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Icebreakers may seem trivial but they can assist with building meaningful
relationships with students. Jennifer Gonzalez wrote a wonderful article
outlining a four-part process for getting to know your students and
lists breaking the ice as the first step to creating a comfortable environment
where students aren't afraid to ask questions and take academic risks.
Below are some icebreakers that can help you establish an encouraging,
educational environment where students thrive.
1. Marooned
A Great Wind Blows may ease the fears of younger children who are
anxious about starting their first day of school. Arrange your classroom
chairs in an inward facing circle and have everyone sit in a chair. There
should be one less chair than students. Stand outside of the circle and say
the phrase “A great wind blows for everyone who…” and fill in the
statement with a characteristic that students may have in common. Any
student that identifies with that particular characteristic must stand up and
move to a different chair. Every time someone gets up, a chair is removed.
Any child that cannot find a chair will step outside of the circle and help the
teacher think of phrases for the remaining players.
4. #I’m Awesome
Take a gigantic piece of butcher paper and tape it to the wall. Once
students enter the classroom, hand them a marker and have them think of
2-3 hashtags that describe themselves. Allow them to write their hashtags
on the wall and explain them to the rest of the class.
Modify the game of Pictionary by handing children sticky notes and letting
them write down their favorite artist, movie, or athlete. Next, tell them to find
a partner and to describe what they wrote down without using words. If
their partner guesses correctly, the partner receives a point. If their partner
guesses incorrectly, the actor receives a point. Have them find new
companions three or four times.
9. Snowball Fight
Create individualized time capsules on the first day of school. Fill them with
pretests taken that week or personal letters about what they plan to
accomplish throughout the school year. Letters can include expectations,
clubs they would like to join, and desired grade point averages. You can
even take pictures of your students on the first day, print them out, and
place them inside the boxes. On the last day of school, distribute their time
capsules and allow them to see how much they have learned, grown, and
accomplished in one year. Younger students can complete handouts that
ask about their favorite color, food, and book. It is amusing to see how their
interests change over time.
Mrs. B from Texas came up with an excellent way to get her students to
cooperate using index cards. First, place your students into groups of four
or five and have them discuss their likes and dislikes. Then, give them each
approximately 30 index cards and have them label each card with one thing
they have in common. Next, have them create towers out of the index cards
that are at least 10 inches in height. Challenge them to compete against the
other groups in the classroom. You can even give the team with the tallest
tower a prize!
Photo Courtesy of the pensivesloth.com
This STEM activity from the Growing a STEM Classroom encourages team
building and critical thinking. It can also serve as an introduction to the
scientific method. Explain to your students that Fred the worm is stranded
on top of his boat in the middle of the ocean. Your students’ job is to rescue
Fred without touching him, his boat (the cup) or his life preserver (the life
saver). The only things they can use to save Fred are the four paper clips
provided. Mrs. Mastriana has posted an instructional guide and worksheet
to accompany this activity. You can find them here.
The Marshmallow Challenge works well with middle and high school
students. The materials you will need include: 20 sticks of spaghetti, one
yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. Break your students
into groups of four or five and have them build the tallest structure that can
support a marshmallow on top.
If you are looking for a way to combine vocabulary and teambuilding, then
Letter Scramble is for you. Divide your students into groups and give them
letters that make-up a word or words. Then, have them figure out what
word (or words) their letters create. Providing hints can give students insight
on the correct word they are creating. If the words are from a book they will
be reading, you may want to give them a copy of the book and direct them
to the page the word can be found on as well. Rulin’ The Roost takes it a
step further by providing additional rules that incorporate segmenting and
blending. She also provided a copy of the letters she used for her first grade
class.
Another activity by Grahame Knox allows you to create your first classroom
story by having all of your students participate in creating a tall tale. Begin
by having all of your students stand in a circle. Next, start the story with a
sentence such as “Yesterday, I went to the zoo and was passing the
elephant enclosure when SUDDENLY…” Then, have all of the students add
on to the story ending it with the word SUDDENLY. The story will become
more and more hilarious as students add on to the previous sentence.
Inviting students to help decorate your room sends the message that they
are welcomed and that their opinion is valued. Simply designate a wall to
them, place them in groups and give them markers and a piece of chart
paper. Have them come up with one common goal that they would all like
to accomplish in your class and summarize it in one word. Next, have them
write the word in huge letters on the chart paper. Make sure that all of the
groups have different goals from one another. Once all of your students are
finished, hang these on the designated wall and explain to your students
that they are all responsible for making sure they all achieve their goals by
the end of the school year!
Do you have any icebreakers that you like to incorporate at the beginning of
the year? Share with us on Twitter or Facebook!
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