The first day of school is one of the most exciting, and nerve-wracking, days of the year. In my opinion, the single most important thing you can focus on that day is building relationships. It’s a golden opportunity to let your students get to know you and to start learning who they are.
But with procedures to teach and thirty new names to learn, it can be hard to find a meaningful way to introduce yourself. To make it easier, I created this free first day of school artifact lesson using Google Slides. It’s a fun, engaging way to connect with your students right from the start.
What is an artifact? Artifacts are objects made and used by humans. In Part 1 of this lesson, students analyze 5 artifacts that belong to you, their teacher, and make inferences about who you are based on what they see. In Part 2, students choose 5 artifacts of their own and use them to introduce themselves to the class.
This lesson works whether you’re teaching in person or virtually, read on for instructions for both!
Lesson Plan – Part 1
Lesson objective: I can get to know my teacher by describing and making inferences about his/her artifacts.
Download the free lesson here.
1. Access the Google Slides by clicking the blue box on page 2 of the lesson plan. A new tab will open and you’ll be prompted to make a copy into your Google Drive. Click “Make a copy.”
2. Locate the resource in your Google Drive.
3. Read through the presentation and edit any directions to fit your needs. All text boxes in Arial font are editable.
4. Copy and paste images of 5 artifacts that represent you. Choose objects that will help students make genuine inferences about who you are; things you actually own and use. Here are some ideas:
- your favorite book
- something you collect
- an item that represents the college you went to
- your favorite game
- an object that represents your family
- something that represents your personality or hobby
- an item that represents something you are good at
5. In Google Classroom, create a new assignment and select the Google Drive symbol to attach your file.
6. Be sure to select “Make a copy for each student” — this ensures students work on their own copy and cannot edit your original.
7. Students will read through the slides, write descriptions of each artifact, and make inferences in the text boxes. When finished, they submit the assignment.
Lesson Plan – Part 2
Lesson objective: I can select five artifacts that describe me.
1. Access the student Google Slides template by clicking the blue box on page 3 of the lesson plan. Click “Make a copy” when prompted.
2. Locate the resource in your Google Drive.
3. Read through the presentation and edit any directions as needed. All Arial text boxes are editable.
4. In Google Classroom, create a new assignment and attach the file from your Google Drive.
5. Select “Make a copy for each student” to protect your original file.
6. Students will read through the slides, insert images of their own artifacts, and fill in the text boxes. When finished, they submit the assignment.
Download the Free First Day of School Artifact Lesson
I hope this lesson helps you share a little of yourself with your students and gives them a fun, memorable way to introduce themselves too. Most importantly, I hope it helps you kick off the year with genuine connection!
Click here to download the full lesson plan.
More Back-to-School Help
Back-to-school season is a lot. Here are a few more resources to help you hit the ground running:
- Join the free Facebook group for 5th–8th grade U.S. history teachers — a positive, inspiring space where members share lesson ideas, classroom tips, and support each other all year long.
- Download the free U.S. History Pacing Guide — an overview of which units to teach, how long to spend on each, and in what order.
- Check out these popular back-to-school posts:
Start the Year Strong — With a Full Year of U.S. History Ready to Go
The first day is just the beginning! Once you’ve built those relationships, you’ll want engaging, meaningful lessons ready to go all year long. That’s exactly what the Ultimate U.S. History Bundle is for.
The Ultimate U.S. History Bundle gives you every single U.S. history unit The Clever Teacher has ever made — all in one place, all ready to teach. Here’s what’s inside:
- Think Like a Historian (Intro to U.S. History; Why Study History?)
- Western Hemisphere Geography (Intro to Geography; Map Skills; 5 Themes of Geography)
- Native American Regions
- Age of Exploration
- 13 Colonies
- Declaration of Independence
- American Revolutionary War
- U.S. Constitution
- Presidential Elections
- Early Republic
- Westward Expansion
- Civil War
- Reconstruction
- Gilded Age & Industrialization
- Economics Fair Simulation
- U.S. History Quote of the Week (Parts 1 & 2) – Ready-to-use daily bell ringers all year long
That’s a complete, year-long U.S. history curriculum for grades 5–8 — fully planned, engaging, and ready to go the moment you download it. No more scrambling for lesson ideas, no more stitching together resources from a dozen different places. Just open it and teach.
Each unit is packed with interactive activities, primary sources, discussion questions, and hands-on projects designed to get students genuinely excited about history. These aren’t busywork worksheets — they’re lessons students will actually remember.
And the value? You’ll save 20% compared to buying every unit separately. No coupon code needed; it is built into the bundle price.
If you teach U.S. history, this is the one resource worth investing in.
Learn More About the Ultimate U.S. History Bundle →
Ultimate US History Bundle | 5th–8th Grade Activities & Lessons
I’m so glad I found this site! Super cute ideas to help me go into my 3rd year of teaching 5th grade but also my 26 year of teaching! Love it!