Icebreakers for the First Day(s) of Class
True or False? This activity is always fun, and we all learn something interesting about each other! I start. I write four facts about myself on an overhead transparency. Three of the facts are true and one is false. Students take my little true-false test. Then I survey students to learn the results. We go back over each question to see what they thought about each statement. That gives me a chance to tell a little about me. Then, on a sheet of paper, students write three interesting facts about themselves that are true and one that is false.
Already a Test! After the students are seated and roll is taken, I ask them to take out a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil for their first test of the school year. I explain to them -- in complete seriousness, of course -- that this will be the hardest test of the entire year since they have not been prepared in class for the test. I have them title the paper "Teacher." I ask them to answer all parts of each question. The questions might include: Where was I born?, What did my father do for a living?, How many brothers and/or sisters do I have if any?, How many different states have I called home?, Where did I go to high school and college?, How old am I?, What is my favorite color?, What kind of car do I drive? The test can be as long or short as you wish; make the questions fit the things you would want them to know. You can imagine the looks on their faces when asked these questions. I tell them they received their very first 100 in my class if they answered all of the questions correctly! At the end of the "test," I give the answers, and the kids marvel at the discrepancy of their answers. One of my favorite things to see is a student who was in my class the year prior. They always think they'll make a 100. They never do!
BINGO/Scavenger Hunt! To get communication going between students who aren't necessarily friends, I start the year off with a game of BINGO. I make up BINGO cards for the students. Each square on the card includes a brief description. (Examples: Visited Florida this summer, Is an avid waterskier, Has a big brother and little sister, Was born in another country, Lives nearest the school, Learned how to skateboard this summer, Didn't see the movie "Titanic," Likes anchovies on pizza, Was born in the same month as you, Has a brother or sister in the same school, Favorite subject is Science, Has an ear pierced more than once, Father's name is "Jim," Read more than one book this summer, Speaks two languages, Has two Pets...) Students must walk around the room and get the signature of someone who fits the specific description in each box. The goal is to be the first to student to fill the BINGO card with signatures. To make it harder, have students fill every square with a different student's signature and set a time limit. When a student has a BINGO (one name signed per square) give them a small prize such as being first in line that day. This is a great way to learn special things about your students and to get them to know each other. An alternative: Set this up as a scavenger hunt with a series of questions, each question with a line beside it. Students are given a time limit to circle the classroom and find someone who has "been there, done that." That "someone" writes her/his name in the blank space.
BINGO Times 2. Pass out "BINGO" cards to students. Each square on this card contains a question. (Click here for a sample card created by teacher Peg Teeter.) Have each student fill in the answers for ALL questions beside #1. Wait for all students to finish. Then students must find classmates with the same answers written in each box. The classmate with a matching answer prints his/her initials on line #2. Give a prize to any/all who get a BINGO!
Alphabetical Roll! After introducing yourself, create some chaos. Tell students they have 3 minutes to complete their first assignment: "Sort yourselves in alphabetical order by last name." After the initial shock and after they succeed, remind them how capable they are to handle their first day, and every day, by asking questions, getting help from others, working together, trying and evaluating strategies to "just do it"! Whatever "it" might be, they can do it!
Now that I've told you my expectations of a good student, what are your expectations of a good teacher?
Tell me about the best teacher you've ever had. What made that person such a good teacher?
Now that I've told you some of my ideas about how we will go about learning this year's material, tell me about how you learn best. Give me an example of a project or unit where you learned a lot. Describe the project in detail.
Chrysanthemum's Graph! Read the book Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, to the class. Talk about the main character's name and how her parents made the decision to name her. Discuss with the children, if they know, how they received their names (e.g., it was a family name, their parents liked the name).
Sticker partners! Each student is given a sticker to put on his/her hand when they enter the classroom, but they aren't told what the sticker is for until the time is right! Be sure there is a partner (matching sticker) for every student, and when the time comes ask students to find their partners and interview them (name, grade, hobbies, etc.). Then, each interviewer is responsible for introducing each interviewee to the rest of the class. You might find that students find it less threatening when someone else shares information about them than when they are asked to share about themselves.
