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Positive Bombardment

Type of Activity: team building

Goal of Activity/Time: Build everyone’s self confidence. Last 5 to 10 min depending on the number of people are participating.

Directions:

One member is selected to be the recipient of positive feedback from the rest of the group.

Once everyone has had a chance to give that member the “gift” of feedback, another person is chosen and the process is repeated.

This can be done in writing with members writing a positive comment to each member and putting them all in an envelope with the person’s name on it

Also can be done verbally. This also can be adapted so the members first give some constructive criticism and then

some positive feedback.

Process Questions:

How does it feel to receive positive things about yourself? Does your mood improve with peoples compliments?

Materials:

Anything handy to write on. Envelope with people’s names on them. Can do this with no materials

Source:

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/possitivebombardment.htm

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/possitivebombardment.htm

ACTIVITY: Change in History

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: History Review (educational)

TIME: 20 Minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: For students to review the dates in History. Can be used for simple review, just for fun, or possibly an SOL review.

DIRECTIONS:

Either: 1) find coins that have dates that you need in order to review 2) make coins with dates that the students are going to need to know

(make paper coins)

* Have the students then draw a coin from the basket/hat

* The students will first say the date aloud and then they have up to 30 seconds to give you the correct answer for that date.

* If the student is incorrect then all of the other students will have the chance to answer.

* I was going to give the students extra credit on the test for each that they got correct (but only for the ones that they drew, if they

answered someone else’s because the person missed it there would be no extra credit)

* You could customize it to how it will suit your class best.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

* What was one thing that you learned from this activity? (the year something happened, how it happened, or maybe a new way to

remember what happened when, etc)

* How did the game make you feel? (good because you got it right, bad because you missed it, etc)

* Did you like the game?

* Was it a good review game?

MATERIALS:

* List of dates that the students need to know

* Coins/Paper coins

* Basket/Hat

SOURCE:

I saw it online and I’ve tried to hunt it down but I cannot find it anywhere!!! I tweaked it to make it my own though!

ACTIVITY: Who is Missing???

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Memory, recognition, free time, or get to know you

TIME: As long as you want (As many IT’s as you want)

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To 1) remember classmates 2) learn to pay attention/recognize 3) just a fun game to take up

some time or 4) to get to know everyone in the classroom

DIRECTIONS:

* Pick one student to be the first IT

* Have that student sit at the front of the class facing away from the other students.

* Pick another student to go to a designated hiding spot so that IT cannot see them when they turn around.

* All of the other students change desks and get all mixed up.

* The IT turns around and has to guess who is missing from the class.

- To save time either set a time limit or a limit of guesses.

* If the IT guesses the student missing then that student has to be the new IT

* If the IT does NOT guess who is hiding then the person hiding gets to choose who is the new IT or they can be IT. (This

part can be modified however you would like to switch ITs)

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

* Did you all find it hard to figure out who was missing? Why?

* Did playing this game help you see people from class that you don’t usually see (either they sit farther away from you or

you just don’t pay that much attention in class, etc)

* Was this game enjoyable? Why or why not?

POINTS TO MAKE: Knowing everyone in your classes (or in life) is important. Sometimes we forget the people that

are around us because we get mixed up in the hustle and bustle of life. Those times are when we need to slow down and

see who it is that we are overlooking.

MATERIALS:-chair for the IT at the front of the room, hiding spot for the missing person

SOURCE: http://www.stephencarr.com/classroomgames.html

- For this game I modified it so there was a time limit on “IT” guessing who is missing or give a max number of guesses one can give. That way it goes faster and the students don’t get board just sitting there. They get to get up and move around during the game so the energy stays up!!!!! ***This was a great site that had a few games that were just to take up time!

http://www.stephencarr.com/classroomgames.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Are you Talking about me Behind my Back?!

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Icebreaker/Trust-building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY:

Help students to boost each other’s self-esteem Encourage positive peer relationships that, due to the typical “Middle School” social arena, may not otherwise

occurTIME: 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

“Writing Behind My Back Are Ya?”

1) (Teacher-specific) Divide students into even groups that are different from their normal social groups (at least 4 in each group)

2) (This starts student directions to be announced/posted on board) Tape a piece of blank paper or poster board to the back of every student in your group where he or she cannot read whatever will be written on the paper

3) Take a couple minutes to think about your fellow group members. Ask yourselves: What do I like about this person? What is something totally radical about that person? What about this person do I really admire?

4) Once you’ve had enough time to brainstorm positive comments about members of your group, use the markers located on your tables to write your positive comments on your friends’ backs.

5) You may write as many comments on your friends’ cards as you would like. 6) Try to write at least one thing on the backs of each of the members of your group.

“Dish About What Was Said!”

1) Pair-up with a student in another group that you would like to get to know better (Teacher specific: make sure you don’t see best friends pairing with each other. If you must, pair them yourself).

2) Teacher Specific: Subtly make sure there are no negative, hurtful, or inappropriate comments before the students are shown their cards.

3) Within your pairs, remove the cards from each other’s backs and read them to each other. 4) Make sure the comments written are things that your partner feels comfortable about having the class hear. 5) We will now go around the room, each pair having the opportunity to introduce all the amazing things about one

another that were listed by their classmates.

PROCESS QUESTIONS

1) Did you learn anything about yourself having heard the positive comments others made about you?2) Were you surprised by any of the comments that were written on your card? If so, which ones and why? 3) How did it feel to hear your classmates inform you of the amazing traits that make you, you?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY:

1) The purpose of having you do this activity was to build a sense of positivity in this classroom by informing each student of the unique and amazing character traits he or she possesses.

2) Especially in this age group, it may feel awkward or unfamiliar to approach a peer and compliment something about their being. In turn, compliments and positive encouragement often fall by the wayside. Even if your peers do not often vocalize it, you are all awesome in your own way.

MATERIALS: Sheets of card-stock paper (8.5” x11”), Masking tape, Markers

SOURCE: Resident Assistant: Assistance for Assistants Residence Life-Team builders/Icebreakers Section: http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/whatyoudontknow.htm

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/whatyoudontknow.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Puzzle Pieces

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Teambuilding

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Infuse a sense of community within the classroom by making every student feel as though he or she has an important role that adds to the worth of the group as a whole.

TIME: 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prior to the activity, the teacher must cut out pieces of blank poster board in the shape of puzzle pieces. Cut as many pieces as you have students in your group. The pieces must fit together and make up a shape that is large enough to display in the classroom after the activity. Experiment with different shapes such as a handprint or heart.

2. Each student in the group will be given a puzzle piece. They are to use markers provided by the facilitator to write their best trait on the puzzle piece. Examples of traits could be caring, patient, understanding, etc.

3. Next have the students design the remainder of their puzzle piece in any fashion they like. 4. When all students are done designing their puzzle piece, have them work together to piece together their

classroom community puzzle. If you have chosen a shape other than a rectangle for the puzzle, make an outline for the students to use as a guideline.

5. They will need to work together, telling each other if they have a edge piece or otherwise, in order to complete the puzzle successfully.

6. Once the puzzle is complete, examine the puzzle as a class and talk about the vast array of strengths and characteristics exist among the class.

7. If students are comfortable, they may point out which puzzle piece belongs to them. This will allow students to learn more about one another.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Do you see any puzzle pieces with the same trait or strength on them that you wrote on yours? 2. What strategies did you have to use to quickly and effectively piece together the puzzle? In hindsight, was there a

more productive way it could be done? 3. Did you learn anything about your fellow classmates, either pertaining to their puzzle piece or to the way they

worked to assemble the puzzle?


I wanted you to work together to create a decoration for our classroom that reminds us that as individuals, we may have many areas we do not feel strong in, but as a classroom with combined strengths, we can accomplish great things.

I wanted you to work together toward the end of the activity because when completing a task such as putting together a puzzle that involves everyone having an different, yet equal, part, you must communicate. You must tell others what you have to offer and tell them what you need. You must organize what you are given (the puzzle pieces=positive character traits or strengths) to make the most out of your group.

MATERIALS: Poster-board puzzle piece cut outs, Markers, Poster board with outline of completed puzzle shape

SOURCE: Resident Assistant: Assistance for Assistants Residence Life-Team builders/Icebreakers Section: Piece of the Puzzle http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/pieceofthepuzzle.htm

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/pieceofthepuzzle.htm

ACTIVITY: Pairs Tag

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Energizer

TIME: Any (From 5 to 10)

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To get the students up and moving (but not running) to bring up the energy level OR to allow them

to get extra energy out so they can focus better.

DIRECTIONS:

* Each student is to pick a partner and stand with him/her.

* If in an area full of desks have the students push the desks back so there is room to move.

* The game is tag but with a twist.

-Each pair will have one person that starts as IT.

-This is a NO RUNNING tag game.

-The students will be chasing only their partner to tag.

-Once the partner is tagged they must spin around twice and then begin chasing their partner back.

* As with any game that involves chasing the students will want to run. You must remind them it is only a walking tag

game.

* You can play the game for a minute or for 20 minutes. It just depends on the time you have and if the students

cooperate.

* The smaller the room and more students the bigger of a challenge it is going to be to find and tag their partner.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

*Are you tired now or do you have a lot more energy?

*Who wanted to run really bad?

*Was it hard to find and tag your partner with all your classmates running around too?

POINTS TO MAKE:

* That energy can be released without running, yelling, and causing disruptions.

MATERIALS:

* An open space with no hazards (small or large)

SOURCE:

*http://www.firststepstraining.com/resources/activities/archive/activity_tag.htm

ACTIVITY: Brown Bag ItTYPE OF ACTIVITY: Get to know youTIME: 30 minutes GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To get students to share things about themselves that they may not when just introducing themselves to one another. Students can then find friends that share similarities. DIRECTIONS: *Each student will be handed a brown lunch bag and the following directions:

Read the following list of categories. After you get home today, find one item to represent each category. Try to find items that are 3-D and unique. Remember that the items that you pick must be able to all fit in your bag. Tomorrow bring in your bags to share with the class.

*The list can be of anything that you would like. The one that my class used included

A hobby or free-time activity that you enjoyOne of you favorites (food, color, book, music, etc.)Future plans or goals Something you would like to do better A place you would like to visitSomething special about your family the best part of summer vacation Something that reminds you of a memorable event or time in your life Something that you really dislike A talent or special ability that you have

*The following day the students can share what they have brought in. There are a few ways you can have them share:

Everyone share all that is in their bag to the class. If they are in teams where they have four different classes with four different teachers and different classmates maybe have them share 2 or so in each class. Spread it over a few days or the week and do a few from each block/period each day (this way you can still have some time to get in a lesson each day)

*The students creativity is important to make them stand out so encourage that. *Make one yourself so that students can also learn more about their new teacher. There are multiple ways of presenting your bag.

Have one ready as an example for the class the day that you give the assignment Be the first or last to share on the day that the students do

PROCESS QUESTIONS: *Did anyone share anything in common with another?*Was there someone that blew you away with one of their items?*What are some other questions that you would have liked to answer and share with the class?

POINTS: *Every student is individual; likes and dislikes may vary. *Students that thought they were nothing alike may in fact share more in common than they know. *It is important to get to know your classmates.

MATERIALS: *Brown lunch bags*Written out directions*the students will all have different things in their bags.

SOURCE: *My 6th grade teacher. I did this when I was in 6th grade and I saw it again this year when I got to the middle school.

Name of Activity: Grab a finger

Type of Activity: Energizer/ attention grabber

Goal for Activity: The goal of this activity is to get the students up and moving

Time: 5-10 minutes

Description: Fast-moving group activity to get people together and focused.

Everyone stands in a circle Left hand palm up, right index finger pointing down and touching their neighbor's palm. When the director says three, everyone has to grab the persons finger while lifting their finger at the

same time. The director can count 1..2..3 or play around with the numbers to keep people on edge. Last person standing wins!

Process Questions:

-What could you add to this activity to make it more exciting? Different words, sounds, etc..

Points I want to make: This is a quick activity you can play when you notice your students are becoming restless.

Materials: None

Source: http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/GrabTheFinger.

Name of Activity: Strike the Funny Bone

Type of Activity: Energizer

Goal for Activity:

Time: 5-10 minutes

Description:

-Have the group sit in a circle and tell them this exercise is to be done without laughing.

-Person #1 says, “Ha.”

-The person to his right repeats his “Ha” and adds a new “Ha.”

-Person # 3 says, “ Ha, Ha, Ha” and so on.

-If you laugh, you must sit down. So make your “Ha” sound funny ( put it to a song or a different accent)

Process Questions:

-Are the students sitting if they really laugh?

-Are the students enjoying this activity?

Points I want to make: Students have a chance to laugh and be creative

Materials: None

Source: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/mu/greeklife/advisor/Icebreakers.pdf

http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/mu/greeklife/advisor/Icebreakers.pdf

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Fear in Hat

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Trust Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Provide students with an opportunity to share something about themselves that they wouldn’t necessarily share in normal icebreaker activities. Also encourages students to empathize with their classmates and in turn introduces an overall feeling of understanding within the classroom.

TIME: 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

Have everyone write a strong fear of theirs on a slip of paper and fold it in half. Deposit all fear slips into a hat (or basket, in which case the game would be called “Fear in Basket”) Pass the hat around the room. Each person must pick a fear slip (making sure it is not their own) and read it

aloud to the class. After reading the fear, the person who drew the slip must empathize about why someone might have that fear.

If they share the same fear, they are encouraged to elaborate. Other classmates are encouraged to interject and share their feelings about the fears pulled out of the hat. Unless the author of the fear slip wishes to claim their fear, fears should remain anonymous.

EXAMPLE:

1) Write on the board that I am terrified of meeting the parents of a significant other.2) Ask the class if anyone else has the same fear.3) Ask those who do not admit to having the same fear to brainstorm reasons why that particular situation might

be scary for some people.4) Ask those who do share my fear to elaborate on why they find the situation frightening.5) Ask those who do not have this fear to suggest tricks or tactics (or simply reasons) that help them to not worry

about meeting a significant other’s parents.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1) Raise your hand if you better understand why someone might be scared of a particular thing or event, even if you’re fearless toward the thing or event at hand.

2) Who learned techniques that may help you cope with a frightening or stressful situation that you hadn’t thought of before?

3) Who learned that someone else has the same or similar fear? If you feel comfortable, name your fear and let the classmate that shares the same fear know that you’re “right there with ‘em”!

4) Do you feel more comfortable with the people around you knowing that you’re not alone in your fears? 5) Do you feel more comfortable knowing that people around you, whether or not they share your fear,

understand why you might feel the way you do?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY-

Please be respectful of things that scare others. Do not laugh at or mock anyone’s fear. That is the opposite of the goal of this activity.

My goal is to facilitate a classroom environment in which everyone feels comfortable, respected, and supported.MATERIALS: Slips of paper (for anonymity), Hat or Basket, Markers

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: Wilderdom Store http://wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Human Dictionary

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Provide students with an opportunity to share about themselves and learn about others

TIME: 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1) On an index card, write the following about yourself: Name (First and Last) At least 2 adjectives that you think best describe you Your favorite thing to do/the location in which you do it Person or animal you spend the most time with Where you were born

2) With the information on the index card, construct a dictionary entry about yourself. Keep in mind, you will be sharing your entry with the class.

3) When everyone is finished, arrange yourselves in alphabetical order by last name. 4) Starting at either end of the alphabet, read your entry aloud to the class.

EXAMPLE:

Yates, Mandy. noun; patient, faithful. Usually found driving without a destination, but with a purpose, around the New River Valley. Often attached at the hip to her significant other’s dog. Origin: Stephenson, Virginia.

1) Remind them to be respectful when the dictionary entries are being read.2) Remind them of the directions (put them and the above example on the board so students can refer to

them)

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1) Raise your hand if you learned anything new about your classmates?2) Was it difficult for you some people to think of adjectives that explain themselves? Why?3) Did anyone learn that they have the same hobby/favorite activity as a classmate? 4) How might this activity positively affect the classroom?


1) My goal is to create connections among students that may have more in common than they originally thought. 2) My goal is to also help all students feel comfortable sharing information about themselves to the class.3) After we are finished sharing our dictionary entries, I would like to collect the index cards for our “Classroom

Dictionary” so that I could have a bit of information on file to help me know my students better.

MATERIALS: Index Cards, Pens

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: Education World article: Icebreakers Volume 5: All-About-You Activities for the First Days of School http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/icebreakers_for_kids_2.shtml

NAME OF ACTIVITY-Recipe Card Mix-UpTYPE OF ACTIVITY-IcebreakerGOAL OF ACTIVITY- Have students get to know each otherTIME: 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS- 1. Provide each student with a recipe or index card. 2. Ahead of time choose about five questions that you might ask of students. 3. Be as creative as you want with the questions. 4. Possible questions might include the following:

What is the title of a favorite book? What do you like doing in your free time when you're not at school? What is your favorite board game? What is your favorite candy bar? If you could request your favorite meal for your birthday, what would that meal be?

