We’re going to start with some writing today. Please put your name on the top of a piece of paper I can collect. I want to read something to you and then ask for your reaction.

Many students struggle to fit in when they first arrive at a new school. Some worry that they are somehow different from other students; some are concerned that teachers and students will judge them. Still others feel anxious that they won’t be able to keep up in class. With time however, most students become more comfortable with their new surroundings – they make new friends, they realize that differences are what make us unique and they gain confidence in the material they are learning in class.

Step 1: Take a few moments now to write about why some students feel like they don’t belong when they first arrive in school. Reflect on your own experience. Did you (ever) feel worried that you wouldn’t fit in, or that you wouldn’t be able to keep up in class?

Step 2: Now, write about how your experience at school has changed. Do you feel more ‘at home’ now than you did when you first came? Why is that? Did you make friends, did you find out where to get help from if you need it?

Ask for a couple volunteers to share. After each person, did anyone else feel the same way? Did anyone else have an experience similar to ___________’s?

What can we all do to make people feel welcome and that they belong here?

Collect writing.

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Based on an activity from Behavioral Insights for Education, Pearson