How to Build a Fantastic Friend Group: A First-Week Guide
The first week of school is a whirlwind of fresh notebooks, new teachers, and the buzzing energy of the hallway. While learning your new schedule and finding your locker are important tasks, building and maintaining friendships is the true secret to a successful school year. Whether you are reconnecting with your best friends from last year or trying to find a seat at a lunch table with new faces, follow these steps to create a welcoming and fun social circle.
Step 1: Reconnecting with Old Friends After a long summer apart, your first goal should be to check in with your familiar group. It might feel like no time has passed, but everyone changes a little over the break. Start by asking open-ended questions about their summer. Instead of asking a simple question like, "Did you have fun?" try asking, "What was the most exciting thing you did this July?" Listen closely to their answers and share a few of your own highlights. This shows that you value their experiences and are ready to pick up right where you left off.
- Open-ended:
- A type of question that requires more than a 'yes' or 'no' answer.
- Inclusive:
- Making sure that everyone is included and feels like they belong in a group.
- Icebreaker:
- A comment or action used to start a conversation and make people feel more comfortable.
- Collaborative:
- Working together with others to achieve a common goal or finish a project.
- Thriving:
- To grow or develop well; to be successful and happy in an environment.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Fact & Opinion
Distinguish verifiable statements from judgments, beliefs, and preferences in context.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1According to the passage, what is the 'true secret' to having a successful school year?
- 2In Step 1, why is it recommended to ask open-ended questions like 'What was the most exciting thing you did this July?'
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About this how-to / procedural passage for Upper Elementary
“How to Build a Fantastic Friend Group: A First-Week Guide” is a how-to / procedural reading passage about Friendship, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (604 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.