1. When students -- and the teacher -- have written their answers to the questions, collect the recipe cards. Shuffle the cards. 2. Then pass out a card to each student; be sure students do not receive their own cards. 3. When everyone has a card, then the job of each student is to find the student in the room who belongs to the card the student holds. 4. When everybody has found the person who wrote the answers on the card they hold, they must make sure they know how to pronounce that student's full name and that they understand everything that is written on the card.5. Then it is time for introductions. The teacher can begin the activity by asking the student on the card s/he holds to come to the front of the room. 6. As that student stands by, the teacher introduces the student to the rest of the class by saying, "Class, I'd like you to meet ___. Her favorite book is ___. Her favorite board game is Please welcome ___ to our fourth grade class!" (Classmates then give the student 4 claps [for 4th grade]). The student that the teacher introduced continues the activity by calling up the student whose card he or she holds. 7. Continue until all students have introduced someone to the class. 8. When everyone has been introduced, take all the cards, shuffle them, and call out responses on one card at a time to see if students can remember who belongs to each card.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- What new things did you learn about your classmates? What surprised you? What did you already know?Would you change anything about this activity?

MATERIALS--Note cards

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY

Best of the Icebreakershttp://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson346.shtml

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson346.shtml

NAME OF ACTIVITY-Let’s Play Detective

TYPE OF ACTIVITY-Icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Have students get to know each other

TIME: 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Hand out a Clue Sheet to each student. 2. Go over the statements on the sheet, and then I ask the students to find a quiet spot where they can fill in the

blanks in statements such as…

"My favorite hobby is ________." "When I grow up, I want to have a job as a _________." "The most fun thing I did all summer was __________."

1. Preface this activity by telling the students that this will be one of the few times this year that I don't want them to put their names on their papers.

2. As the students finish filling out their Clue Sheets, each picks up the sheet and a book and joins me on the rug for a class meeting.

3. They hand the sheets to me and read quietly while the rest of the class finishes the task. Then introduce the activity.

4. I hand an anonymous Clue Sheet to each student. If a student ends up with his or her own sheet, we make some switches.

5. "I want to see whether you're good detectives," I tell the students. 6. Then I invite them to move around, asking questions of their classmates, narrowing down the list of "suspects"

until they find the one person who matches all the clues they hold.

Note: If it's a nice day, you might move this activity outdoors. Set up boundaries -- the basketball "court" -- if that isn't carrying the detective-suspect theme too far! -- for example, or the base paths on the ball field. When all the students have located their "suspects," each student takes a turn introducing the guilty party, telling others in the class a little about that boy or girl.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What interesting facts did you learn about your partner? What would you do to change this activity if anything?

MATERIALS--Worksheets


Education World



NAME OF ACTIVITY: Icebreaker Bingo


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: The teacher and students will get to know their fellow classmates

TIME: 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Each player gets a piece of paper with a 5x5 grid. In each square of the grid is written an experience or a description.

2. Examples could be things like "was born outside the US", "is wearing a green shirt", "plays guitar", "wears glasses", "has more than 2 siblings", etc.

3. Each player can have the same bingo grid. 4. Each person has to find people who match the descriptions. 5. No person can be used for more than one square. 6. The first person to complete a row yells bingo and gets a prize. 7. You can let people keep playing and award a prize for filling in all the squares, or the most squares. 8. It's a good way to get people to talk to a large number of people, and learn facts about them. 9. You also have to know their names since you have to write them down.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. What did you like about this activity? What did you enjoy?2. What did you dislike? What would you change?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: Make sure you are actually talking with the person and not just writing down your name on the spot on your bingo board.

MATERIALS:

1. Bingo boards2. Prizes


Sunday School Ideas for New Teachers

http://www.sunday-school-ideas-for-new-teachers.com/youth-group-icebreaker-games.html

http://www.sunday-school-ideas-for-new-teachers.com/youth-group-icebreaker-games.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Big Bubble Name Poster

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Get to Know You Activity

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students learn important things about fellow classmates and the teacher learns information about their students.

TIME: 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Each student will get a large piece of paper2. One that piece of paper they will draw their name in large bubble letters3. In the large bubble letters students will put what they like and dislike4. They can also include pictures of friends or family within their letters to create a collage

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. What interesting things did you learn about your fellow classmates?2. How would change this assignment?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: Make sure your facts about your self are appropriate and relevant to yourself.

MATERIALS:

1. Poster board2. Markers3. Magazines4. Glue5. Scissors


Classroom Activities: Welcoming Back Middle-School Students

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749861


NAME OF ACTIVITY- Toilet Paper Icebreaker

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Get to know you

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Participants will choose several pieces of toilet paper pieces and discuss several

interesting facts about themselves.

TIME- depends on how many participants and how much toilet paper blocks the participants take. (estimated

time: 10-30 min)

DIRECTIONS-

As the toilet paper roll is passed around, participants will take as little or as much toilet paper as desired.

For each piece of toilet paper taken, participant must give one fact about themselves.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Did you learn something new about the other participants?

Did you find you have more in common with the others than you realized?

How did you decide on how many to take and how did you feel when you discovered the directions?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE-

Fun activity to get to know each other

Once you participate in the activity, next time you play: do not tell those who don’t know about the- fact per

piece of TP!

MATERIALS- Roll of toilet paper

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Previous participation

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Blanket Name Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Get to know you/ names

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Participants will learn, identify and perfect the names of other members in the group.

TIME- Depending on size of group - 5-15 minutes.

DIRECTIONS-

1. The class will be divided into two groups, randomly.2. Each group will get on opposite sides of the sheet. 3. One member of each team will line up directly in front of the sheet (opposite sides). 4. The sheet will then be dropped and the two opponents must correctly identify the person they are facing. 5. First one to correctly name the other individual wins a point. 6. By the end of the game, the team with the most points wins!

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. What was difficult about this activity?

2. Do you know someone’s name you may have not known at the beginning of class?

3. Was it hard trying to not only remember names, but remember them on the spot in competition?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE- Learning each other’s names may be hard sometimes but with a little fun competition, it isn’t as hard as it seems! This activity helps students of all levels of shy or outgoingness participate in a high energy game!

MATERIALS- Sheet & participants

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- University 100, Michelle Jenkins. Did this with my students

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Recipe Card Mix Up


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: First day activity, allows students to get to know each other.

TIME: (30 minutes) Depending on the size of the class.

DIRECTIONS-

1.) Have the students make a recipe card about themselvesa. Example: In order to make a me you must have:

i. A Boston Terrier named Bellaii. A rock band

iii. A best friend named Anthonyiv. Two younger brothers

2.) Take up the recipe cards and pass them out to different students, make sure a student doesn’t receive his own card.

3.) Have the students go around the classroom asking each other questions from their recipe card, until they find whose card they have.

4.) The students will then pair up and introduce the person they discovered and read their recipe to the class.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1.) Did any of you discover that you had something in common with someone else?2.) What did you learn?3.) Why do you think I asked you to do this activity?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE:

1. Although we are all different, a lot of us have some of the same ingredients.2. These recipes will keep growing and changing as they get older.

MATERIALS: Pen and Paper/Notecard

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: www.eductationworld.com

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Silent Movie

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY:

1. Allows students to form bonds by working in a group.2. Teaches students the importance of working together. 3. To build trust in a group.

TIME: (40-45 minutes)

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Divide students into groups of 4-52.) Hand each student a notecard with trait written on it. (Example: Honesty, Integrity, Hardworking, etc.)3.) Each student will make a 5 minute scene that they will act out without using words. 4.) The scene should convey their trait to the rest of the class.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1.) How many people found this activity hard? Why is that?2.) Did any of you find that your idea for how to act out the trait was different than others in your group?3.) How did you and your group come up with a compromise?


1.) Not everyone is going to see eye to eye. 2.) In order to complete a task in a group, sometimes individuals have to make compromises in order for

the group to succeed.

MATERIALS: Anything in the classroom the students feel will help show their scene.

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: N/A

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Blind Soda Pop PourerTYPE OF ACTIVITY: Trust Building/Group Building TIME: 20 MinutesGOAL OF ACTIVITY:The students will build communication skills, trust, and friendship within a group of people. This is an energizing activity and will get students up and active.DIRECTIONS:

1. Divide the group into teams with an even number of people in each group2. Tell team to select a student to be their leader of the team.3. Hand out blindfolds to all team members except for the leader. 4. Tell team members (with the blindfolds) to put their blindfold on.5. Ask the team leader to take a seat somewhere close to his/her team 6. When the leader sits down, tell leader to sit on his/her hands 7. For each team, position one bottle of drink (can be soda/juice/water/any type of drink in a bottle), one drinking glass, and a cup of ice in

various locations around the room. 8. Take care to ensure that nothing is positioned where it might easily fall or break 9. Tell the participants the rules: 10. the team leader cannot move from his/her position and cannot use their hands.

11. no team member must complete more than one task 12. So each member has to do one task and one task only (UNLESS THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MEMBERS IN GROUP TO ONLY HAVE ONE

TASK)13. blind team members must use their writing hand only and place the other behind their back throughout the exercise 14. task 1 is for the first team member to find the drinking bottle and bring it to the team leader 15. task 2 is for second team member to find the drinking glass and bring it to the team leader 16. task 3 is for third member to find the cup of ice and bring it to the team leader 17. task 4 is for the fourth member to open the drink bottle 18. task 5 is for the next member to pour the ice into the drinking glass19. Task 6 is for the next member to pour the drink into the drinking glass 20. Task 7 is for a member to offer the drink to the team leader 21. Task 8 is for the team leader to drink the drink without using their hands 22. When the leader has drank all of the drink…the instructor will announce the winning team SINCE LEADER IS THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT A BLINDFOLD, THE LEADER CAN HELP OUT TEAM MEMBERS FIND EACH OF

THE ITEMS AND HELP THEM GATHER, POUR, AND DRINK THE DRINK. LEADERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THEIR HANDS THOUGH…ONLY TALKING TO MEMBERS

PROCESS QUESTIONS: What strategy did the group have to have to make this activity successful? What could your team have done to make this an easier process? What skill did your team have to have to make this activity easier for the group?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY: This activity focuses on team building for the group. It shows us that we have to have communication within the group to make things go easier as a whole and more successful. Also a team is about everyone in the group, not just yourself as an individual.

MATERIALS Drinking cups (1 per group) Ice Cups of ice A drink that is in a bottle Blind folds for every student

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/pdf%20files/freeblindwinewaiter.pdf

This is the website where I got my trust building activity from.

http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/pdf%20files/freeblindwinewaiter.pdf

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Personal Trivia BaseballTYPE OF ACTIVITY: IcebreakerGOAL OF ACTIVITY:The students will get to know each other better and create a friendship bond with their peers in the group.TIME:10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the group)DIRECTIONS:

1. Divide the group of students into two equal groups.2. Pass out 4 pieces of paper to each student/person in the group.3. Tell students to write “S” on the first sheet/ “D” on the second sheet/ “T” on the third sheet/and “HR” on the fourth sheet.4. These letters stand for “S”-single/ “D”-double/ “T”-triple/ “HR”-homerun5. Then tell students to write an interesting fact about themselves on each sheet6. One fact per sheet has to be different facts7. For the “S” sheet: this should be the easiest fact that a lot of the group members would know 8. “HR” sheet: this is the hardest fact where not a lot if anyone knows about the student9. Instruct them NOT to write their names on the sheets!!10. Collect sheets from groups, once the students are done writing their facts.11. Sort papers into four categories per group: 12. Single/double/triple/homerun13. Shuffle papers in each group14. Put the four piles in four different corners of the room (should look like a baseball diamond)15. Single will have own corner…double will have own corner…etc.16. Now line students up:17. One team at “bat” one team sitting down “in field”18. The first student that is at “bat” will say single/double/triple/homerun19. They will go to that pile of what they said20. They will pick up a piece of paper (of the other teams)21. The student will read the fact aloud22. Then, the student at “bat” will guess who they think this fact is describing on the other team.23. Once that student says a name, the person they said will either say yes or no.24. If the student is correctthe student gets to stay on base25. If student is wrongthat is considered an out for the team26. Three outs and then it is the other teams turn27. Keep track of outs and runs.

PROCESS QUESTIONS: What was the most interesting fact you found out? Did this activity help you learn more about each other?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: Getting to know one another will form a bond that maybe was never there at first

MATERIALS:Paper (4 per student)Pen/pencilNAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:http://www.icebreakers.ws/get-to-know-you/personal-trivia-baseball.html

This is the website where I found this icebreaker activity

http://www.icebreakers.ws/get-to-know-you/personal-trivia-baseball.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Hop Off the Ice “breaker”

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Activity

GOAL OF ACTIVITY:The students will introduce themselves to their peers and their peers will get to know each other better.

TIME: Depending on how many students but around 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

There will be a hop-scotch board drawn. The student will throw a rock on the board. The number the rock lands on will be a question that the student has to answer.

o The question will be something that has to deal with the student and their lives.o Ex) What is your favorite food? Favorite hobby?

Number 10 will have: Tell us one fact that no one knows about you. The student will answer the question while standing on that number. The student will then roll the rock again.

o If it goes off the board then it is the next persons turno If not they answer whatever question is on the number the rock lands.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

What did each of you learn about each other? Did this help you get to know each other better?


If someone lands on number 10:o Even though everyone might think they know each other, they usually don’t.

How we can be the same and different.o Talk about the students that had the same answers.o Talk about the students that did not have the same answers.

MATERIALS

Chalk (to make the hop-scotch board) Rock Different questions to get to know the students better.

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:

I was thinking about “thumb-ball” but my roommate and I came up with hop-scotch to do outside and get involved and active.

NAME OF ACTIVITY: “We Are All Equal”

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group building activity

GOAL OF ACTIVITY:

The students will see that everyone is linked together in some sort of way. It could be by a parent career, favorite hobby, or fun fact.

TIME: 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1) Give students a blank piece of paper and marker.2) Tell students on that paper to write the profession of what one of their parents/guardians have.3) Then pass out tape.4) Tell students to tape piece of paper to their shirt.5) After they have done so, tell students to make a circle.6) The “leader” (which should be the leader of the group/adult) will start the activity off.7) They will have a ball of string in their hand and they will introduce themselves.8) then they will state what their parent/guardian profession is.9) Then they will look around the circle (they cannot pass to someone right next to them) and throw the string (while holding on

to one end of it) to a person who has a parent that has the same profession or a profession that interacts with what they have on their paper.

10) When that person gets the ball, they have to state how the 2 professions go together.11) Then tell that student to throw it to someone else in the circle that has a profession that is similar to theirs.12) Keep doing this until all students have a piece of string.13) At the end of the process they will see there is a web.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What does this activity show you? Even if your parent/guardian does not have a job, can you see how they are linked to other people in the world? Does this show you that everyone is needed in the world to make everyday life happen? What can you conclude about this activity?


Even though some people might not have jobs, everyone is needed to make everyday life happen. This shows that everyone is linked in some sort of way. No job is more important that another job because we all need each other to make that job happen.

MATERIALS:

Ball of string Paper Marker Tape


We did this activity in Human Development my sophomore year.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Have You Ever?TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get everyone up and moving. To get the students to learn more about the people around them.

TIME- 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS- Can be done indoors or outdoors.- Get the students to get into a circle.- The teacher will say he/she will call out different things that may or may not apply to

each person.- If what is called out does apply to you, then run to the middle of the circle and high 5 the

people who run to the middle as well.- Then it moves clockwise to the next person in the circle.- When stating the statement you need to say “Have you ever…?”- Some examples:

o Have you ever sung karaoke?o Have you ever been to the ocean?o Have you ever broken more than two bones?

PROCESS QUESTIONS

- Have you learned more about the people around you?- Did anyone not go into the circle?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE

- That there is always something you do not know about someone.

MATERIALS- None


http://wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html


NAME OF ACTIVITY: High Five, Low Five


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Is to have everyone say Hi to another student and give them a high and low five.

TIME: 5-10 min.

DIRECTIONS Out of a deck of cards pick out 2 cards with the same number on them (ex: 2 of hearts and 2 of

diamonds) for as many pairs of students you have in the class. Have the students draw a card. Create a circle. You can either call out a number or use www.classtools.net and use the Random number picker. (you

could put this up on the smartboard and have students go up and hit the button to pick a random number) The students will go to the middle of the circle when their number is called. They have to high five either other.

o One will say Hi name, to the person they are high fiving, and then that person will say Hi name to the person who said I first.

You will do this until all students have gone.

PROCESS QUESTIONS

Did everyone get a chance to go to the circle? How did it make you feel when your partner gave you a high and low five and also said hi to you?


You can help make someone’s day better by just saying hi or by giving them a high five.

MATERIALS

Playing cards Computer Smartboard (if you would like to use the Random #picker)


I got this idea from Ms. Langston at BMS.

http://www.classtools.net/

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Getting to Know You!


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: The goal is to find as many people to sign you bingo sheet and learn facts about their peers that they may have not know before.

TIME: 10-15 min.

DIRECTIONS Handout a bingo sheet to all the students. Have the students go around to their peers to have them sign their bingo sheet on a

statement that is true about them. They can only sign once on the bingo sheet. Once someone has bingo, straight across or up and down, they will yell bingo. Still allow everyone to keep trying to get bingo. Give prizes to the top three students. Then give a piece of candy to each student who participated.

PROCESS QUESTIONS

What did you find out about someone that you did not know? Did you all find out something you did not know about another student?


There is always something new you can learn about someone. All you need to do is just ask and you will find out.

MATERIALS

Bingo sheets Pencil


I got this activity from the Guidance Counselor at BMS.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Silhouette Collage

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- GROUP BUILDER

TIME – 45 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get students familiar with one another as well as help me learn about them and their identity.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Set out old magazines, newspapers and such for students to go through. Everyone needs to find and cut out things they find that represent who they are or what they like or anything that represents them. (This can be any pictures or words that describe you.)

