class of Life,” and the name sticks.

Then I show a slide of class objectives to reinforce that this class is here to make their lives better, healthier, and happier.

Build a Class Contract (Together)

Instead of listing rules like a lecture, I frame classroom expectations as a shared responsibility. I have a few non-negotiables, like a no phones policy and anti-bullying expectations, but the rest we co-create together.

We ask: What kind of space do we want this to be? This empowers students and makes them feel respected and included.

Want to use the same class contract I do? [Grab it here.]

Go Deeper with a “Get to Know You” Activity That Actually Matters : FREE DOWNLOAD

After we’ve set the tone and the rules, it’s time to get to know each other in a real way beyond favorite colors or icebreaker bingo.

First Day of School Book Cover.pdf

Download PDF • 26KB

I this “Book Cover Activity” that helps students explore the difference between what people see and what they don’t see.

• The outside of the book = what others perceive

• The inside = thoughts, values, and personal truths they might not always share

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I hand out [this free download] and give students magazines, glue, and art supplies to design their “book cover.” The inside has prompts like:

• “The things that matter most to me are...”

• “You’d never guess, but I can...”

If they don’t finish, I assign it as the one and only homework of the week. (Most teens actually enjoy it.) Once they’re done, I staple them to the bulletin board so students can flip through and learn about each other.

Try Full Lesson

And that’s a wrap! That’s exactly how I start my health class every year. I hope this gave you some helpful ideas, and if you have questions, I’m always here to help.

Teach on,

Katie