Candy Gets Kids Talking! Bring in Skittles, one of your students' favorite candies for sure! (Another favorite, M&Ms, are an option.) Tell the kids to take as many as they want. Most are pretty apprehensive -- after all, it's the first day of school! -- so they usually take about 10-15 Skittles. Then the teacher takes some too. Next, pick out some fun music, and for each Skittle they took the students must say one thing about themselves while moving to the music. The teacher demonstrates first, of course. An option: Each color of candy represents a category students must speak about, e.g., orange = scary memories; red = great vacations; green = something about your family; blue = favorite hobbies... The activity is as real ice breaker and the kids love it! After that, they are feeling comfortable and the class is no longer quiet
Take As Much As You Want! During the first "circle time" activity, have a roll of toilet paper on hand! Explain to the children that they will need this for the next activity. Tell students that you're going to pass around the roll. Invite each student to take as much as they want. (One middle/high school math teacher invites students to "take as much as you need to complete the job." She doesn't tell them what the job is yet!) After everyone has had a good laugh over the amount of paper they took, explain how the game works. For every piece of toilet paper the students ripped off, they must tell the class one thing about themselves. Some realize they took quite a bit of toilet paper, but with a little prompting and probing from the teacher they will find things to share. In the math teacher's class, students have to say what their favorite thing about math is when they get to the last piece. This activity provides a nice way to find out about students' personalities, families, likes, and dislikes -- and the students really love it!
The Thinker! On the first day of school, many teachers like to stress to students that not everyone thinks alike. I say the word "cornfield" and I ask the children to think of the first thing that comes to mind. Some will say they think of a cornfield they've driven by, some have never been near one and recall a picture of one, etc. Then, place a special chair somewhere in the classroom. Divide students into groups of about 6. Tell them that the group that comes up with the highest number of unique ways to sit in the chair will win a piece of candy. Each group sends a different representative to demonstrate a new unique way to sit in the chair. I keep score on the board. Inevitably, someone says, "This could go on forever!" At that point, we discuss if anyone's way was better or more correct than another's way. We discuss that everyone can come to conclusions and solve problems in their own way, and that no one's way is necessarily wrong or right. We think of examples in television commercials: Pizza Hut's "eating your pizza crust first," "How do you eat a Reese's?," or "How do you eat your Oreo?," etc. Of course, all students will get a piece of candy -- they're all winners!
Opening-day letter. Write a letter to your students. In that letter, introduce yourself to students. Tell them about your hopes for the new school year and some of the fun things you'll be doing in class. In addition, tell students a few personal things about yourself; for example, your likes and dislikes, what you did over the summer, and your hobbies. Ask questions throughout the letter. You might ask what they like most about school, what they did during the summer, what their goals for the new school year are, or what they are really good at. (In your letter, be sure to model the correct parts of a friendly letter!) On the first day of school, display your letter on an overhead projector. Then pass each student a sheet of nice stationery. Have the students write a return letter to you. In this letter, they will need to answer some of your questions and tell you about themselves. This is a great way to get to know each other in a personal way! Variation: Mail the letter to students before school starts, and enclose a sheet of stationery for kids to write you back.
Stringing together conversation. Cut string or yarn into pieces of different lengths. (Each piece should have a matching piece of the same length. There should be enough pieces so that each student will have one.) Then give each student one piece of string, and challenge each student to find the other student who has a string of the exact same length. After students have found their matches, they can take turns introducing themselves to each other. You can provide a list of questions to help students "break the ice," or students can come up with their own. You might extend the activity by having each student introduce his or her partner to the class.
Chain gang. Begin by asking students, "Who can do something really well?" After a brief discussion about some of the students' talents, pass out paper and ask students to write down five things they do well. Then provide each student with five different colored paper strips. Have each student write a different talent on separate paper strips, then create a mini paper chain with the strips by linking the five talents together. As students complete their mini chains, use extra strips of paper to link the mini chains together to create one long class chain. Have students stand and hold the growing chain as you link the pieces together. Once the entire chain is constructed and linked, lead a discussion about what the chain demonstrates (for example, all the students have talents; all the students have things they do well; together, the students have many talents; if they work together, classmates can accomplish anything; and the class is stronger when students work together than when individual students work on their own). Hang the chain in the room as a constant reminder to students of the talents they possess and the benefits of teamwork.