2. I will use an overhead projector or another source of bright light to create a silhouette of each student. (Each student sits in front of the light as I trace their outline of their silhouette on a sheet of 11- by 17-inch paper that has been taped ot the wall).

3. Have students cut out their silhouette and fill with the words and images that express their identity.4. Give everyone a chance to share their silhouette and why they filled their profiles with their specific elements. 5. Hang up all the profiles.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did this help you to learn a specific thing for about your classmates? Did this help you to get to know your classmates? Did this help you to learn your classmates’ names?


I want you to refer to the silhouettes hanging up when you are having trouble remembering a classmates name or facts about them.

MATERIALS-

11- by 17-inch paper

Newspapers

Magazines

Glue

Pencils

Scissors

Light (Projector)

Tape

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY-

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/icebreakers_for_kids_2.shtml

Kathy Juarez, Piner High School, Santa Rosa, California

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/icebreakers_for_kids_2.shtml

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Deserted Island


TIME – 45 minutes, one day

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get students to come up with ideas and work as a team to accomplish a goal as well as learn interests of their classmates.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Send out a welcoming letter the week before class starts to all students and introduce yourself as the teacher and also give instructions to bring in one item that you would want to have or have to have that represents you if you were on a deserted island for the first day of class. Explain this could be anything from a blanket to a gadget, just anything that is appropriate that they have that doesn’t go against school rules. Also explain that if it is too big or hard or inappropriate to bring to school then they may bring a picture (it will have to be approved by the teacher before sharing with the class). Maybe offer a homework grade for this, that way they will bring their item or picture in.

2. On the first day of class have everyone go around and introduce themselves as well as their item and why it is important to them.

3. Next have everyone get together and figure out how they as a group would use EVERYONE’S item and its importance on their deserted island.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did this help you to learn how to work with each other? Did this help you to get to know your classmates? What did you learn about your teammates?


Explain that everyone and everything has a purpose and a talent or usefulness and no one is better than the next person and everyone has an important place in the classroom.

MATERIALS-

Whiteboard/Smartboard/Overhead (to write everyone’s item and corresponding purpose)

Everyones’ items/images

Instructions




NAME OF ACTIVITY- Oh Baby Baby

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice-breaker

TIME – 15 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To help students learn each other’s name and faces.

DIRECTIONS-

1. On the first day of school everyone is to bring in one photo of them as a baby. DO NOT put your name on the front of the photo.

2. We will hang up everyone’s photo and number them and everyone will get a sheet of paper with the same amount of numbers and guess each person’s photo.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did anyone guess them all right? How have people changed or not changed? How could you tell who was who?


MATERIALS-

Students photos

Poster

Number tags

Numbered Paper

Pencils


Mrs. Sherry Case (My 8th grade English teacher)

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Defend the Egg


TIME – 20 minutes over 3 days

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get students to come up with ideas and work as a team to accomplish a goal.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Randomize students into groups of 3-4.2. Each group will get one raw or uncooked egg to “defend.” They will defend their eggs by creating a protective

wrap or casing etc that will prevent their egg from breaking when dropped from a high place (like from the top of the school).

3. We will span this activity over 3 days on the 1st day you will get together in groups and each create your plans for protecting the egg and the team will use either one of the ideas or put them together as one idea.

4. On day two you will get in your groups and make your plan from the day before.5. On day 3 you will get in your groups and we will put the eggs in their creations and drop them from the building,

we will see which if they work.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did this help you to learn how to work with each other? Did this help you to get to know your classmates? What did you learn about your teammates?


Awards will be given for best looking design, most effective design, and best working team.

MATERIALS-

Eggs

Paper products (news papers, magazines)

Rubber Bands

Glue

Plastic Bags

Pencils

Scissors

(Anything the kids’ plans call for)


http://www.icebreakers.ws/team-building/defend-the-egg.html

http://www.icebreakers.ws/team-building/defend-the-egg.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Blanket Name Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Ice breaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Learn names of peers

TIME: 10 to 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

First, students will go around the room and introduce themselves along with any other facts about them. Separate the class into two equal teams. Put the two teams on opposite sides of the room with a blanket or divider in the middle so the players

can’t see each other. For each round, choose one player from each team to stand on opposite sides of the divider so that when

the divider is dropped the two players are face to face. (You’ll need two people to hold up either sides of the blanket/divider.)

When the blanket is dropped, the two players for each round say the name of the other person as fast as they can.

The first player to correctly identify the other player wins the round. (If you want to make this an elimination game, the person who incorrectly guesses the name is removed.)

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. How did you feel about this activity before we started?2. Were you nervous about remembering someone’s name?3. How did you feel when you got a name correct and/or incorrect?4. How did you feel when somebody else correctly and/or incorrectly said your name?5. Would you use this activity anywhere else?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: The quicker we learn each other’s names, the easier it is to carry on conversations within the classroom. It also makes us feel more comfortable around each other when we can say each other’s name when we’re addressing someone during class discussion.

MATERIALS:

Blanket or divider


Group Games

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/blanket-name-game.html

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/blanket-name-game.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Human Sculptures Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Ice-Breaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Team Building

TIME: 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

The facilitator will announce a category, such as movies, books, songs, etc. Then, the students will be divided into at least three groups. Each group uses a sheet of paper and a pen/pencil to brainstorm their ideas about the given topic. Next, the groups create a human sculpture to represent their chosen idea. All the team members must make up part of the sculpture so that nobody is left out. Each team then looks at each group’s creation and has two guesses to figure out what the sculpture

represents.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. What was it like for all the team members to figure out what they wanted to depict as their sculpture?2. Did anybody come up with an idea on how to make the sculpture and then change their minds?3. How did you figure out where people go to create the sculpture?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: When we all have to figure out ways to work together to create a finished product, we quickly find out where everyone’s talents lie. Each person brings something unique to the table and can contribute to the task at hand.

MATERIALS:

Paper

Pens/Pencils


Group Games:

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/human-sculptures-game.html

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/human-sculptures-game.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Stranded on a Deserted Island

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Getting To Know You

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will learn more about each other by finding out what objects their peers cherish the most.


DIRECTIONS:

Break up the class into teams of five (or however many is easiest for your class). Tell your class they are being relocated to a deserted island for an unknown amount of time. They can

only bring one item with them and only have a few minutes to decide what to bring. Students share with their group what they are bringing with them and why as well as how it will help

them on the island.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Did you learn anything new about your peers?2. Did you have a hard time deciding what you would take with you to the island?3. Did change your mind about what you wanted to bring after hearing other responses?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: Most everybody has something they cherish that they would not want to leave behind. We can learn a lot about a person when we find out about something that’s really important to them, whether it’s a sport, a book or document, or pictures. Once we know more about something that interests our peers, we can relate to them easier both inside and outside of class.

MATERIALS:

Paper and Pens (optional)


Group Games:

http://www.group-games.com/team-building/stranded-on-a-desert-island.html

http://www.group-games.com/team-building/stranded-on-a-desert-island.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Birthday Roundup


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will be comfortable with each other and learn something new about their peers!

TIME: Approximately 20 minutes.

DIRECTIONS:

• Without speaking, students will line themselves up in birthday order by day and month starting with January. Once everyone is in line, students create a circle staying in the same order.

• The person with the first birthday goes to the middle of the circle, shares their first name and birthday. They then act out something they like to do silently (must be appropriate).

• Students will yell out and guess the action, like charades, until somebody guesses it correctly.

• If somebody is out of birthday order in the circle, they must move to the correct spot and try to act out the names and activities of the people that have already gone.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

• What made this activity difficult?• Did you learn something new about anybody in class?• If you didn’t have to act out everybody’s actions, could you have?


I want students to:

• Learn the names of their peers• And feel comfortable being silly.

MATERIALS: None.

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: www.teampedia.net

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Forced Choice

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Diversity awareness icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will realize they have something in common with their peers that they might have not known before. They will feel comfortable discussing topics they usually wouldn’t.

TIME: Approximately 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS: • Set up: Post eight signs (listed in materials needed) around the perimeter of the room so that they are accessible to

students moving to them.

• Ask students to come together to the center of the room for instructions. Overview that there are two parts to this activity. One is a silent/reflective part when we are together in the center of the room and one is a sharing part once everyone has made a choice for that statement.

• Ask students if they know what each sign means. If they do not know or look confused, explain them.

• Explain that you are going to read a statement that they will choose one of the 8 parts of their identity to complete it.

• Each student should be encouraged to self-reflect and choose for themselves where they will go in the room. Emphasize that this is the silent part.

• Once participants have made a "choice" ask them to share in small groups of 3-4 why they selected that part of their identity to complete the statement.

• Allow for several minutes of discussion and then ask them to return (silently) to the center of the room.

• Read aloud another statement and repeat the process above.

Statements:

• The part of my identity that I am most aware of on a daily basis is_________• The part of my identity that I am the least aware of on a daily basis is_______• The part of my identity that was most emphasized in my family growing up was ________• The part of my identity that I would like to explore further is _________• The part of my identity that that serves as my primary compass for my work style is ______• The part of my identity that garners me the most privilege is _______• The part of my identity that I believe is the most misunderstood by others is_____• The part of my identity that I feel is difficult to discuss with others who identify differently ___

PROCESS QUESTIONS:• Discuss what the activity was like to do - students often name that they didn't realize how much they have in

common with one another or that they were surprised about how they answered the questions• Build off of comments that may address that it was difficult, or that participants don't often think about all the

parts of their identities• Discuss how thinking about self and what impact our identities has on being a student.

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE:I want students to feel comfortable discussing otherwise difficult things to talk about and to realize that they have more in common with their peers than they may thing.

MATERIALS: Masking tape and signs with the following words:Race, gender, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, immigration status, ability/disability status, religion, and age.


NAME OF ACTIVITY: Five Pointed Star

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will realize how important it is to communicate, share ideas, and collaborate.

TIME: 10-20 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

• Separate students into groups of 6 or 7 (the larger the groups, the better).

• Each group will stand around a rope that is tied together at the ends made in a circle.

• Students are instructed to pick up the rope with both hands and shape the rope into a 5 pointed star, with all of the overlaps and cris-crosses (just like the kind you draw).

• Each team has five minutes to plan and five minutes to build. They may not move while planning, but they may not talk while building. This sounds simple enough, but randomly give students penalties such as blindfolds, walking on one foot, or walking backwards.

• After the first set of five minutes planning and five minutes building, if most of the groups have not finished, do the round again.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

• How did you work together?

• What worked well?

• What was challenging?

• What did you learn about yourself?

• What did you learn about your group?


I want students to:

• Find out if they are a leader or a follower.• Discover how important teamwork is.

MATERIALS: Ropes (About 10 feet each), blindfolds


NAME OF ACTIVITY: Mnemonic Name Game


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will be comfortable with each other and learn the names of their peers.

TIME: Approximately 15 minutes.

DIRECTIONS:

• Sit or stand in a circle.

• Students will say their name then the name of a food that starts with the same letter (Chelsea Carrots, Sara Sea Salt).

• After one student says this, the next student in line will have to say all the students before plus theirs.

• If students find this easy, after one round of the circle, add an adjective to it (Cheerful Chelsea Carrots).

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

• What made this activity difficult?

• What made this activity easy?

• Is there anything different you can do with the same activity?


I want students to:

• Learn the names of their peers.• Feel comfortable with each other.

MATERIALS: None.


NAME OF ACTIVITY- The Price is Right!

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Rationalizing and real world knowledge

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Understanding how much things really cost

TIME- 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Draw a T-chart on the board.2. Read a classified ad description of a house for sale.3. Ask students to guess the price of the house.4. Record guesses that are too high on one side of the T-chart and guesses that are too low on the other.

Eventually, they will guess the real price by looking at other guesses and adjusting accordingly.

The exercise makes them think mathematically and gives them a much better sense of what things really cost. For a change of pace, consider reading ad descriptions for cars and other big-ticket items. To modify this activity for lower grades, use a supermarket or discount store circular and describe less expensive items.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Where you surprised how much items really cost and how did you go about finding the correct price?2. Was it harder for you in the beginning or the end, why was that?


1. Sometimes smaller items are even better because they are things they may use in their everyday lives without having any idea of their cost.

MATERIALS- Students, board, and the classified ads




NAME OF ACTIVITY- Marooned

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group exercise

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Discussion, persuasion and deep thinking

TIME- 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. You are marooned on an island.2. What five (you can use a different number, such as seven, depending upon the size of each team) items would

you have brought with you if you knew there was a chance that you might be stranded: Note that they are only allowed five items per team, not per person.

3. You can have them write their items on a flip chart and discuss and defend their choices with the whole group.

This activity helps them to learn about other's values and problem solving styles and promotes teamwork.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Was it hard to come to a consensus?2. How did you decide on what to keep? Did you keep necessities that you need to survive or what?3. What is the most important thing on your list?


1. Make sure they understand that they have to survive on the island and they have nothing there except what is already on the island such as plants, sand, fish in the ocean, etc.

MATERIALS- Students


http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/icebreak.html

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/icebreak.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Bet You Can’t

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Energizer

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- The students will use fake money and their imaginations

TIME- 10-15 minutesDIRECTIONS- This game can be played in millions and millions of different ways, and essentially it's just this:

• Go to the toy store and buy toy money. • Give each student the same amount of money at the start. • Have the students bet each other that they can't do something - like this: make each student stand up and

walk around. Have them say, "I bet you can't (e.g. count to 20, run around the room 5 times, sing the ABC song. etc.).

• Get the students to bet using the toy money. PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What did you learn about controlling money?Did you make any mistakes when betting? What exactly happened?Did anyone catch you by surprise with what they could do or what they asked you to do? In what

way?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE-Make sure you use fake money.Make sure they know not to bet anything that could be harmful to another student.

MATERIALS- Students and fake money

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITYhttp://www.eslkidstuff.com/Classroomgamesframe.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY- WHOZIT? WHATZIT?

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Puzzle Warm-up

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Thinking Game

TIME- 10 minutesDIRECTIONS-

These quick little puzzles can be great fun.

• When you have five minutes to fill, write a couple of the puzzles on the chalkboard and let students try to figure them out. Each puzzle contains several familiar words.

• 2When carefully read and sounded out, the words reveal the name of a well-known person, place, thing, or phrase.

• As students figure out the hidden names, they write their responses on a sheet of scrap paper.

• The teacher can wander the room checking their guesses.

• Have a prize ready for the first person to guess both of the day's puzzles.

Sample PuzzlesTub Braid Heap Hunch (Clue: TV show) -- The Brady Bunch

Sand Tackle Laws (Clue: fictional character) -- Santa ClausTall Mischief Her Sun (Clue: person) -- Thomas Jefferson

Buck Spun He (Clue: cartoon character) -- Bugs BunnyShock Cussed Toe (Clue: person) -- Jacques Cousteau

These Hound Dove Moo Sick (Clue: movie) -- The Sound of MusicDocked Hearse Whose (Clue: person) -- Dr. Seuss

Tight An Hick (Clue: thing) -- TitanicAisle Oh View (Clue: phrase) -- I love you

Chick He Tub Ban An Us (Clue: things) -- Chiquita bananasMy Gulch Hoard Un (Clue: person) -- Michael Jordan

Thumb Ill Key Wake Owl Licks He (Clue: place) -- The Milky Way GalaxyPROCESS QUESTIONS-

Could you make up some of these puzzles on your own?Did you find any of these more difficult than others?How could we change this exercise?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE- Having the students come up with their own puzzles is also a great addition.

MATERIALS- Students and a board

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/field_day_games.shtml

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Shoe Factory


TIME: 30 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students learn to work together to match each pair of shoes. Also, they gain an understanding of how everyone is different in many ways other than those that are “basic”.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Have the students sit down in a circle.2. Ask them all to take off both shoes and pile in the middle of the circle.3. Then have the students choose two new shoes (wear if possible)

a. Their new pair must not matchb. Cannot choose their own shoes

4. Ask the students to find the matches to their new shoes and form a new circle.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Were you able to quickly find the other shoe to your new matches?2. How did it feel to wear another person’s shoes?3. How can you apply this to real life?


All students are different. They have different backgrounds, situations, lifestyles, and beliefs. Many take others for granted and for face value instead of understanding how everyone is different. Now, you can say you’ve been in someone else’s shoes!

MATERIALS:

1. Large area for the class to make a circle


Resident Assistant.com

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/icebreakers/Shoefactory.htm


NAME OF ACTIVITY: Who/What Am I?

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Building or Skills Building

TIME: 30 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students learn to work together by giving clues so others can guess the word on their back. This can also be used to help study for tests by using famous people (such as George Washington) or vocabulary words.

DIRECTIONS:

5. Provide each student with an index card.6. Without sharing with other students, have the students write one word or famous person on one side of their

card.7. Have the student’s pair up and place their secret index card on their partner’s back. 8. One at a time, each student will stand in front of the class. The remaining class will provide clues related to their

index card. 9. Once the student guesses correctly, they may sit down.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Were there any repeats?2. Was it hard to guess what was on your back?3. Was it difficult to provide clues?4. How could we make it easier for the guesser?

a. What words could we use while giving clues?


If you are using this as a study tool, then you want to review the particular material. If you are using any random topics, the point of this activity is to increase student’s communication skills.

