Sparking Student Motivation...A Test on the First Day

Hello Friends!  I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer or the first few days of the new school year.  I am deep in Vacation Bible School planning right now.  My church's VBS is next week and I am trying to get all of the last details finished for that, while trying to get things ready for school.  I am not sure when I will start decorating and getting my room set up for school.  I am thinking not until  the last week of August, which will give me one week.  You are probably thinking this teacher is crazy...how is she going to do that????  Well, I am not sure!!  I am trusting God that he will give me super natural energy to set everything up and I will be very focus when doing it. 

Today I am linking up with Joanne from Head over Heals for Teaching for her Sparking Student Motivation.  If you have never check out this linky, I suggest you do because there are wonderful ideas that are usually very simple. 

On the first day of school I give my students a test.  Yes, you read it right...a TEST!  I am the meanest teacher in the world for doing this.  I tell them this will be the least prepared for a test you will be all year.  I don't want them to worry about it, but I do love seeing them sweat when I tell them they are taking a test!  I go over the procedures on how we take a test.  I then hand out the test.  This test is about their teacher, me, it is ten multiple choice questions about me.  We take our test in silence and when we are done we go over it!  Here is the test I gave my students last year.  Can you answer any of these questions?

After we go over the test, I tell my students that they will never be unprepared for a test.  We will go over the subject matter for each test they will take and they should feel prepared to take each and every test throughout the year.  

My students actually enjoyed this activity last year and found it to be a fun way to learn about their teacher.  I do think the highest grade was a 40% last year!

What fun ways do you introduce yourself to your class?

Don't forget tomorrow starts the super huge sale at Teachers Pay Teachers.  My entire store will be on sale for 20% off.  I hope to hear many cha-chings on my phone over the next two days!  You can also get an additional 10% off by using BTS13 in the coupon code.  I hope you are able to score some great deals!

Rosie