Name Tag Design STEM Challenge

I believe that forming relationships with your students is one of the most important parts ofteaching.  Using the first six weeks of school to really get to know your students and tohelp them make connections with each other is vital to having a successful school year. I enjoy doing a variety of activities the first week of school to get to know my students. By the end of the day on the First Day of School, students have had a long day of learningthe expectations and routines of a new classroom and they are ready for some hands-onlearning where they can experiment and be creative.

At the end of the day on the First Day of School, I like to do a Name Tag Design STEM challenge.  I discovered this challenge on the blog, For the Love of Teachers, and it has been a favorite in my classroom for the past three years.  The goal of this STEM challenge is for students to design a name tag that meets certain criteria and helps their teacher and peers get to know them a little better.

Materials

You can use a variety of materials to complete this project. 

I like to pull out my STEM bins and let students use whatever materials they would

like to create their designs.

Suggested Materials:

-Construction paper or cardstock

-Pipe cleaners

-Pom-poms

-Popsicle sticks

-Tape

-Glue or glue sticks

-Scissors

-Coloring supplies

-Rulers

-Pencils 

The Challenge

Begin the activity by telling students what materials they have available to use and

what the goal of the challenge is.  You can choose what criteria students have to

include to meet the challenge.  Some of the possible criteria are:

-The student’s name must be clearly displayed.

-The name tag must be at least 6 inches in length.

-The name tag must show at least 3 things that the student is interested in.  This could be a hobby, an animal, a food, a book etc.

-To add an extra challenge, students could design a name tag that stands up

on its own or one that can hold a pencil.  

After students have finished making their name tags, you can take the time to

read each one to get to know your students a little better. This is a great opportunity

to walk around the room and ask your students questions.  Then, each student can

tape their name tag to the side of their desk and students can walk around and read

each other’s name tags and make connections.

Wrap-Up

This activity not only helps me get to know my students, but it is also an opportunity

for students to get to know each other and to identify common interests.  This activity

also helps give my students ownership in the classroom as it is one of the first

pieces of student work that is displayed.  Students enjoy being creative and using a

variety of materials to make beautifully designed name tags to share with their peers

and to decorate their new classroom.

These are some examples of the finished projects with the names blacked out.