MATERIALS:

2. Index cards


Resident Assistant.com http://www.residentassistant.com/games/icebreakers/Shoefactory.htm


NAME OF ACTIVITY: Categories

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Energizer

TIME: 20-30 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Energize the group!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Have the class form a large circle around the room2. Ask one student to choose a topic OR prepare a list a head of time and allow them to draw slips from a hat3. In a circle, each student is to answer an item that falls under the chosen topic

a. IE: Types of fruit? Apple, Grapes, Orange, etc.4. The group continues this process until an answer is repeated. 5. Once an answer is repeated, that person moves into the middle of the circle and chooses the new topic. 6. This process continues until only one student remains

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

4. Anyone still tired?5. Did everyone have a chance to choose a topic?6. Did you hear a new word or one you weren’t sure the meaning of?


Everyone needs mind breaks once in a while. It’s important to rest your mind as well as your body to avoid over working it which could lead to more serious problems.

MATERIALS:

3. Prepared list of categories4. Hat/basket5. Large area for the class to make a circle


Creative Drama and Resource Site

http://www.creativedrama.com/theatre.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY: All About Me

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Ice Breaker

TIME: 30 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To introduce the students and promote acceptance of any diversity within the classroom. This is also a great activity for students to find common interests or goals among fellow classmates.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Draw an example for the students to reference and use while explaining the activity/directions to the class2. Provide each student with an index card or half sheet of paper.3. Explain they will need to answer the following in the corresponding location of the paper:

a. Middle: First and last nameb. Upper Right Corner: Favorite colorc. Lower Right Corner: Favorite foodd. Lower Left Corner: What do you want to be when you grow up?e. Upper Left Corner: An adjective to describe themselves

4. Allow the students to decorate their paper before sharing with the class5. Demonstrate how the students will share their information with the class by presenting your own

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Has everyone had a chance to share?2. Did you hear anyone with the same favorite food as you?3. Do you have any questions for your classmates?4. Are they any new foods you would like to try that someone listed as their favorite?


We are not all the same, which makes our world exciting and interesting. The goal of our classrooms is to promote acceptance and belonging for every student. This activity can jump start friendships by allowing students to share basic yet unique information.

MATERIALS:

1. Class set of index cards or half sheets of paper2. Colored pencils, crayons, or markers3. White board or Smartboard to display the example for students to reference


Dr. Roberts and Dr. Dore- beginning of Phantom Class

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Mission Impossible

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Energy booster

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Provide students with the opportunity to interact with each other and wake students up

TIME: 30 minutes depending on the number of students

DIRECTIONS:1. Players are on two separate teams 2. Players must make it from one side to the other3. Players must move from one side to the other without touching the floor4. Players can only use/stand on items 5. If players touch the floor they must go back to their side

PROCESS QUESTIONS: None, just discuss the activity and the importance of teamwork and the importance of communication

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE:1. Make students comfortable 2. Make students feel they are in a relaxed environment3. Make students aware they must respect their peers4. Make students aware that sometimes they must use teamwork to accomplish a goal5. Make sure students are involved in a fun and engaging activity

MATERIALS: 1. Materials vary2. Must be a large area3. Scooters4. Hulu hoops5. Mats6. Hockey sticks7. Jump ropes

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: summer camp manual

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Frog Murder

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: EnergizerGOAL OF ACTIVITY: Provide students with the opportunity to interact with each other and wake students upTIME: 30 minutes depending on the number of students DIRECTIONS:

1. One person will need to go out of the room- this person is the detective. 2. While this person is out of the room, choose one person to be the killer frog so that everybody knows who the

killer frog is except the detective. Then get in a circle. 3. Ask the detective to come back in and stand in the middle of the circle. 4. The killer frog will stick his tongue out at the other people in the room and they will make a dramatic death. 5. The detective will try to guess who the killer frog is. 6. If the detective finds out who the frog is then he wins and gets to be the detective again, if the frog wins (by

killing everybody before the detective finds out who he is) then he gets to be the detective

PROCESS QUESTIONS: 1. Students, do you understand the directions?2. What was the importance of keeping the identity of the killer frog a secret?3. What is the importance of being quiet during the game? 4. Did everyone get a chance?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE:6. Make students comfortable 7. Make students feel they are in a relaxed environment8. Make students aware they must respect their peers9. Make sure students are involved in a fun and engaging activity

MATERIALS: None


NAME OF ACTIVITY: Rader

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: EnergizerGOAL OF ACTIVITY: Provide students with the opportunity to interact with each other and wake students upTIME: 30 minutes depending on the number of students DIRECTIONS:

1. Have students sit in a circle2. Put a chair in the middle of the circle3. Pick a student to sit in the chair in the middle of circle4. Blindfold the student and place a set of keys under the chair5. Have students be dead quiet and pick a student quietly6. The student chosen must take the keys under the chair without having the student in the chair point at he/she 7. Student in the chair gets three chances 8. If he/she correctly points to the “stealer,” they are able to stay in the chair and we choose another person9. If they use up their three chances and does not correctly identify the “stealer,” the “stealer” is the next person in

the chairPROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. What was the importance of being quiet during the game?2. Students, do you understand the directions of the game?3. Did everyone get a chance?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE1. Make students comfortable 2. Make students feel they are in a relaxed environment3. Make students be aware they must respect their peers4. Make sure students are involved in a fun and engaging activity

MATERIALS: chair, blindfold, and car keys


Name of Activity: Train Wreck

Type of Activity: High energy- “Get to know”

Goal: The students walk away from this activity seeing what they all might have in common.

Time: 10 minutes

Directions:

Have the students form a circle using chairs

Leave one chair out, just like musical chairs ( 15 students= 14 chairs)

One student stands in the middle of the circle and says, “ Me and all my friends like …”

Student fills in the blank with something they like to do, something they are wearing, etc..

If anyone else likes to do the same thing, they get up and switch seats- the last person standing is in the middle. It’s a race to get a seat!

If the person in the middle can’t think of anything to say, they can say Train wreck- Everyone has to get up and switch seats.

RULE: you can’t switch seats with the person next to you, you have to actually MOVE!

Process Questions: Is there any confusion once the directions have been given? Are the same people in the middle every time?

Points to make: Let everyone have a chance in the middle.

Materials: Chairs

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Yarn Tangle

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Icebreaker, Community Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To build a sense of connectedness and community with students in the classroom

TIME- 15 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

-Instruct all of your students to get into a giant circle

-Ask everyone to answer a simple question, such as, “What are you plans for the weekend,” or, “What are your plans for summer/winter break?”

-Start with yourself and toss the yarn to a student but without letting go of the yarn.

-Make sure you get to all the students. You can tell which ones haven’t gone, because they don’t have yarn in their hands.

-Try another question that is a little more personal like, “What do you wish people could do for you when you really need someone?”

-Follow the same process

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

-Why do you think we aren’t letting go of the yarn while we do this?

-What is the benefit of letting everyone talk?


-By sharing commonalities with each other, it brings us closer together-It also brings us closer together in a physical aspect by not letting go of the yarn-Working as a team in the classroom, and making sure not to leave anyone out-Trusting no one will let go of the yarn and therefore everyone hearing everyone else

MATERIALS-

-Yarn


-Classroom activity in past class

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Skittles Grab Bag

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get to know each other and learn random facts about one another

TIME- 20 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

- I will have a bag of Skittles in the middle of the room and I will instruct my students to grab a few out of the bag.

- They will be instructed not to eat them.- I will ask them to count how many skittles they have and how many they have equals the facts about

themselves they have to share with the class.- To make it easier on the students, I will have them write down their random facts on a sheet of paper and

then share. Especially if one student grabbed a lot and can’t think of anything to say.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

- What kinds of facts would you want the class to know? Random? Family? Friends? Interests?


- Taking a lot of something sometimes isn’t always better- In what cases would that not be a good thing?- Getting to know fellow classmates brings your students closer together

MATERIALS

-Skittles

-A bag to put them in


-A friend

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Team Story Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To work cooperatively with a group, use critical thinking skills in a short time, learn about preparation

TIME- 10 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

-Break the students into groups of 3-5-Tell them they are going to be making a story-Each of them can only say one sentence of a story-The first person should introduce the story-The last person should wrap up the story into one sentence-The sentence has to flow one after another. NO PAUSING!- The first time ask them to talk with their groups-The second time ask them to do another story “on the fly”

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

--Was it hard doing it the second time without preparation?

-It is always good to prepare for something, especially when presenting so you know what you are doing and talking about

-Was it hard thinking about a story and shortening it very quickly?

-Using critical thinking skills is always key and thinking on the spot is a good way to practice this

-Was it hard working as a group? Why or why not?


-Working with other people can be challenging but it is a skill everyone has to learn. Especially when you get a job.

MATERIALS- Just people

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Internet (http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/team-story-game.html)

http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/team-story-game.html

http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/team-story-game.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Trust Walk

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Team building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To learn about trust and ignoring all distractions

TIME- 15 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

-Pick a person and send them out of the room

-Make obstacles on the ground so the ground could be tripped upon (can use people or random objects)

-The person that was placed out of the room gets blind folded and one person guides them through the obstacle to get them to the other side. They have to follow their voice and listen when they say, “one step forward, then one step left,” for example.

-Do this until the blindfolded person is all the way to the other side

-Do this again with the same person, but this time, make everyone talk so it’s hard for the person who is blindfolded to hear the person who is trying to guide them.

-Do this whole process again with other students

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

-Is it hard not to see where you are going?-Was it difficult to follow someone’s directions?-Was it hard to trust that person to make sure you didn’t fall down or trip over an object?-What was so hard about it the second time?


-It’s hard to trust someone, but if you can, they can lead you to the other side of any situation-Blocking out all distractions is key, especially if there are a lot of things going on in your life

-How does that relate to the classroom?-Someone can guide you through all kinds of situations that are hard, you just have to be willing to let them

MATERIALS- Anything that could be an obstacle on the groundNAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Internet (http://www.group-games.com/team-building/trust-walk-activity.html ), BCM group

http://www.group-games.com/team-building/trust-walk-activity.html

http://www.group-games.com/team-building/trust-walk-activity.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Beach Ball Toss

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice Breaker

TIME –15 min for class size of 20

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- The goal is to have the children become more familiar with each other and gain their confidence and energy in the classroom.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Write at least 15 different questions on beach that are general: What is your favorite color, What is your favorite subject, why?, Do you have any pets?

2. Start off by throwing ball in the air and catching it several times and answering the questions in which your right thumb landed on. You will also state your name.

3. Once you have answered questions about yourself, explain to students what they are expected to do: see #44. Throw ball to random student, and have them say their name and answer the question in which their right

thumb lands on.5. Ask the students to pass or throw gently to other students whom have not yet had a turn.6. Once everyone has had a turn then have them throw the ball back to you.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Who has not yet had a turn?2. Did you learn anything new about each other?3. Did anyone find anything interesting or in common with someone else?


1. Even though you may have went to school with someone all through elem./middle, there may be something new you learned about them.

2. There are many things you may find in common with others that you didn’t know before the activity.3. Others may also have different interests and hobbies than you, but you must always respect difference.

MATERIALS

1. Beach ball2. Permanent mark to write questions on ball

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY –N/a (friend a long time ago)

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Get my Autograph

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice Breaker/Group Building


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- The goal is to have the children become more familiar with each other and gain their confidence and energy in the classroom.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Make a list of traits a on a sheet of paper (ex: likes chocolate, likes broccoli, has been to myrtle beach, etc {traits should be ones that will fit the group}

2. Copy the list so that everyone has a copy.3. Have students find others in the class that fit each description, and they sign next the description.4. They can only sign or have someone sign next to the same description once.5. When they have finished, everyone can get into their groups according to trait.6. Some people may have the same trait and some may not

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Did anyone learn anything new about anyone?2. Did anyone find common traits with someone else?


1. You may feel more comfortable with your classmates now that you have got to go around the room and learn more about each one of them whether it be a like or dislike.

2. We must always appreciate and respect others who may not necessarily have the same traits or likes as us.

MATERIALS

1. Sheet of paper to list traits on

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY – residentassistant.com

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Who am I?

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice Breaker/Group Building


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- The goal is to have the children become more familiar with each other and gain their confidence and energy in the classroom as well as become more familiar with famous people or historical figures.

DIRECTIONS-

1. On index cards, write the names of famous people covered in class or historical figures.

2. Have students line up and tape an index card on each of the students’ backs.

3. The students have to walk around the class and ask each other Who am I?

4. That student will then need to act out who he or she is until that person guesses the correct answer.

5. The game is complete when everyone figures out who they are.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. What are some problems you had during this activity?2. If you had trouble guessing a character, what made it hard for you?3. What were some new things you learned about the characters acted out, were there any characters you were

not familiar with, and why do you think so?


1. This can be a fun way to remember someone in history or a famous person.2. By doing this, you learn to work as a team with the person who is guessing who they are or the person who is

acting.

MATERIALS

1. Index cards with something to write on them2. Tape


NAME OF ACTIVITY- Puzzle Pieces

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group Building

TIME –30 min for class size of 20 up to 60 min

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- The goal is to have the students come together as a group to complete a project. This activity will create closeness among the group and necessary teamwork

DIRECTIONS-

1. Cut enough puzzle pieces out of poster paper to each student in the class. The pieces should be the size of a normal sheet of paper.

2. Have the students decorate their puzzle piece to describe who they are, their likes, and interests.

3. Once students have finished decorating their puzzle pieces, have them explain to the group what each thing on their puzzle piece represent.

4. When everyone is finished, have them work together to complete the puzzle by taping or gluing the pieces (they may want to find who the outer pieces are before taping or gluing) (can be to bulletin board).

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. What are some things you learned about each other?2. What was the hardest part about putting the puzzle together?3. What made it easier?


1. Each puzzle piece has its own characteristics and special qualities, but the puzzle together represents something special too (Supportive group and teamwork.)2. Without working together, the puzzle would not have be complete.

MATERIALS

1. Several poster boards to cut puzzle pieces from2. Scissors3. Students needs markers, crayons, or colored pencils


NAME OF ACTIVITY: In the Bag

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Ice Breaker

TIME: 20-30 minutes (class of about 20)

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Get to know each other better and time management practice

DIRECTIONS: This activity is one that is performed without rehearsal or preparation. The student relies on personal knowledge and experience to give a quick, impromptu speech to the group/class.

Decorate a bag with the words "In The Bag" and make it look fun and creative. Copy phrases on strips of paper and place them in the bag. Students draw their topics from the bag and give a quick speech to the class. Let each student pick a topic and remind them that they have 30 seconds or less to talk.

Examples of phrases that can be used as topics for a speech:

Why students should never have homework

My favorite Olympic sport

An unusual animal How to avoid doing the dishesThe ideal age should be How I view the futureHow to be happy The worst habit to haveMy idea of a perfect day How to clean a bedroom in ten minutesThe worst type of pollution How to mess up a bedroom in five minutesA fun way to travel The best place in the world to liveThe best bargain A great giftThe best job in the world The most important inventionThe greatest book ever written Something I couldn't live without

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

Who found it hard to think of something and to talk for 30 seconds about their topic? Why? Did you all think 30 seconds was not enough time or too little time?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY: When conducting this activity, students often want to offer their personal experiences/knowledge on other students turns. This takes up more time, you may want to make a rule before the activity, no talking except on your turn.

MATERIALS: a decorated bag, strips of paper with the phrase on them, and a stopwatch/clock

SOURCE: Washington Activity Coordinators Association http://www.wacaonline.org/resources_icebreakers.html

http://www.wacaonline.org/resources_icebreakers.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Rope Knots

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Builder

TIME: +/- 30 minutes (class of 20)

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- challenge student to communicate and work together to accomplish the goal.

DIRECTIONS:

Tie one overhand knot in the rope for each person that is in the group. Space the knots about two feet apart. Instruct group members to select a knot on the rope and stand by it on either side of the rope. Then tell them to

grab the rope on either side of the knot with one hand. Some people will grab further out from their knot than others, but that is OK.

Now challenge the group to untie all of the knots without anyone letting go of the rope or without moving the hand that is on the rope. Participants may use only their free hand to untie knots.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

When your side of the rope was untied, did you help the others on your team in any way, or did you just hang out? Why?

How could this exercise be applied when doing group work in class?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY: For large classes you could use two ropes. You could also make the activity a challenge to see which team finishes first, and then discuss what they may have done differently.

MATERIALS: one long rope

SOURCE: Team Building, http://www.teambuildingportal.com/games/rope-knots-game

http://www.teambuildingportal.com/games/rope-knots-game

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Build a Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Work as a team to execute a plan for building the tallest tower in the classroom.

TIME: 20 min

DIRECTIONS:

Issue spaghetti (raw uncooked) and marshmallows to groups of 4-5 Give groups a couple of minutes to discuss their building plan Give them 10 minutes to build the highest tower they can After the 10 mins. Is up, call time! Measure each groups tower Have each group discuss and analyze their plan, how they worked together, and what they would have

done differently.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

As you all were building your towers did your original plan change? Did you find that people took roles within the group? Because of the time limitation did your group:

o Stay cool calm and collected?OR

o Hurry, get frustrated, worked in a frenzy? How did your team do with time management?


Keep the time in mind Keep communication open throughout your group while working

MATERIALS:

Raw spaghetti Bags of marshmallows A yard stick


http://www.teambuilding-leader.com/free-teambuilding-activities.htm

http://www.teambuilding-leader.com/free-teambuilding-activities.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Exaggeration


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- see above

TIME- 10 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Have the group stand in a circle. 2. Ask for a volunteer to begin. 3. The first person makes a tiny movement. 4. The person to their right makes the same movement, but does it in a large, exaggerated way. 5. This person then makes a different tiny movement. 6. Proceed around the circle in this way. End with the first person exaggerating the movement of the person to

their left.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Sometimes people may exaggerate movements that the person did not intend to make. How do patterns sometimes get repeated unintentionally in the group and elsewhere?

