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

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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.