I know it’s a strange time for a beginning-of-the-year-activity post, but I’m searching around for something new — and quick and fun — for summer school. Quick is a must, since we’ve got three weeks to cover 180 days worth of material. (If you’re saying, “yeah, right,” you’re not alone. We do our best.)
So, anyway, I’ve been using a few activities to start the year (or semester) for a while now. One is a questionnaire that students fill out. This helps me to get to know them and to have contact and scheduling information handy but doesn’t help students to get to know each other.
Another activity I call “Symbols of Us.” (See examples here and here.) I give out a small index card, and they have to design one side with at least one symbol of them. These are shared with descriptions and scattered across a bulletin board. . .that usually stays up all year. This is really fun and can be assigned for homework over a couple of days, so it doesn’t take up a lot of classtime. Plus, it’s a literary term, so you’ve got the cross-over factor. I’m thinking I’ll probably use this one Monday.
A third getting-to-know-you activity involves everyone writing down three things about themselves that no one else in class knows. I usually take these up, shuffle them, and read them aloud, while we try to guess who’s who. This is fun but very time-consuming if done right.
While searching, I’ve found quite a few other great ideas:
- Education World has put out a list of getting-to-know-you activities every year since 1997. This page has a list of all 12 volumes (so far) of Icebreakers and a ton of other ideas for preparing for the first day.
- Wilderdom has and links to some interesting activities. “Name Pantomime” looks fun!
- Icebreakers has a good list. I like the sound of “Sorts and Mingle” and have used “Did You Know? Bingo” with a club in the past. It’s great fun but definitely for larger groups.
- Adam Waxler uses his Interview and Introduction activity throughout the school year, which makes sense. How well do we really know each other? And we’re always changing.
How do you get to know your students? Do you use any of these activities, or do you have others you’ve developed on your own or found elsewhere? How are you planning to start your next class?
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I love your Symbols of Us idea. It’s also something they can take home at the end of the year. I use a Bingo icebreaker with my adult classes, and it really works to make the group more comfortable with each other. Taking the time to do the activity always helps them connect as a group and makes the classes more fun for me.
Thanks, Betty! I’ve offered to let them take the cards home, but most of them let me keep theirs to use as examples for the years to come. I may try the Bingo again with my larger classes this fall; it was fun. :)