This exercise can be used to discuss issues of gossip and "he said/she said." How does having a variety of styles both enhance the group and also present challenges? Some people will have difficulty with this exercise. Not everyone is comfortable with exaggeration or making

"big" statements and those people will have a hard time doing this under pressure. How does this affect the group's work?


In times of stress, small things can get exaggerated. The same thing/movement can be perceived very differently depending on how it is communicated.

MATERIALS- none


http://www.movingbeyondicebreakers.org/chapters/five-minute-springboard-exercises.php

http://www.movingbeyondicebreakers.org/chapters/five-minute-springboard-exercises.php

Sentence Relay

Type of Activity: Team Building

Goal of Activity/Time: Review a topic as well as encourage students to work together each relay should last for more than 1 min but can be repeated to fit any amount of time.

Directions:

Divide the group into team Line up the groups about 10 feet from the board. When the leader says go, each team member runs up to the wall and writes one word on the team’s board. Each successive team member is to run to the board and add a word. When each member of the team returns to the line, the next person may go. The object is to be the first team to complete the run with all people and to successfully write a complete, logical

sentence. Sentences can be cued to a theme or related topic.

Process Questions:

Why do you think we are doing this? Is it easier to do this while being allowed to communicate or doing it in silence? Could we do this independently?

Materials:

White board or paper with markers Sentence topics

Source:



NAME OF ACTIVITY- Silent Introductions


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- A fun way to give students the chance to introduce themselves to their partner and to the class and to learn about each other

TIME- Around 30 minutes depending on number of students in the class

DIRECTIONS-

1. Have students pair up with the person they are sitting beside or across from (depending on if they’re in desks or at tables).

2. One person will describe their self to their partner by either drawing pictures or acting out activities by miming.3. The other partner will take notes on what their partner is drawing or acting out. The only thing the person who

is drawing or miming is allowed to say is their name.4. After about four minutes, the partners will switch.5. At the end, everyone will introduce their partner to the rest of the class based on the notes they took. The other

partner will then be allowed to talk to correct anything misunderstood by their partner.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Who found it hard to figure out exactly what your partner was trying to communicate to you?2. What is something you learned about your partner that you have in common with?3. What is something you learned about your partner that you did not know before and find interesting?


1. That working together helps us to accomplish goals2. That we may have things in common with others that we never knew about3. Be patient and respectful of others

MATERIALS-

Paper and pencil

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- www.wacaonline.org

http://www.wacaonline.org/

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Find Me


TIME- 20 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To give students a chance to learn their classmates names and learn a little about them

DIRECTIONS-

1. Write the first name of all of your students on index cards2. Give each student a card with one of their classmates names on it3. Have students get up and ask people if their name is… Keep asking people their name until they find their match.4. Once they find their person, they should talk with them for around a minute about their favorite hobbies

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. How easy was it to go straight to the person whose name was on your card?2. Is there anything you had in common with one of your classmates?3. What is something you learned about the person you found?


1. It is okay and important to ask questions to learn2. Students need to always respect others personal information

MATERIALS- index cards, pencil



NAME OF ACTIVITY- Link Up


TIME- 20 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To give students a chance to learn a little about their classmates and see that they have things in common

DIRECTIONS-

1. Have students listen to what their classmates say and stand up when they hear something they have in common with the person talking.

2. Choose a student to stand up and tell a little about their self. (If they have trouble thinking of something to say, ask them about their hobbies or siblings.)

3. When someone stands up, have them link arms with the person talking.4. The new person will start to talk about their self.5. The process will continue until everyone in the class has linked arms.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. What were you surprised that you had in common with someone?2. With a show of hands, how many people know more about their classmates now than they did before they

came into the classroom?


1. That we all have things in common with others in the classroom community.2. Students need to always respect others personal information.3. It is important to interact because you are always finding out new things about each other.

MATERIALS- just students



NAME OF ACTIVITY- Ask Me About…


TIME- 20 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To give students a chance to learn a little about their classmates

DIRECTIONS-

5. Write prompts on board—“What is something that you know a lot about?” “What was the highlight of your summer break?” “Who is your idol and why?” “What is your hobby?” “What are your plans for the weekend?”

6. Have students answer one of the questions that they are willing to share with the class and write their answer on their sticky note.

7. Put the sticky note on your chest.8. Have students go around and ask about what is on the person’s note.9. The person will tell them about their note for around thirty seconds to a minute.10. Have everyone talk with every student in the class.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

4. What is something unique you learned about someone in the class today?5. Is there anything you had in common with one of your classmates?6. With a show of hands, how many people know more about their classmates now than they did before they

came into the classroom?


3. It is important for students to interact in a fun manner early on instead of having them work on a project a month into the year.

4. Everyone has unique things to offer to the classroom community.5. Students need to always respect others personal information.

MATERIALS- Sticky notes, pencil



NAME OF ACTIVITY- Name Pantomime

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice breaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get students to know each other. To get the energy at a high level.

TIME: 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Participants stand in a circle, arms distance apart.2. Ask each person to think of a verb and action which starts with the same letter as their

name. Example: Jumping Jennifer3. The person does the action.4. While doing their action they yell out their action name.5. Everyone repeats the action and the action name.

NOTE: DO NOT ALLOW DUPLICATE VERBS

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. What did you learn about this activity?2. Did this activity help you to remember anyone’s name?


1. We all need to become familiar with each other because we are going to be working together all year.

MATERIALS-

None


http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/NamePantomime.html

http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/NamePantomime.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- What’s Your Value?

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Community Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY-

To learn that just because someone looks like they are worth more does not always mean that they are. You should not treat people by their value.

TIME- 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Explain to participants that they will be given a card and they should not look at it. 2. When instructed to do so, the card should be held to their forehead so others can see what card it is. 3. With the cards on their foreheads, each participant should treat everyone else “according to the value of the

card”. 4. Let the group interact for about a minute and then ask them to line up according to how they feel. 5. The group will probably end up with the face cards and aces at one end and the lower numbered cards at the

other end.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Discuss with the participants why they stood where they did?2. How were they treated? 3. What gave you hints about your card value? 4. Pick out individuals and ask why they stood where they did? 5. Pick someone with a face card, someone in the middle and someone with a 1, 2, or 3. 6. Ask if they have ever experienced this activity before? 7. Explain that this happens all the time – in school, at work, in communities, in groups, etc.8. How are “values” of people determined? 9. What do we each need to do about this?


Sometimes we are labeled by something that we have no control over. You should not treat people by their labeled value.

MATERIALS-A deck of playing cards


Debra Ivey, Iowa County 4-H Youth Development Agent

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Frostbite!

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Energizer, Exercise

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To build decision making and time management skills. Also, to encourage teamwork.

TIME: 45-60 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Divide the group into teams of 4 or 5 according to their birthdays.2. Tell the students this activity requires verbal communication and planning.3. Let each team pick their team leader.4. Explain the scenario. (The teams are artic explorers who have been caught in bad weather and need to build a tent

to gain shelter.)5. Then, explain, as a result of the severe weather conditions, the team’s leader is suffering from frost bite in both

hands and is unable to help physically in the building of the tent. Meanwhile the rest of the team is suffering from snow blindness and cannot see.

6. Tell each team member they have about 45 minutes to build their tent with all but the team leader blindfolded.7. Tell each team leader they can only assist the team members verbally.8. Let the students know I will be rotating the leadership so everyone has a chance to be the leader.9. Give each participant a blindfold and each team a sheet10. Position the teams apart from each other, and ask every team member to lower their blindfolds.11. Once every team is ready tell them to start building.12. Be prepared to step in if you think someone will get hurt13. Remember to rotate the team leader in each group.14. Allow the group to say when they are finished, and if everyone agrees they can remove their blindfolds.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Ask how it felt to lead in the exercise? Ask which role put each of the leaders under pressure? Ask how it felt to be led? What lesson can be concluded from this exercise? Ask what might they do differently?


You cannot always do things on your own, and sometimes you may need to ask for help. You may not always know which way to go and be “blind” to things around you, and you need to learn how to

trust your team members.MATERIALS-

Sheets for each team blindfolds


http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/pdf%20files/freefrostbite.PDF

http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/pdf%20files/freefrostbite.PDF

NAME OF ACTIVITY: The PartyTYPE OF ACTIVITY: Trust builderGOAL OF ACTIVITY:

1. To identify how a new or existing team can work together. 2. To learn how individual members view themselves as part of the group. 3. To learn how to recognize strengths in order to get the most from every member of the group. TIME: 45-60 minutes

DIRECTIONS:1. On the banner paper draw several balloons2. Hang the banner on the wall where everyone can see it3. clear an area in the room where the group can sit in a circle4. Have students sit in the circle5. pass out pens, paper, and balloons to each person6. Say:

“You’ve all been invited to a party. It is like a pot-luck, but instead of bringing food to share, you’re bringing yourself and the strengths you believe you

contribute to this group. For example, you may be a creative thinking, or very organized, or able to keep others motivated. On the slips of paper write down the strengths or talents you bring to the party. Once you've written these down, carefully put them into your balloons, blow them up, tie them off, and put them in the

circle." 7. Allow 5-10 min. for the students to complete this part.8. When everyone is done, designate one person to pick a balloon from the pile.9. Have them pop it then read the slip(s) inside.10. After a slip has been read, ask the author to step forward and share a little more.11. Then write his or her name and strength in a balloon on the banner paper.12. This person becomes the next to pop a balloon from the pile13. KEEP THE BANNER HANGING IN THE ROOM!!!PROCESS QUESTIONS:

Discuss hoe the group can use the info they have gained from hearing everyone share their strengths. How can what you’ve learned from others be used in the future to improve the way this group works together? Are there any people who you think overlooked one of their strengths?

o Who?o What is their strength?

How can you make the most of the strengths and talents of group members and still allow everyone a chance to try new things or use new talents?

Imagine the group was going to assign official jobs for each member. Based on the strengths people shared, what roles do you think people should have?

Is the group missing any strength? What are they and how can you build them?

o What if you can't? How can you overcome not having certain strengths or prevent the lack of them from becoming a group

weakness? POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE:

Everyone has some strength to bring to the group. If you ever need help, your peers are there to help you.

MATERIALS:

Large banner paper. Markers. Masking tape.

Medium-sized balloons, several per person. Pens for each person. Several slips of paper. Toothpicks for popping balloons.


http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/horse/PDF%20Files/Team%20Building%20Exercises%20Presentation.pdf

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Commonalities and Uniquities

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Trust builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students will learn qualities they have in common with each other as well as unique qualities about their peers.


DIRECTIONS:

First, form groups of five to eight people where each group has two sheets of paper and a pen/pencil. The group members come up with common qualities everybody in the group shares, such as favorite TV

shows, sports, etc. (Members need to avoid physical qualities that are easy to see such as hair color.) One member of the group writes down those common qualities on one sheet of paper. Next, each person tries to share a detail about them that is unique and not shared by anybody else in the

group. A group member writes those unique qualities down on the second sheet of paper.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Was this a helpful exercise to get to know your peers?2. Why do you think I asked you to do this?3. Where else could you participate in an activity like this?4. Did you learn something new about each other?5. What surprised you the most about this activity?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: With this exercise, we learn common qualities among our peers as well as something unique about each person. When we learn about each other it brings our classroom community together, and we work better together because we know more about each other.

MATERIALS: Two sheets of paper and pen/pencil for each group

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:Group Gameshttp://www.group-games.com/team-building/commonalities-and-uniquities.html

http://www.group-games.com/team-building/commonalities-and-uniquities.html



Name: Ninja

Type of Activity: Game

Goal of Activity: Can be a time killer or a game to get students up and active and ready for a lesson

Time: 20 minutes

Directions:

1) Students start in a circle with one foot in the middle, everyone’s on foot touching2) When the person starting the game yells, “Ninja”, everyone takes a leap backwards3) The person starting the game attempts to jump and land their foot on top of (or next to if it’s to rowdy)

someone else’s foot4) I they land on it (or next to it) that person is out5) The ninja then passes the ninja power to someone else who attempts to do the same thing6) This follows until everyone is out7) When the ninja is jumping, other students can jump as well

a. There can only be one jump and it can only happen when the ninja is in the air8) If a person jumps when the ninja has not moved their feet, that person is out

a. The ninja can use this to their advantage by trying to make someone jump or flinchb. This means that the person who jumped before the ninja did in anticipation of the ninja is outc. The ninja still retains their jumping privilege until they have used their one jump

9) A jump consists of one hop/leap and both feet have to touch the ground at the same timea. There can be no double stepping or hopping from one foot to another

10) When there is only one person remaining, they win

Process questions:

1) “What was the hardest thing about this game?”2) “Did you have to pay attention to what was going on?”3) “What happened if you didn’t pay attention?”4) “How can we use this in the classroom?”

Points:

1) Students need to pay attention in class so they don’t miss anything and “get out”

Materials:

Source: summer camp

Name: Alligator Boards

Type of Activity: Icebreaker

Goal of Activity: To build a community and show why teamwork is so important

Time: as long as it takes for them to get it. Or as long as the time allotment for that period allows

Directions:

11) Students are given 4-5 boards of varying sizes12) Two banks of a “river” are marked 13) Students are told they have to get across the river but cannot touch the water in

between the banks or an alligator will eat them. They are allowed to use the boards to get across the river, but if a body part is not touching every board at all times while they are in the river, it floats away.

a. If the board floats away, they lose it and have to carry on with the remaining boards

14) Students have to get everyone across. If anyone’s body part touches the water, they are eaten and everyone has to restart

15) The activity is completed once everyone is successfully across

Process questions:

5) “What was the most important quality that this game illustrated?”6) “Was it easier or harder working together? Was it important to listen to everyone’s

ideas?”7) “How can we use what we learned here in the classroom?”

Points:

2) Teamwork is extremely important, and without it, we cannot accomplish everything we want or need to

3) We can implement teamwork strategies and listening principles in our classroom

Materials: 4-5 boards, marked out river banks using whatever is on hand

Source: summer camp

Name: Trust Circle


Goal of Activity: To build a community and show that it is important to rely on others

Time: 20 minutes

Directions:

16) Students are arranged into a circle closely packed together shoulder to shoulder.17) One student stands in the middle18) The students in the circle assume a posture with hands out and their strong leg behind them for

supporta. Students in the circle should be very close to the student in the middle, with only a few inches

in between19) The student in the middle will lean backwards and the students behind will reach out and keep the

student in the middle up.20) Students will then pass around the person in the middle in a circular motion, using their hands to keep

them up and from falling.a. I stress again the importance of multiple hands on the person in the middle and only a few

inches separation/leanb. If there are too many students to be close enough, break students into multiple groupsc. This is important for safety

21) Once The person in the idle is finished, a different student will take their spot22) This continues until everyone has had a try

Process questions:

8) “What was it like being in the middle? Was it hard to rely on someone else?”9) What was it like being on the outside? Did you feel a responsibility not to drop the person in the

middle?”10) “How can we translate this into our classroom?”

Points:

4) In the classroom, the students need to rely on each other for help and stability5) It is hard to rely on others, but when we do, we can be held up and many burdens can be carried

Materials: n/a

Source: summer camp

Name: Trust Fall


Goal of Activity: To build a much stronger level of trust and to let students know there will always be someone to catch them

Time: 20 minutes

Directions:

23) A desk is arranged for one student to step up on. Their feet should be at around chest height24) One student stands directly next to the desk. Another student is across from them25) Students stand next to these first two people, creating two lines that face each other

a. Shoulder to shoulder is important for safety26) Students in the lines put their arms out in a position ready to catch the person on the desk

a. Arms need to be in an every other fashion, so one students arms should not be directly next to each other

i. This interlacing technique improves strength27) When the student on the desk is ready to fall, they say, “ready to fall”28) After this, students who are catching say, “ready to catch only when everyone is in position and ready”29) When the faller hears Ready to catch, it is safe to begin30) The faller simply leans backwards keeping their legs and back stiff

a. They are supposed to think of clenching a penny between their legs31) The catchers simply let the faller drop into their arms and catch/support them when they fall.32) This is a much more demanding activity and requires vigilance and a serious attitude to make sure everyone

remains safe

Diagram of standing. Students are facing inward

Process questions:

11) “Was it hard to fall backwards and trust that the other students will catch you?”12) Why is trust important?”13) How can we implement this in our classroom?”

