Students do not arrive empty. They bring prior knowledge, experiences, and reasons for being in your class, and the first day is a good time to surface some of it. A quick activity or a few questions, such as what they already know about the topic, what they hope to get from the course, or why they enrolled, tells you who is in the room and gives students a stake in the conversation.

What you learn is genuinely useful. It helps you pitch the course at the right level, connect material to what students care about, and spot misconceptions early. It also signals that their experience matters here, which is part of building the rapport that makes the rest of the term go better.