Back to School Partner Interviews

Description

Help students build friendships and confidence from the very first week of school with these engaging Back to School Partner Interview Activities! This resource encourages students to interview a classmate, practice active listening, develop speaking skills, and create a fun presentation project to introduce their partner to the class. It’s the perfect icebreaker for creating a positive classroom culture while helping everyone feel welcomed and included.

Students work in pairs to ask interview questions, record their partner’s responses, and transform what they learn into creative presentation projects. Choose from multiple interview question sets and several display options, including partner pennants, tumbler-themed templates, and circle presentation organizers. These finished projects make an eye-catching hallway or classroom display while giving students an opportunity to practice public speaking and communication skills.

With multiple templates included, you can easily differentiate for various grade levels and classroom needs. Whether you’re teaching first graders who need simple prompts or older students who are ready for more detailed interviews, this resource provides everything you need for a successful beginning-of-the-year activity.

Perfect For:

First Week of School

Back to School Activities

Icebreaker Activities

Classroom Community Building

Meet Your Classmates

Morning Meeting

Cooperative Learning

Speaking & Listening Practice

Bulletin Board Displays

Hallway Displays

SEL Lessons

Partner Work

Sub Plans

Beginning of the Year Activities

 

What’s Included:

Teacher directions

Three sets of partner interview questions

Interview response recording sheets

Multiple partner pennant templates

“All About My Partner” tumbler templates

Circle presentation templates

Creative presentation options

Hallway and bulletin board display pieces

Print-and-go student pages

Digital Google Slides version included

25+ printable pages with multiple design choices

 

Skills Students Will Practice:

Active listening

Asking and answering questions

Oral communication

Public speaking

Interview skills

Note-taking

Presenting information

Building friendships

Self-awareness

Social awareness

Creativity

Collaboration

Respectful conversations

Confidence speaking in front of peers

 

Why Teachers Love This Resource

Builds classroom community on the very first day

Encourages meaningful student conversations

Gives every student an opportunity to share and be heard

Includes multiple interview question sets for easy differentiation

Several creative presentation options to keep students engaged

Creates beautiful classroom and hallway displays

Print-and-go with minimal teacher prep

Includes a digital version for Google Slides classrooms