Points:

6) Trust is an integral part in any classroom, and this is a way to build trust in each other7) It is hard to let go sometimes, but people will help you when you do

Materials: a desk

Source: summer camp

Name: LighteningType of Activity: Group BuildingGoal: To gain a better understanding of teamworkTime: A good game would consist of at least 3 rounds, the time of the rounds depends on the students (around 20 minutes)Directions:

1) The class will consist of two teams (depending on the size of your class and the time allowed for this activity, you may want to have several games going on at the same time)

2) Each team will be sitting a row of desks, facing one another (for example, each student will have a “place” ABCD etc, the A’s from each team would be facing one another, the B’s would be facing one another and so on)

3) There will be a trophy at the end of the rows, in the middle of the two teams (we used a water bottle)4) A referee will be the judge as well as the person flipping the coin5) Every team member will hold hands6) Person A from each team will be the “lookout”7) Each lookout will be waiting to see a coin face heads8) If heads is seen, person A will GENTLY squeeze person B’s hand, once person B feels a squeeze they will squeeze person C’s

hand and so on9) When the last person in the row feels a squeeze, they will grab the trophy10) The first person to grab the trophy wins the round for their team11) When a team wins a round they rotate positions (person A goes to the back and every person moves up a letter ex: person

C becomes person B)12) If a team grabs the trophy when either

a. The coin was facing tailsb. A team member squeezes out of turn

The team will rotate in the opposite direction (ex: person A becomes B, B become C)

13) When every student has been seated at each available position, and ends back in their original seat, they have won the game for their team

Process questions:

1) “What are some limitations of this game?” (some people have better reflexes, if the coin falls closer to one team that team has the advantage)

2) “How could this game be related to class?” (you have to work together, you have to pay attention, you have to act quickly, everyone works together

Points:

1) You cannot play this game alone (you also cannot learn alone)2) You success depends on your team (be a team player)3) If you feel you are falling behind, there is always room for improvement4) Never give up

Materials: Desks facing one another Coin Trophy

Source: John Lenow taught this game to us at PALs last week, the students loved this game; we ended up playing it for 30 minutes. Make sure you students don’t get discouraged, usually the team “losing” would have the comeback and win

Name: The Wind Blows Those


Goal of Activity: To relate to one another and to understand similarities in the classroom

Time: at least 10 minutes, can go longer

Directions:

33) Students will stand in a circle, facing the center (it would be helpful to have markers or “spots” for each person standing around – you could also have chairs facing into a circle)

34) One person will be in the middle35) Each time the person is in the middle they will start out by saying “The wind blows those _____”36) The person in the middle states a characteristic about themselves or hobby they have, or something

they like37) Some examples: “The wind blows those who love to read”, “The wind blows those who have a cat”,

“The wind blows those who have a brother”, “The wind blows those who have flown” 38) When the description is stated, every person who this applies to must trade spots with another39) There will be one person who will not find a spot, this person becomes the new caller and the game

continues

Process questions:

14) “How can this game be helpful in our classroom”? (to understand that everyone has similarities with one another)

15) “What would have happened if two people were fighting over a spot?” (it’s confusing, you’re not sure who’s side is the truth, people can get mad – you can relate this to working in a group, working on a paper – if students are cheating on something or being unfair you can come back to this activity)

Points:

8) We all have something in common with at least one other person in this classroom9) You may feel you are alone sometimes but there is always someone you can turn to for help10) Even if you feel “left out” sometimes, remember every feels that way, but working together we can all

be included as a group

Materials: you really only need your class, it would be helpful to have markers to determine spots so the students can see the positions more clearly

Source: I first played this game during Quest (RU freshman orientation)

Name: Telephone

Type of Activity: Group Building

Goal of Activity: To gain a deeper appreciation of working together

Time: At least ten minutes

Directions:

1) Students will sit in a circle or in a line2) One student will think of a statement at whisper it to the person to their left3) That student will whisper the saying they hear to their left and so on until every student has heard the

statement from the person to their left (the student cannot repeat this statement – you only get one chance to hear)

4) The final student will state the statement5) The statement will most likely have changed along the way

Process Questions:

1) “How could we have improved this game?” (stated the statement more clearly, talked slower, had a less complex statement)

2) “How did it feel to not get a second chance?” (frustrating, embarrassing, etc)3) “Why did the statement change?” (memory, too quiet)

Points:

1) Sometimes we hear something we think is correct and we may not have heard the right thing (due dates, questions)

2) We must all follow the same rules to have the same opportunities3) Sometimes if you hear something from someone else, it may not be correct, always check with the

original person (a good conversation starter for bullying or students spreading rumors, could even be used for history or English about stories being passed down from generation to generation)

Materials: Students

Source: I have played this game since I can remember

Name: Lightening

Type of Activity: Group Building

Goal: To gain a better understanding of teamwork

Time: A good game would consist of at least 3 rounds, the time of the rounds depends on the students (around 20 minutes)

Directions:

14) The class will consist of two teams (depending on the size of your class and the time allowed for this activity, you may want to have several games going on at the same time)

15) Each team will be sitting a row of desks, facing one another (for example, each student will have a “place” ABCD etc, the A’s from each team would be facing one another, the B’s would be facing one another and so on)

16) There will be a trophy at the end of the rows, in the middle of the two teams (we used a water bottle)17) A referee will be the judge as well as the person flipping the coin18) Every team member will hold hands19) Person A from each team will be the “lookout”20) Each lookout will be waiting to see a coin face heads21) If heads is seen, person A will GENTLY squeeze person B’s hand, once person B feels a squeeze they will squeeze person C’s

hand and so on22) When the last person in the row feels a squeeze, they will grab the trophy23) The first person to grab the trophy wins the round for their team24) When a team wins a round they rotate positions (person A goes to the back and every person moves up a letter ex: person

C becomes person B)25) If a team grabs the trophy when either

a. The coin was facing tailsb. A team member squeezes out of turn

The team will rotate in the opposite direction (ex: person A becomes B, B become C)

26) When every student has been seated at each available position, and ends back in their original seat, they have won the game for their team

Process questions:

3) “What are some limitations of this game?” (some people have better reflexes, if the coin falls closer to one team that team has the advantage)

4) “How could this game be related to class?” (you have to work together, you have to pay attention, you have to act quickly, everyone works together

Points:

5) You cannot play this game alone (you also cannot learn alone)6) You success depends on your team (be a team player)7) If you feel you are falling behind, there is always room for improvement8) Never give up

Materials:

1) Desks facing one another2) Coin3) Trophy

Name: Breaking Through the Ice


Goal: to find out new information about classmates

Time: 10 minutes

Directions:

1) “What is something people are surprised to find out about you?”2) Write this down on the post-it note provided3) Pass the post it notes to the front4) Teacher puts the post-it notes on the wall/board5) When it is time, choose a post-it note that is not your own6) Try to place this post-it note with its owner7) When all the post-it notes are distributed, have every student who had the correct post-it note step

forward (most students will not have their own)8) Have the remaining students find their post-it note9) Go around and share the statements with the class

Process Questions:

1) “Why did you assign a post-it note to a particular person?” (this can start a discussion later on about stereotyping or labeling)

2) “What are some other post-it notes you did not write, but also apply to you?” (share similarities with the class

Points:

1) We all have traits that surprise people2) We should embrace our differences3) We should not judge people by their appearance (if a notes said “I love football” would it always

belong to a boy? If a note said “I love to shop” would this have to belong to a girl?)4) We can all relate to at least one other person in this class

Materials:

1) Post-it notes2) Markers or pens

Source: I did something similar to this in my Survey of the Old Testament class my freshman year at RU

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Starburst Activity

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Get to know you icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To give students an opportunity to learn more about each other

TIME: About 30 minutes depending on number of students

DIRECTIONS:

1. Students will pass around a bag of Starbursts and randomly pick out at least 3 pieces of candy.

2. Each color is assigned a different question which will be written on the board.3. If they have more than one of the same color, they have to answer the question on the

board for one, and tell something interesting/random about themselves for the other(s).

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. Who learned something interesting about someone?2. What was your favorite thing that you learned?3. Why do you think we did this activity?


1. The more we share about each other, the more comfortable students become, and a community of learners will be developed.

MATERIALS:

1. Starbursts

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: N/A

NAME OF ACTIVITY: The String Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Ice breaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Students to start conversations and get to know each other better

TIME: 15-20 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut pieces of yarn into various lengths2. Have students pick up a piece of yarn and twist it around their index finger3. As they twist it, they have to tell things about themselves until they are done

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

1. What did you all get out of this activity?2. Did you enjoy it?3. Did you learn something new about someone?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: Make sure you have questions prepared if someone gets stuck and doesn’t know what to talk about

MATERIALS: Yarn


http://www.icebreakers.ws/get-to-know-you/string-game.html

http://www.icebreakers.ws/get-to-know-you/string-game.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: What you don’t know


GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Show every student is valued

TIME: 15-20 minutes

DIRECTIONS- • Tape a blank piece of paper on everyone’s back. • The group members are to write a compliment or positive comment on everyone’s back.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- • What is something you didn’t know about yourself, that someone told you?• How do you feel knowing people have positive things to say about you?


• a lot of times we tend to give compliments behind someone’s back and it is not very often that we actually say these things to people’s faces.

• We sometimes take for granted the positive aspects of others. • criticisms often are given behind other’s backs as well, and that it may be more effective if

they go to the person, instead of others.

MATERIALS- 1 piece of paper and a writing utensil per student

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- ResidentAssistant.com

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Giants, Wizards, & Elves

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: bringing up energy

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: Get rid of energy

TIME: 5-10 minutes

DIRECTIONS- • Have the students find a partner• Each student will decide to be a giant, wizard, or elf. • On the leader’s count of three, the students will show each other their chosen

identity. A “giant” stands nice and tall with their arms over their heads and growls. A “wizard” slightly bends at the knees with their arms out in front saying, “ZAP, ZAP,

ZAP!” An elf bends totally at the knees, and with their hands they make pointed ears and

elf noises (your choice). • A giant beats an elf; a wizard beats a giant; and an elf beats a wizard PROCESS QUESTIONS- • Why did you choose the character you did?• Which character seemed to be more popular? POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE

different students can have their own interpretation of what things are

elf- santa’s elf, “Buddy” the elf, “Dobey” house elf, ect.giant- big, bad, creepywizard- “Harry Potter” type, Disney wizards

MATERIALS-None

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY-ResidentAssistant.com

NAME OF ACTIVITY – Topsy Tug of War

TYPE OF ACTIVITY – Group Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY – Learning how to work together and communicate in small to medium sized groups

TIME – 10 minutes (or more)

MATERIALS – An 8'-20' Rope, one 8x10 sheet of paper taped to the ground or one cinderblock per person (see below for placement)

SET UP:

Paper is placed and taped to the ground in a line. Each paper is 2 feet from the next one, except the two in the middle. There should be 4 feet between them. See below

Paper – 2ft – Paper – 2ft – Paper – middle 4ft – Paper – 2ft – Paper – 2ft – Paper

DIRECTIONS:

This tug of war is not so much a contest of strength as it is a contest of cleverness. Divide the group into two teams. The larger the group, the longer rope you need. The rope is positioned in particpants’ hands so that each person has some additional slack. The object is to get members of the other team to become unbalanced and fall off their crate. This can be done by

pulling or letting the rope slip through your hands when they pull. [warning: no one should wrap the rope around their hands or wrists - this increases the risk of injury].

All participants must have contact with the rope until they fall off their crate. Each team has to work together to catch the other team off balance. The last team with all participants on their

crates wins.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What strategies worked? How did you communicate? What was challenging? How can we apply this to other work we do as a team?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE –

As people fall off, those remaining continue until one team (one or more person) is left.

Participants cannot just let go.

After one try, give teams time to work out a strategy and try it again.

SOURCE – http://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?title=Topsy_Tug_of_War

http://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?title=Topsy_Tug_of_War

NAME OF ACTIVITY – Screamer

TYPE OF ACTIVITY – Icebreaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY – Stress management by introducing a little stress into an activity

TIME – Depends on the size of the group. Approximately 10 minutes

MATERIALS – None

DIRECTIONS:

Have the entire group create a circle. Important: everyone needs to be able to see the eyes of everyone else. Explain that you will be saying two sets of instructions repeatedly, "heads down" and "heads up." When you say

"heads down," everyone looks down. Whey you say "heads up," everyone looks up, STRAIGHT INTO THE EYES of anyone else in the room.

Two possible consequences: o if they are looking at someone who is looking at someone else, nothing happens; o if they are looking at someone who is looking right back at them, they are both to point in a very

exaggerated manner at the other person and let out a SCREAM OR YELL. They are then "out" and take their places together outside of the circle to observe.

Once the "screamers" have left the circle, the circle closes in and you repeat the second and third steps, until you are down to two people.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Processing questions: what made this "fun?" Was it stressful? What about it was stressful? When did the stress seem to lessen or intensify?


Make sure anyone within earshot knows that they will be hearing some loud yells / screams in a minute, that it will only last for about two-three minutes, and that everything is OK.

SOURCE – http://www.firststepstraining.com/resources/activities/archive/activity_screamer.htm

http://www.firststepstraining.com/resources/activities/archive/activity_screamer.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY – Helium Stick

TYPE OF ACTIVITY – Group Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY – Learning how to work together and communicate in small to medium sized groups

TIME – 25 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

Line up in two rows which face each other. Introduce the Helium Stick - a long, thin, lightweight rod (can be made by connecting drinking straws). Ask participants to point their index fingers and hold their arms straight out. Lay the Helium Stick down on their fingers. Get the group to adjust their finger heights until the Stick is horizontal

and everyone's index fingers are touching it. Explain that the challenge is to lower the Helium Stick to the ground. The catch: Each person's fingers must be in contact with the Helium Stick at all times. Pinching or grabbing the pole

are not allowed - it must rest on top of fingers. Announce that if anyone's finger is caught not touching the Stick, the task will be restarted. Let the task begin.... Note: Particularly in the early stages, the Stick has a habit of mysteriously floating up rather than coming down,

causing much laughter. A bit of clever humoring can help - e.g., act surprised and puzzled; ask if they were listening to directions.

Participants may be confused initially about the paradoxical behavior of the Stick. Facilitator can offer suggestions including they stop, discuss strategy then continue.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What was the result of the initial effort and the reaction of the group? How well did the group cope with this challenge? What skills did it take to be successful as a group? What creative solutions were suggested and how were they received? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the group? What did each group member learn about him/her self as an individual? What other life situations present a challenge like the Helium Stick?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE – If the group appears to be succeeding too fast, be vigilant that all fingers must continuously touch the pole; make sure the pole is lowered all the way to the ground; add difficulty by adding a large washer on each end of the stick. If a washer falls, the exercise must restart.

MATERIALS – Helium Stick (made from drinking straws or other material) and stop watch (optional)

SOURCE – http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/HeliumStick.html

http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/HeliumStick.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY – Animal Sounds

TYPE OF ACTIVITY – Ice Breaker

GOAL OF ACTIVITY – Break down new group discomfort through the use of humor.

TIME –~10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

Invite people into a circle. Hand out blind-folds and help people to blind fold another. Alternatively, ask for eyes closed. Explain that each person will be hear a whisper of an animal name. Move around the group, giving each person the

name of animal (e.g., from the list below).

The challenge will be to find all other animals of one's own kind. No-one can talk - only animal sounds can be made.

List of possible animals aim to have three or more of each: wolf, cat, pig, snake, lion, elephant, crow, monkey, frog, donkey,

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What did you enjoy about the activity?

What was the hardest part of the activity?

What do you think the purpose was of the activity?

When is the last time you laughed that much?


Works with any group size over 10 and with large groups; the more the merrier. This activity releases energy. Be prepared for loud, chaotic fun, then gradually order and unity. Consider possible cultural issues (sacred or offensive animals) Be prepared to shepherd people from danger, but usually people are very safe with many not moving much, rather

focusing on listening and calling out to others.

MATERIALS – Blindfolds (optional)

SOURCE – http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/AnimalSounds.html

http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/AnimalSounds.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- People Bingo

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Help the students get to know one another.

TIME- 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

Each person gets a bingo cardo Example squares can be: blue eyes, plays basketball, plays an instrument, etc…

Give the group a time limit Each person can only sign your bingo card once. Have the kids try to fill up their bingo cards with names The person that gets the most signatures wins.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

How did communication help you to fill your bingo card? Did you learn anything new about a classmate?


MATERIALS-Bingo cards

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY-http://insight.typepad.co.uk/40_icebreakers_for_small_groups.pdf

NAME OF ACTIVITY- People Scavenger Hunt

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Team Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get the students to work with one another to be successful.

TIME- 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

Split the students into 2 or 3 groups. The teacher will call out characteristics or items for each group to find.

o Examples: The person with the most letters in their full name, the person with the longest shoe-laces.

Each group works quickly to find that person in their group. That person must run to the designated spot before the other groups make it. Whichever group is represented first gets a point for their team. Continue until one group gets 10 points.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Did working together make your group more successful? Did your teammates encourage you? Did you get to know your teammates better?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- Working together as a team can help you to be more successful and accomplish a goal.

MATERIALS-

Designated Spot List of items to call.




NAME OF ACTIVITY- Hula Hoop Pass

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Get the kids to work together to be successful.

TIME- 10 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

Have everyone stand in a circle with their arms out straight to the sides. Put a hula hoop on one person’s arm. Have everyone hold hands. Pass the hula hoop around the entire circle.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Was it hard to figure out how to get through the hoop? Did your peers help you out and make it easier?


Having friends that you can trust to help you can help you be successful.

MATERIALS-

Hula Hoop


I did this in Adventure Club when I was in elementary school.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Eyeball Tag


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get the kids moving and excited, as well as feeling more comfortable with their peers.

TIME- 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

Everyone sit in a circle with one person standing in the middle. If any two people in the circle make eye contact, they must get up and switch seats

really fast. The person in the middle tries to sit in one of the person’s seats before they get to it. If a person’s seat gets stolen, they will become the new person in the middle. More than just two people may switch seats at one time.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Did everyone switch seats at some point? Did everyone get to be in the middle? Is anyone still tired?


