Icebreakers for the First Day of the New Semester

Debbie Willingham
Dec 14, 2009

Starting the semester on the right note is critical for several reasons; it sets/resets the tone for your classroom in terms of behavior expectations, gives students an idea about how you will relate to them, and hopefully lets them know that they will look forward to your class each day. So what do you do on the first day of class? Here are some ideas:

Brown Bag Biographies
Bring out a small brown lunch bag containing items that "describe" you. Pull out each item and tell your students a little bit about it. The bag might include pictures of yourself, your family, friends or pets, an object from a collection or hobby, a favorite or least favorite food, etc. Then, students are given bags to decorate and take home to fill with items about themselves. Have a few students share their bags each day over the following week.

The First Test
Have students get out a sheet of paper for their first "test" of the year on the first day of class. Explain to them (in complete seriousness of course!) that this may be their hardest test all year since they don't even know what it is about. Tell them that the subject of the test is you, then ask them to answer (or guess) the answers to ten questions you will ask aloud. Questions might include: Where was I born? How many brothers and sisters do I have? How many years have I been teaching? What kind of car do I drive? What is my favorite subject? How many children do I have? What is my favorite color? Where did I go to college? You may of course have a few "clues" around the room that they can make inferences about you from. At the end of the "test" go over the correct answers and have a short discussion to let them get to know you and to let them share if they have common interests.

Take As Much As You Like
Pass around a roll of toilet paper and tell students to take as many sheets as they want. Only after all the students have some do you explain the rules of this "game." For every piece of toilet paper the students took, they must tell the class one thing about themselves. Those who took a lot realize they have to think of several things to share, but you can prompt them by asking questions if they get stuck. You might also want to have them tell something they like about your subject with the last sheet of toilet paper. This provides a fun way to find out about students' personalities, families, likes and dislikes.

Math About Me
In this activity students will create a "Math About Me" sheet. They will share with the class, and then the sheet can become part of your student folders or their portfolios. Information might include birthday, address numbers, phone number, sports number, favorite number, number of people in the family, etc. When they share their numbers they can see if they have anything in common with any classmates and everyone learns a little bit about each other. The information could also be used to create a bulletin board by adding student photos or to graph information about the class (how many with birthdays in certain months, etc.) if that fits state standards for the grade.

Human Timeline
Give each student a 4" x 6" index card. On it they should write the month and date of their birth. Then they are told to put the card in a pocket or fold it closed so no one can see it. Their instructions are then to form a human timeline from January to December by standing in the correct order. The catch is that they cannot talk at all and they cannot show anyone what they wrote. Give them a few minutes to move around and try to get in order, then tell them (still without talking) to check with the person on their right and left to see if they are in the right place. Let them shift if needed, then start with January and have each student say his name and birthday. As needed let them shift to the correct location in the timeline. This is also a way to create your first seating chart of the semester by having them sit in groups or order according to birthdays.

Three Truths and a Lie
Give each student an index card and have them write in mixed up order three true things about themselves and one lie. They are to try and stump the class by having them think the untrue statement is true and one of the true statements is a lie. Go around the room having each student read their four statements, then let the class guess which is not true. You may want to model the activity first by sharing your own three truths and a lie.

Snowball Fight
Have students write three things (clues) about themselves on a sheet of notebook paper. They should not put their name on the piece of paper. Then have students crush their paper into a ball. Next explain the rules of the "snowball fight." Tell students they cannot begin until you say go and that they must immediately stop when you say so. There can be no talking, and they cannot throw the "snowballs" at anyone's face. Have the throwing last about 30 seconds. Then have each student pick up one "snowball," take turns sharing the clues aloud, and guess who they think the clues belong to. After three guesses if the person described has not been identified, they should identify themselves and they go next in reading the clues they have.

Remember that how you set the tone for your classroom will carry through the entire course/semester. Being firm but fair, having clear expectations, and showing students you care about them are all good guidelines for the beginning of a semester or the first day of a new school year.

If you have other ideas and activities to begin a new year or semester please share them with us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please insert "Icebreakers" in the subject line.