Biography bag project

At the beginning of a school year in middle school, it’s important to get to know your students on a deeper level than just asking what is their favorite color or favorite animal. I designed this activity for when I returned from my maternity leave two months into the school year, and it was the BEST way to get a snapshot of my new students.

I will use this for Back to School every year and I want to share what I found successful about this digital brown bag biography activity!

Model with a Real Brown Bag First!

I kicked off this lesson with an actual brown bag filled with some items that represent me.

In the bag I put a photo of my family, a passport holder, my favorite novel, a test tube, a crochet hook, my favorite coffee mug, an issue of Bon Appetit magazine, a photo of my grandparents’ mountain house, and a bunch of dried lavender.

I put the bag on a stool at the front of the classroom and took out each object one at a time.

Then, I talked about how I love to