MATERIALS-

Chairs




NAME OF ACTIVITY- Poison

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Logic game

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Allows students work together yet competitively toward a common goal. (searching for the trick to winning the game)

TIME- As long as the facilitator allows. Each game takes about 3 minutes. Most play as a tournament.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Two students sit together and draw 23 dots on a sheet of paper. 2. They take turns circling either one or two dots in order until the last dot remains. 3. The object of the game is to not be left with the final dot.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What is the trick that allows a person to win every time? (Just like tic-tac-toe, a trick exists)


Only ONE or TWO dots may be circled during a turn. If two dots are circled, they must be next to one another. You must go from left to right down the line. (For lack of confusion)

MATERIALS- Pencil, Paper, & People!


We played this game in Ms. Fox’s classroom during Titan Time last week!

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Yarn Tangle

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Icebreaker, Community Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To build a sense of connectedness and community with students in the classroom

TIME- 15 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

-Instruct all of your students to get into a giant circle

-Ask everyone to answer a simple question, such as, “What are you plans for the weekend,” or, “What are your plans for summer/winter break?”

-Start with yourself and toss the yarn to a student but without letting go of the yarn.

-Make sure you get to all the students. You can tell which ones haven’t gone, because they don’t have yarn in their hands.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Why do you think we aren’t letting go of the yarn while we do this?


-By sharing commonalities with each other, it brings us closer together

-It also brings us closer together in a physical aspect by not letting go of the yarn

-Working as a team in the classroom, and making sure not to leave anyone out

MATERIALS-Yarn

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY-Classroom activity in past class

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Skittles Grab Bag


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get to know each other and learn random facts about one another

TIME- 20 Minutes

DIRECTIONS-

- I will have a bag of Skittles in the middle of the room and I will instruct my students to grab a few out of the bag.

- They will be instructed not to eat them.- I will ask them to count how many skittles they have and how many they have equals the

facts about themselves they have to share with the class.- To make it easier on the students, I will have them write down their random facts on a

sheet of paper and then share. Especially if one student grabbed a lot and can’t think of anything to say.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

- What kinds of facts would you want the class to know? Random? Family? Friends? Interests?


- Taking a lot of something sometimes isn’t always better- Getting to know fellow classmates brings your students closer together

MATERIALS-Skittles A bag to put them in

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY A friend

NAME OF ACTIVITY: GIANTS, WIZARDS, AND ELVES

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: TEAMWORK (SIMILAR TO ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS)

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- COLLABORATION/ENERGY/

TIME: VARIES

DIRECTIONS- Giants, Wizards, and Elves is an icebreaker that is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors — except more hilarious! It’s also a versatile game — it works in groups of all sizes, including large groups of 50 or above.

1. This game involves two teams who will act as one of 3 characters: giants, wizards, and elves. 2. When a player acts out a character, he or she does the specific hand motions and also makes the noise associated with the

character.

Giants. Stand on your tippy toes, raise your arms like a giant, and make a menacing growling noise: “Rarrr!” Wizards. Crouch slightly, as wizards are a bit shorter. Wave your fingers as though you’re casting a magical spell, and

make a magical noise: “Shaazaam!” Elves. Crouch down very low, cup your hands around your ears, and make a high pitched elf noise: “Eeeee!”

3. Make sure everyone knows the motions and sounds. Feel free to practice until everyone knows how to become each character.

4. Split everyone into two teams and divide them into separate sides of the room. 5. For each round, both teams huddle and choose to become a giant, wizard, or elf. 6. When ready, both teams then line up and stand facing each other, about five or six feet apart. 7. At the start of each round, the leader says “Three, two, one, go!!”8. At this point, each team acts out the character they chose (giant, wizard, or elf). 9. As soon as they do this, the winner tries to grab the loser — as many people over to their side as they can. 10. The loser tries to retreat back to their own side to be safe for that round. 11. If captured, a person now belongs to the other team. 12. The following determines who beats who:

Giants beat elves, because giants are able to “squash” elves. Elves beat wizards because they outsmart them. Elves chew at their legs. Wizards beat giants because they are able to zap them with a magic spell. If both teams show the same character, no one wins.

13. Rounds keep repeating until one team wins (the other team is completely captured).

PROCESS QUESTIONS- WERE THESE HARDER TO REMEMBER THAN ROCK/PAPER/SCISSORS? HOW DOES THIS MAKE THE STUDENT FOCUS/PAY ATTENTION?


TEAMS HAVE TO AGREE ON A CHARACTER/REQUIRES COLLABORATION STUDENTS HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO NOT GET CAPTURED

MATERIALS: NONE

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:http://www.icebreakers.ws/medium-group/giants-wizards-elves.html

http://www.icebreakers.ws/medium-group/giants-wizards-elves.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: HODGY PODGYTYPE OF ACTIVITY: RHYTHM/WORD GAMEGOAL OF ACTIVITY- RHYTHM/KEEPING TIME; CLASSROOM INTERACTIONTIME: VARIES

DIRECTIONS- 1.A group of people stand in a circle, with everyone facing the center. 2. Choose a person who will start the round. He or she starts to clap a relatively slow rhythm (slap both legs on the first beat, then clap hands on second beat, thumbs-up on left hand for third beat, and thumbs-up on right hand on fourth beat, and repeat the four beat cycle).3. Everyone in the circle matches the rhythm set by the leader. To start each round, the leader says (while clapping to the rhythm, one beat per word), “Hodgy podgy, hodgy podgy, hodgy podgy, hodgy podgy!”4. The leader starts a sentence by saying any word on the one beat (for example, he or she could say the word “Big” as he or she slaps their legs on beat one). 5. The next person in the circle must continue the story by adding the next word in the sentence by the first beat of the next rhythm cycle (for example, the 2nd person could say “dogs,” so the sentence is now “Big dogs..”). 6. The third person in the circle must continue the story by adding the 3rd word in the sentence at the right time (for example, the person could say the word “eat,” making the current sentence “Big dogs eat..”). 7. The next person in line must continue the sentence. 8. Each word must make logical and grammatical sense when added to the sentence. 9. If a person wants to end the sentence, he or she says a punctuation word, such as “period” or “exclamation point” or “question mark.” 10. At this point, the next person in the circle starts the new sentence.

When a player makes a mistake (is unable to continue the sentence in time, or says something logically or grammatically correct) the round ends and he becomes the person who starts the next round.

PROCESS QUESTIONS - 1. How hard was it to think of the next word?

2. Is keeping time and beat important? How did that affect it?

3. Was it tough to think of grammatically correct sentences?


1. This game helps you to keep a rhythm2. This game makes students think about grammar and proper sentence structure3. You have to pay attention to make sure you know who’s next in line!

MATERIALS: NONE

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: GROUP-GAMES.COMhttp://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/hodgy-podgy.html

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/hodgy-podgy.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: DRAGON TAG

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: ACTION/TAG/TEAMWORK

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- TEAMWORK/COLLABORATION

TIME: VARIES

DIRECTIONS- Setup for the Dragon Tag Game

1. You need an area with a lot of space. 2. Form teams of 4-8 people. 3. Make human chains by having team members hold on to each other’s waists or link elbows. 4. Each team of connected people is now a “dragon” with a head and a tail. 5. Place a scarf or bandana hanging in the back pocket of the last person in the chain (the tail of the dragon).

Rules for the Dragon Tag Game

1. People who are part of a human chain cannot let go and get separated!2. The goal of the game is to have the head of each dragon (the front of the chain) to grab the scarf or bandana off the tail of another team’s dragon while staying linked. 3. If any part of a team’s dragon gets separated, the detached tail end cannot move; only the head and the people attached to the head can move.4. You cannot go after another team until you have reconnected your body together.

5. A team can perform defense by curling up into a ball. 6. You can curl up as a whole dragon or just the tail if the head has been detached.7. All teams attempt to do this simultaneously. 8. When any team loses their flag (i.e., when another team grabs their flag) they are out. 9. The last remaining team is the winner!

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

WHAT WOULD KEEP A TEAM FROM WINNING? WHAT WOULD A TEAM HAVE TO DO TO MAKE MOVING EASIER? WHY WAS IT HARD TO CATCH EVERY OTHER DRAGON’S TAIL?


COMMUNICATION IS KEY TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THIS

MATERIALS: ONE SCARF/BANDANA FOR EACH TEAM

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY:Group-Games.com

http://www.group-games.com/action-games/dragon-tag.html

http://www.group-games.com/action-games/dragon-tag.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY: SCREAMING VIKING(OR GROWLING IF INSIDE)

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: ICEBREAKER/FOCUS/STATIONARY

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- FOCUS/PAYING ATTENTION

TIME: VARIES

DIRECTIONS- 1.To begin, have everyone sit in a circle with one person in the middle. (The goal of the game is not be in the middle at the end of the game.) 2. The person in the middle points at a person seated in the circle and then screams, “Screaming Viking! (or one of the other formations described below). One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!” 3. While the person is counting, the person who was selected and the people directly to the left and right must form a “Screaming Viking” formation, described below.4. If any of the three people (the person selected and the people to the left and right of that person) do not correctly respond in time (before the count to 10 is up) then whoever messes up must go into the middle.

The appropriate response can be one of the following:

Screaming Viking: each person to the left and right of the selected person must make a rowing motion outwardly to the sides, while the person in the middle must place his or her fingers to the sides of his/her head with index finger pointed upwards, like horns. All three people must scream loudly.

Smurfs: the 3 of them interlock arms and sing the smurf song, “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.” Chia Pet: the three of them must act as a growing chia pet with hands lifting upwards. The 3 of them

must shout, “Ch-ch-ch-chia…” Jello: the person in the center wobbles like jello, while each person to the side holds their arms out,

forming a bowl. You can make up other appropriate responses — the sillier the better! The more enthusiastic and wacky

you are, the more entertaining the game.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- 1. WHAT MAKES THIS GAME TOUGH?

2. WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU WERE CHOSEN?

3. DID EVERYONE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION (BECAUSE IT DEPENDED WHO YOU WERE NEXT TO)?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE: 1. THIS GAME MAKES THE STUDENTS PAY ATTENTION TO WHO’S BEING CALLED ON

2. THEY HAVE TO FOCUS AND THINK QUICK (ONLY 10 SECONDS TO GET IT RIGHT!)

MATERIALS: NONE

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: GROUP-GAMES.COMhttp://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/screaming-viking.html

http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/screaming-viking.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- A Poem About Me

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Trust Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Provide students with an opportunity to share about themselves and learn about others

TIME - about 30 minutes. Can be broken down over several advisory periods

DIRECTIONS-

1. Construct a poem about yourself and put it on the board2. Read the poem to the students

EXAMPLEeats seaweedfought firescloset introvertequine devotee forever seekingAnn Mary Roberts(try to create the poem so that there is no pattern like all alliteration, number of syllables, verb adjective etc)

3. Ask them if they were to write a poem just like this what would be the rules? 4. Ask them to construct a poem with your intention of reading it to the class and asking them to guess who wrote

the poem (you could also have them put their poem on construction paper, illustrate to put on bulletin board)5. Remind them to be respectful when the poem is being read6. Remind them of the directions (put them on the board so students can refer to them)

Create a descriptive poem about you 5 lines 2 words in each line No punctuation or capitalization Sign your name at the bottom (So there are six lines including your name) Hint- don’t make it obvious. Use this as a chance to share about yourself

7. Read the poems and have the students guess (three guesses) whose poem is being read. (Once they guess read the poem again so that students associate the poem with the person)

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Raise your hand if you learned anything new about your class mates?2. Was it hard or easy to guess the author of the poem?3. Why was it difficult for you some people to write about themselves4. How might this activity positively affect the classroom?


4) My goal is to create a supportive and positive environment so that you will all feel comfortable learning and taking risks in learning.

5) My goal is to also help you learn to be attentive and respectful when we are sharing about ourselves.

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- N/A

NAME OF ACTIVITY-One Minute AutobiographyTYPE OF ACTIVITY- Trust BuilderGOAL OF ACTIVITY- Give students a chance to get to know each other. Give students a chance to listen to each otherTIME- Depends on how many students are in the class. 15 minutes to give directions in the beginning and process at end. 4 minutes for each pairDIRECTIONS-

1. For one minute one person tells the listener anything about themselves. 2. The speaker must continue to talk until the leader calls time.3. The listener’s job is to stay focused and remember as much about the person as they can. 4. After the speaker’s minute is up then the listener must ask 3 additional questions that the listener must respond

to. The goal is to ask something that the speaker has not addressed. 5. After that process the roles are then reversed and the speaker becomes the listener and the listener becomes

the speaker.6. REMEMBER the goal is to listen to each other7. You can then ask each person to introduce their partner to the whole group.

Things to talk about-1. Family- parents names? Where are they from? Any brother’s or sisters? Names and ages Grandparents?2. Where were you born? Birth date and age 3. Where are all the places you have lived?4. Where do you live now? Where would you like to live?5. Any pets? Names and kinds6. What school you attend/ grade/ courses/ what you like and dislike7. Do you work? What do you do? Do you like your job? What is it like?8. Sports- do you play? Which sports? How long? 9. What sports do you like to watch? Favorite team? Who did you root for at the super bowl?10. Do you like the outdoors? Camp? Hike? Fish? Hunt? Tell a story about that11. Have you ever been on a vacation? Where to? What was it like? Would you go there again or recommend it to

others?12. Do you drive a car? What type? How long? What would be your ideal car? Do you work on your own car? Where did

you learn to work on cars?13. Do you have any hobbies? Play an instrument? Bowl? Cards?14. Anything you want to say about politics? Religion?15. Favorite bands…. Ever been to a concert?16. What do you want to do for a future career? 17. Where do you hang out on the weekends? What are your friends like? Where do you like to shop?19. How would you describe your personality?20. How do you get along with your parents?

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did you learn anything new about anyone? What was it like having to talk about yourself for a minute? How easy or hard was it to recall the information to present to the group?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- The more you get to know each other the more comfortable you become in the group

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Don’t remember

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Three Truths and a Lie

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Trust Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To give students an opportunity to learn more about each other

TIME - About 30 minutes depending on number of students

DIRECTIONS-

1. Students are asked to write down three facts about themselves and then a lie. (Tell them that you are going to read them out and to make them hard for the rest of the students to guess)

2. Remind the students to mix the lie in among the truths3. Tell the students that everyone is going to share and that they need to be respectful of what is being

shared4. Ask the students to share their truths and lie 5. Then ask the student to repeat each line and ask students to vote if they think that piece of

information is a lie6. *Note another option is for the teacher to ask students to write down facts and lies, underline the lie,

and let the teacher read them

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Raise your hand if you learned something new about one of your fellow students.2. What did you learn?3. Why would I want to do this activity with the class? What was I hoping to accomplish?


1. The more we learn about each other the more students may feel comfortable sharing and taking risks2. Need to always remember to be respectful when students share personal information about

themselves

MATERIALS-

Pen and paper to write on


NAME OF ACTIVITY-Alien Greeting


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To initiate communication in the classroom and to build relationships among the students in a casual and comfortable manner.

TIME- 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Arrange the students into a circle. 2. Tell them to pretend that they are from another planet.3. Go around and write down the name of their planet on construction paper.4. Then post the paper on the wall. 5. Have them think of a sound and motion that might be used on their planet to replace a traditional

American greeting. 6. Have the students go around the circle one at a time introducing themselves to the person to their left

until everyone has heard each unique greeting.

PROCESS QUESTIONS

What influenced each student’s unique alien greeting? Why would they choose that as their way to introduce themselves? How does it make you feel to hear so many different greetings?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY

Everyone has a unique greeting because everyone has a different way of thinking. None of the greetings are bad and neither are any of the ways in which people think about things.

MATERIALS- A piece of construction paper and colored pencils

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Article by Gary Hopkins Education World® Copyright © 2004 Education World www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson343.shtml

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Body of Anger

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Skill Builder – Anger Management

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To discuss and learn how our bodies react when we become angry so that individuals can detect the signs of anger and take measures to begin to control their anger before they become out of control.

TIME- about 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Ask a volunteer to put on the old clothes you have gathered and stand in front of the group (possibly have clothes tacked up on the bulletin board with paper face, arms, legs, etc.)

2. Ask the group to think of all the distinct ways their body feels when they feel angry.3. As people say different things have someone write down on the part of the body with face paint/ clothes

markers/ etc. where they apply. (This should be appropriate and works best on a male volunteer). (Examples: “rapid breathing” could be written on the chest to represent the lungs; “red face” could be written on the cheek to represent the face turning red.)

(Possible Variations…)

1. Trace someone’s body on a piece of paper and use his/her body tracing to create a “body of anger” and put it up on the board.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Which body reaction do you identify with?2. How do you control your anger?3. How do you release feelings of tension?4. Why do you think our bodies react like they do to anger?5. How can you use your body signals to help you control your anger?


Each person’s signs of anger are different, but often similar. The key is controlling anger and recognizing you are becoming angry so you can act responsibly rather than reacting to the feeling irresponsibly after it is too late.

MATERIALS-

2 or more people, old white t-shirt that can be written on, old pair of pants that can be written on, face paint, markers for fabric


104 Activities that Build by Alanna Jones pages 234-235.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Jailbreak

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Team Work

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To work with a partner to accomplish a difficult task, using teamwork and communication to be successful.

TIME- 10-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Divide the group into pairs and give each pair a piece of one foot long rope.2. Instruct each group of two that they each must hold onto one end of the rope for the entire activity (as though

they were handcuffed together), or you may actually tie (or tape) their wrists together.3. Once the partners are attached to each other by the rope, give them various tasks to complete. EX. Go through

an obstacle course, run a given distance, shoot and make five baskets, or do exercises.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Did having a partner make life easier or more difficult for you? Why?2. What did you do to help or hinder your partner? Why?3. When in life is it better to have a partner helping you?4. Who do you have in your life that you feel hinders you? Why?5. Who do you have in your life that is a helpful partner? What does s/he do to help you?


