I have no amazing statistics to show how many teachers are in the same boat as me, but I struggle with learning names. Usually I find the boys easy and get them all down in the first day or two. The girls seem to have some evil plot to make it as difficult as possible though! I get the single red-head down easy, and the girl with the unexpected accent doesn't take too long. Then I find myself sitting at the front of the class looking over 10 blondes and 7 brunettes with constantly changing hair styles and try to find something memorable about them. At first this was a serious struggle for me, but with practice I have been able to cut down my time to learning everyone's names in two, maybe three days. However, as a relief teacher I may only get one day.
Let me digress for a bit and tell you a story about my memory. As teachers, most, if not all of us, have heard about the multiple intelligences or learning styles. During college, I finally discovered an unusual technique that worked wonders for me. I could recall information, but always struggled with facts. Every Monday afternoon, usual classes would be cancelled and we were required to go to a short session of our choice to learn different skills. I chose a short course known as 'mempics.' The music tutor at the school had discovered this himself and was passing along the skills as a useful way to ace exams. We began by creating a list of 20 totally random words. We then created a very simple image to represent that word. Getting into this we discovered that concrete words like 'cat' were easy and obscure words like 'blue' took more imagination! We joined these images together, varying the size, length and direction the illogical 'sentence' took. We repeated this process a few times, sticking to the same pattern and saying the words out loud. We then placed the paper away to be quizzed. As a group, we discovered that we knew each of the 20 words in order, both forwards and backwards. Then something strange happened, the tutor started to throw numbers at me. I would envision the 'sentence' and be able to tell him which word aligned with each number!
With this knowledge of how my personal memory can be strengthened (both through graphics and verbal repetition), I set out to discover a list of ice-breakers I can use in a classroom to strengthen my ability to learn names. I have included links below, so you may follow them to find further ideas and personalise your own list.
1) 2 Truths and 1 Lie
Perfect for introducing yourself to the class. Write or tell three facts on the board. Two of them truths and one of them a lie. They may be fun, crazy facts (I have eaten spicy bullfrogs in China), relate-able facts (I have a dog called Pookie), or classroom related facts (I am here to make sure you stay in your seats and don't make a noise). If you couldn't pick my lie in those examples, please check your pedagogy! Each of these kinds of facts will accomplish a purpose though with the crazy facts making you appealing and new, the relate-able facts making you human and safe, and the classroom related facts setting standards in a fun way. You can have the class vote publicly or silently.
2) Our crazy facts AKA Secret lives
This one may be better suited to older students or diverse groups in order to keep their facts diverse. The aim is to have everyone write down something that is true, unique to them, and unknown to most, if not all, of the class. For example, I could write "I have eaten intestines and I liked them," "I laugh when I ride roller-coasters," or "my dog is so clever it knows the difference between his toys and kids toys." (Yes, I love my dog!) Once the students have all passed in their secret facts (this may take a while, so perhaps have this activity running simultaneously with another), have the class try to guess who each fact is about. This is great for learning names as there will be a lot of pointing, name use, and a memorable fact to associate with each student.
3) Letter to class mates
This is another bonding experience for the classmates. Have each person choose a classmates name out of a hat. Depending on the group and how close they appear to be, you may want them to play a game with their partner/s first so they have at least one experience to write about! Each student then writes a letter to their partner. The challenge is to make it as positive and encouraging as possible while still ensuring it is true. This also practices their letter writing skills, so as a legitimate literacy exercise it can be worth some time. Again, be prepared for those who find this easy and finish early. If those who are struggling didn't get a game with their partner, you may give them the option if their partner finishes early. Such letters may then be short and sweet and contain compliments on how a person plays. "I liked playing with you. It was fun. I liked that you got the dice for me. You explained the game well. Thank you." I know many first graders who could write statements such as these! At the end of first period, or the activity, you can dismiss the students or have certain students move on by passing them their letters (reading in front of the class could serve as a confidence boost or unwanted attention, so use with your discretion). This can help to draw a class closer together, set a positive tone to the day, and teach you some good things about every student.
4) Create a time capsule of today
Begin the day by presenting the students with one goal: "Today, we are building a time capsule." You may provide each child with an envelope or have a box sitting at the front of the class. Begin with a project which involves them sketching or describing themselves or their week and ensure every piece of work is named. They could write letters to themselves, add samples of work from the day, calculate how many days it will be until a certain year or birthday, etc. It enables you to delve into history, literacy, a bit of art and math. Individual envelopes may also be decorated (and clearly NAMED) which gives a quick visual clue to help remember names when needed. Though you wouldn't be relying on these the whole day, they help to get the memory going to start with. Having the work all in one place also enables easy access for marking purposes and easy access for the permanent class teacher to look back on.
5) Self-portrait
Students would be glad to start the day with something creative often and it can be paired with written words to become a multi-literacy task or presented to the class verbally (don't forget that speaking and listening is a literacy skill too). During the writing/presenting, students should explain how this picture represents them or how they constructed the picture. If it is a realistic self-portrait, how did they make it accurate? Was there a mirror, photo or friend involved? If you ask for a symbolic picture, this opens up the world to a much broader range of responses. Such an open-ended task provides diverse and interesting expressions of self with explanations which will remain with you all day and give you insight into the personalities in your class. If going symbolic, make the most of modelling before the activity to show students how you could represent yourself (an animal, a cartoon with strange characteristics, a food, or a country even?) This will help to jog their thoughts, see the range of possibilities and catch a glimpse of the human you are.
6) Weekend writing
This is often a usual class routine on a Monday, so if you have first day in a class on Monday, it is a logical choice that is familiar with the class. Often younger grades will draw a picture and write a few sentences about what they did. If you would like to change it up a bit you could ask them to write one or two truths and make the rest a tall tale. Again, this could become a guessing game.
7) Web of connections AKA Spin a classroom web
Have the class stand or sit in a circle. Before class, make sure you have met a few students and found out something about them (which we are all in the habit of doing anyway, I hope). Holding a ball of string, introduce yourself, saying your name and something about you. Say the name of a student and a fact about them, such as what they did last week or even what they had for dinner last night. Keep hold of the end of the string and throw or roll the ball of string to them. They then say their name, something about them, another student's name, and something about them. Make sure they keep hold of a bit of the string as they pass the ball of string on. By the end of the activity, the string will have formed a web and everyone will have two things shared about them and their name said twice. If this isn't enough, have the web untangled and sent backwards (nice way to clean up) or start again. You could also try compliments or questions. For example, I could start the game with "My name is Mrs. Edwin. I am honoured to be your relief teacher today. Tom, what is your favourite animal and why?" Tom would then answer and ask another student a question.
8) Class interviews AKA Microphone mania
Similarly to above, the purpose of this activity is to encourage connections and get to know something about the students, as well as their names. You may begin with roll call and ask each student a question. That student may then choose to ask you a question (or once you are done you can open the room to questions from anyone, but then be prepared for the usual, dominating students to pipe up). As you endeavour to discover useful information about your students, think about questions involving strengths, school friends, favourite subjects, pets, and interests that you may be able to relate to. Alternatively, you could have the class ask you questions, then have each student pair up with a partner and interview them. At the conclusion of the interviews, they each give a short 'news report' on their partner. As such, this activity could develop more fully into a lesson on news reporting or interviewing skills. If you are going to make this into a larger theme, you could talk about truth, questioning, accurate rephrasing, presenting and body language, and even craft microphones or video cameras (or whip out the real thing or ipads if you are blessed enough to have such access).
9) Mini class mural
How miniature this is will be up to you and your resources. Students may get a square or even a puzzle piece. Their task is to make their name and identity clear on whatever they receive. Make sure you have time to speak to each student about their piece of art and use their name. Again, I love this activity as it allows both visual and verbal association. At the conclusion of the activity, students may help put the puzzle together. If you are feeling creative, you could have done this before and written a message on it before taking it apart for the students. This will allow them to see the message once complete. If the teacher is away for some time, you could easily take a piece out of the puzzle, take a photo of it and send it in the mail along with their puzzle piece and a note from their class.
10) Write a story together
I love that this activity can be used whether your resources include a digital notepad, story creator, the whiteboard, or a pad and pen. Start the story with one sentence and include your name. For example, "One day, Mrs. Edwin took a walk through the city park when she noticed large bubbles in the middle of the lake." You can then invite a student to come forward or have them dictate the next sentence to you, but they must include their name. Continue until every student has their name in the story, ensuring the last few students know they must conclude the story. This material could then be used to examine parts of a story, sentence structure or numerous other literacy concepts. Alternatively, you could then take your story and turn it into a drama, having each student play their role. In order to reduce the chaos arising from 25 students running screaming around the classroom, you could utilise the freeze frame, having small groups re-enact appropriate segments of the story. Again, depending on the resources available to you, you could then take photos of the freeze frames and create a class picture book.
That concludes my top ten favs for ice-breakers. What do you think? Do you have favs that aren't on the list? Do you have a different approach to one of these same ice-breakers?
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