Sometimes we have to work with people even if we don’t want to. It’s not always easy but it can be fun.

MATERIALS-

1 piece of foot long rope for every 2 people and various game materials


104 Activities That Build, by Alanna Jones

Name of Activity: Personalized Plates

Type of Activity: Self-Image

Goal of Activity: For people to recognize their own individual unique traits and to be able to share these with others.

Time: 10-15 minutes

Directions:

1. Have students think about what their local state license plates look like and explain why they look that way.2. Then have the students think about what their own license plate would look like and why. (i.e. what colors

would it be, what year would the tabs be, what pictures would be on it, what would your state be called, etc.)

3. Next have the students think about what way they would personalize the license plate with words, numbers, slogans, etc.

4. Then have the class create their own plates with the materials provided.5. Finally, after everyone has finished, have them share their plates with one another and explain the meaning

of everything on their license plates.

Process Questions:

1. Was it difficult for you to create your own personalized plate?2. Why is it hard for people to recognize the things that make us unique from other people?3. Why is it important for us to recognize our own unique qualities?4. What did you learn about your classmates that you didn’t know before?

Points you want to make:

- Everyone has special qualities and talents that make us unique.- We all need to examine our unique abilities in order to understand ourselves better.

Materials:

1. Paper2. Pens/Pencils3. Colored Markers, Crayons, or Paint4. Optional: glitter, glue, colored paper, scissors, etc.

Source: Jones, Alanna. 104 Activities That Build: Self-esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-discovery, and Coping Skills. Richland, WA: Rec Room, 1998.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Possible Predictions

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Values Clarification, Self-Awareness

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get the students thinking about their future, and also build self-esteem about how their students view them.

TIME- 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

Put students into groups of 4 Each person gets a piece of white typing paper At the bottom each person writes their name Write the three following categories, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, above his/her name with lines going

up to the top of the page. ( you are basically making three columns from the bottom up.) Put the four papers in a pile in the middle of the group One person in the group picks up the top paper and predicts what that person will be doing in the

years to come. After they write their prediction fold the paper down so no one will read what they wrote. Pass to the person to the right Pick up the next paper and repeat the above steps. Continue until all papers are filled out by all people When you get to the page with your name on it, predict for yourself Everyone read their predictions to themselves when everyone is done.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Did you make similar predictions for yourself, or something different? Do any of the predictions surprise you? If so, Why? Are there any predictions on your paper that you will consider pursuing? What have you learned about yourself from this activity?


Make sure you strongly advise the students they MUST be respectful and positive in their predictions.

MATERIALS- Pen and paper to write on

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- 104 Activities That Builds: Self-Esteem, Team Work, Communication, Anger Management, Self-Discovery, Coping Skills.

By: Alanna Jones

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Secret Word

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Skills Building- Communication

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To encourage interactive conversation among students and to help them openly discuss how they feel when talking about “secrets” from their own lives.

TIME- 10-15 minute

DIRECTIONS-

1. Select one student from the group to step outside of the room and close the door.2. The class will think of a “secret word” (this can be any appropriate word).3. When the individual returns to the room everyone attempts to get the student to say the “secret” word.4. To do this the class may ask the person a question, engage in conversation, or do whatever else they can think of

to get the student to say the “secret” word.5. The student who doesn’t know the word tries to talk as much as possible without saying the word.6. Once the word has been said, select a new person to leave the room for another round of the game.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Do you enjoy talking with other people? Who do you like to talk to the most and why? Do you wish you had more people in your life that you could talk to? Do you wish you could talk about things in your life more easily? Do people ever try to get you to say “secret” words? Who? Why? Would it help you to talk about your “secrets” with others? To whom would you tell your secrets and why? Why don’t you share your secrets with others?


Some people have secret words that they keep hidden inside- words of hurt, anger, betrayal, and confusion that need to be shared with someone else so that inner healing can begin to take place.

Often times the words are hidden and the secrets are kept inside because communicating these secrets is a big risk and the words aren’t so easy to say.

People need practice engaging in appropriate, interactive conversation with others to encourage open communication.

MATERIALS- None


104 Activities That Build: Self-Esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-Discovery, and Coping Skills

By: Alanna Jones

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Straw Tower

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Team work

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To show teamwork by working with others to complete a task and by being involved in a group decision making process.

TIME-15 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Divide the class into groups.2. Provide the group with a pile of straws, paper clips, pipe cleaners, scissors, and a ball of string. 3. Inform the groups that their task is to use the materials that they have been given to build a tower that is as tall

as possible without it falling over.4. Give a time limit to complete the task.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. How did you group get started with this project?2. Did everyone agree on how the tower should be built? If not, how was a decision made?3. What part did you take in the decision making?4. Do you usually follow what others say or do you attempt to get others to do what you want? Why? What is

usually the end result of this process?5. What are some good ways for a group of people to make decisions together?

POINTS YOU WANT OT MAKE IF ANY-

When you work together things get done more quickly and easily. There are several ways to get things done.

MATERIALS- straws, paper clips, string, pipe cleaners, and scissors

NAME OF SOURC WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- 104 Activities That Build, by Alanna Jones

NAME OF ACTIVITY- To the Sea!TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Ice breaker or Group-builderGOAL OF ACTIVITY- Realize what and who we really value in life, Consider what other societies are like, and activate thinking.TIME- 15-20 minutesDIRECTIONS-

1. Read situation to group: You are going out to sea with your immediate family, your classmates, and their families. You will establish an underwater society and never be able to leave. Assume the group will reach the destination safely. The group will be completely safe in the underwater dome that has already been built for you. There is a one year food and water supply waiting for the group.

2. Individually answer the following questions, then break into groups of three to four and agree on consensus answers (hand out worksheets).

1) What additional 2 individuals will you choose to take with you (besides your immediate family and classmates)?2) What two items will you take along?3) What will you miss the most about your current home?4) What will you miss the most about living on land?5) What is your biggest concern as you set out on your journey?6) What will you NOT miss about living on land?7) What would you look forward to finding out about the most as you neared your final destination?8) If you had the choice of moving to a civilization located underground instead of underwater, would you take that option? Why or why not?

PROCESS QUESTIONS- 1. What item did you value the most? 2. What person/type of person was valued? 3. Were any stereotypes discovered? 4. Was it difficult for the group to agree?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- Unknown situations and change are sometimes very difficult to accept or even imagine. There are many different social structures in the world, and different societies value

different things. Example: some societies use very different items as currency.

MATERIALS- Worksheet handouts, one for each individual and one for each group to fill out.

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Mark Rohrback

Name of Activity- “What if…”Type of Activity- Ice BreakerGoal of Activity- To loosen up the mood of the classroom at the beginning of a period by getting students to think about crazy, uncommon, and sometimes impossible scenarios and justifying an outcome of them.Time- 15 minutes Directions-

1. As the students come in the classroom, the teacher waits at the door with a hat in his or her hand.2. Inside the hat are slips of paper with crazy statements that all start out with “What if..” 3. The students are to randomly pick out a statement and take it to their desk. 4. They are then supposed to get out a piece of paper and write an answer they come up with for the

“What if” question they chose. 5. Once everyone has thought about their question and made up answers, the teacher will ask the

students to go around the room and, one at a time, share their question and answer with any explanation they may have.

Process Questions- The teacher would have to make up the questions, but some examples of some “What if” questions that I found in this book could be: “What if animals became more intelligent than people?”“What if men also had babies?”“What if we elected our officials by lottery?”“What if we could make music by playing fruit and vegetables?”“What if people carried their homes and property on their backs like turtles?”“What if people had to marry people who were at least twenty years older or younger in age than they were?”“What if the price of a barrel of fresh water and a barrel of petroleum were the same?”“What if there were three sexes?”“What if when you looked in the mirror, there became two of you?”“What if highway “blacktop” came in “redtop” or “bluetop” depending on the speed limit?”“What if the airlines were able to load passengers on to planes as quickly as they unload them?”“What if people didn’t need to sleep?”“What if human life expectancy were 200 years?”Points you want to make if any-

This seems like a very fun activity that might not only break the ice, but encourage the students to “think outside the box” (so cliché, I know) without worrying about factual information they will be tested on as usual.

I also thought that this activity could be used as an in-class activity by coming up with questions that relate to a topic being studied. An example of this would be if a Social Studies class was studying the U.S. government, the question, “What if we elected our officials by lottery?” could be a great point to start a discussion about the way it is run.

A teacher could put students into groups and come up with five or six different “What if...” questions relating to the unit for them to discuss and then share with the class.

This could work for any subject with any lesson.

Materials- hat, bowl, box, etc., “What if Statements”, paper, pencil

Name of source where you got activity- A Whack on the Side of the Head

NAME OF ACTIVITY- “WHAT’S DIFFERENT?”

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- SKILL BUILDER

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- for students to develop their observation skills and interact one on one with one another.

TIME- 5 minutes plus (depending on number of observations)

DIRECTIONS-

1.) Have everyone pair up and face each other.

2.) Have students decide who will be A and who will be B by using some measure (for example, A has smallest feet).

3.) Ask As in each pair to memorize everything they notice or see about Bs. Allow 20 seconds.

4.) Then ask the pairs to turn back-to-back so the Bs will have time to change something about themselves. (Examples of changes: sock rolled down, watch turned upside down, barrette moved.)

5.) Have pairs turn around and face each other again. Ask As to guess what Bs have changed.

6.) Have students switch roles so Bs can guess what As have changed.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1.) Why is observation so important?

2.) What did you learn about yourself?

3.) What did you learn about your partner?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- you can have students make more than one change or have students switch partners and repeat.

MATERIALS- none

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- How to Create Positive Relationships with Students by Michelle Karns

NAME OF ACTIVITY- 4 WALLS

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Values Clarification/Group building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- For students to reflect on themselves and learn about others

TIME- 10 minutes-30 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Pick a category and think of 4 different items in that category Examples (bodies of water: lake, ocean, river, spring…. Musical instrument: drums, flute, guitar, trumpet…. Mode of transportation: 8 cylinder pick-up, Porsche, motorcycle, Mercedes Benz….. Movie: suspense, horror, comedy, romantic…. Other categories-Wild animal, food, candy, spice, Etc)

2. Put each item on a sign and tape it in one of the corners in the room 3. Ask “if you were a body of water would you be a lake, ocean, river, or spring?”4. Ask them to move to the corner that represents them and talk among themselves saying

why they chose the answer?5. Then ask different people in each category why students chose that category. 6. Repeat with a different category.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What is something you learned about yourself or another person that you hadn’t known?

What this difficult for you? Why or why not?


One thing that motivates our choices about our behaviors is what we value The more you can identify what is important to you the better chance you have at

choosing behaviors that are in line with what you value rather than just reacting to life

MATERIALS: Signs of categories and tape

SOURCE- RAFT Hotline Training

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Pass the prop

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Energizer/tapping creativity

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Allow students to use their imagination

TIME- 10-20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Students will get in a circle (it’s best if the circle is not more than 15 people)2. Teacher will take an object ( pencil, book, yardstick, piece of string, hoola hoop, ball etc)

and suggest that it is so much more than the just the object it is it can also be used as a prop for other things

3. The teacher will demonstrate by saying what the prop is and model it. For example if you use a pencil the teacher could say the object was a toothbrush and mimic brushing her/his teeth(or knife, fork, comb, tire gage, dart, hand on a clock, etc)

4. What ever the student comes up with is the right answer even if they say the prop is a refrigerator. (From a pencil? Yep take that idea, and validate them but encourage them to really try to stick with the object size and shape)

5. Depending on number of kids, you could go around a second time with the same prop because then they have to stretch their imagination

6. Do this a couple of times with several props

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

Was that hard or easy? Which object was the easiest for you to imagine a prop? Do you think schools provide opportunities for you to explore you imagination or

creativity? Why or why not?


Schools stress knowledge but imagination and creativity are also important Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

MATERIALS- Props

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- improvisation workshop

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Throwing objectsTYPE OF ACTIVITY- EnergizerGOAL OF ACTIVITY- students see the importance of focusing under pressure TIME-15 minutesDIRECTIONS-

1. Students get into a circle ( they do not hold hands.. sigh of relief for students!)2. Teacher has a tennis ball(or similar size ball) and tells these directions before starting

a. I am going to call a person’s name, wait until we make eye contact and then I am going to throw the ball to that person

b. That person is going to call out a person’s name, wait for eye contact, and then throws the ball to them

c. This continues until everyone has a turn catching and throwing the balld. It is important that you remember who you throw to and catch the ball from because we are

creating a pattern that we will be repeating3. The teacher then starts tossing one ball to get the pattern established4. Repeat the process a second time to make sure everyone knows the pattern of who they throw to

catch from. Remind them that they need to call out the name of the person and make sure they make eye contact before they throw the object

5. When the teacher is confident that the students have the pattern down then the teacher can continue to throw other objects as the ball is being passed around

6. See how many objects you can get going at once.7. The objects can be a variety of things other than a ball( rubber snake, barbey doll, stuffed animal,

squishy ball, tiny rubber balls, big huge balls, etc)

PROCESS QUESTIONS- What made it hard or easy to keep the objects going in a pattern? What takes your focus away from any important task you have to do? How can you prevent that from happening?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- Often times we have a hard time finishing a task when we don’t focus Learn how to focus even though a lot of things are being thrown at you!

MATERIALS-Many weird types of objects that can be thrown

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- not sure

Name of Activity: All Aboard!

Type of Activity: Group Building Activity

Goal of the Activity: Students work together to get everyone on a “platform”

Time:15-20: minutes

Directions:

a. Get a few lengths of rope together and tie them together (about 2 feet in diameter)b. Divide the class into groups of about 3-5 studentsc. Have each group of students get everyone’s feet into the groups’ rope circlesd. When all the groups have put each group members’ feet in their circles, make a bigger circle with the

rope and challenge the class as a whole to put everyone’s feet in the circle

Process Questions:

How did you come up with the final solution?Were there ideas that you found useful?Were there ideas that helped you come up with the final solution?

Are there any other solutions to the problem?

Points you want to make (if any):

Ideas come from ideas. Everyone has to work together to come up with the solution to the problem. The solution to the problem doesn’t always come with the first idea you come up with. The solution to the problem doesn’t always come quickly.

Materials:

Several lengths of rope that will each be tied into a circle (4-5 feet in length)

Name of source where you got the activity:

http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html

http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Explosion Tag

TYPE OF ACTIVITY - Energizer

TIME – 10 min.

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- SEE ABOVE

DIRECTIONS- Just like a simple game of tag except when tagged you must take a moment to “explode.” This can be any form of explosion the student feels like expressing.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- Did everyone get a turn? Whose explosion was your favorite? Did everyone explode the same?

MATERIALS – Wide open space

- Something to mark off space with- Rules about out of bounds (outside the marked off space)

o If you go out of bounds you automatically become “it”


Spolin, Viola. (1986). Theater Games for the Classroom. (25).

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Equation 500! TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Group Building GOAL OF ACTIVITY:The goal of this activity is to give the students practice with solving equations by turning it into a fun game. TIME: This activity can be done in one period or can be stretched out for two days. DIRECTIONS:

Before the students arrive in class, the teacher will move the desks into a four desk group format. The teacher will move the desks so there is a large space where the track will be located. The teacher will have told her students in the beginning of the week to bring in a small toy car for their group if

they wished. The teacher will take large masking tape and create a track (similar to a race track). The teacher will put dash

marks on the track to signify where each car will be placed when a group gets a problem right The groups will be chosen by the teacher, a racing device will be assigned to each group placed at the starting

line, and a driver will be chosen from each group. Each group will receive a packet containing 100 equation problems (www.math.com) face down on the desks. They will be told not to turn over the packet until the teacher gives the signal. The teacher will have a filled out packet with the correct answers and a marker to check right or wrong. The teacher will then explain the directions, “The driver is only allowed to leave his/her seat, each group

member needs to complete problems correctly in order for it to count towards your race.” The teacher will check the problems and if they get it right, the car may be moved to the next dash mark. If the problem is wrong, they must move back one space. (Therefore; if you get one right, then one wrong, you

essentially stay in the same spot. The problem is cancelled out) The driver will keep count of problems completed as they go. HINT: If more problems are completed at a time, it is less running back and forth for the driver. When the teacher says GO, the students will begin work. The teacher will keep track of the time and make sure

the classroom doesn’t get too out of hand. If the students kept a good decorum throughout the period, the activity may be done the next day as well. (150

problems)

PROCESS QUESTIONS: Did this activity help you with Solving Equations? What could we’ve done differently with this activity? Did you encounter any problems in your group during the race? What was easy about this activity? What was hard?

POINTS YOU WANT TO MAKE IF ANY- Each group completed the entire packet when this was done in the eighth grade classroom. It was the most

Math done in a single class period than any other. The students had fun being competitive with the racing. The students, who normally don’t do any work, got at least a page done or more.

MATERIALS- Packet with 100 problems for each group Masking tape to create the track on the floor Extra matchbox cars in case students forget

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY-Did this activity with 6th & 7th periods on Thursday & Friday, of the last week we were at Christiansburg Middle. My teacher had created it and I thought it was a great activity for the students.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Ducks Fly

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Communication Skills

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To help students with listening skills and following directions

TIME- From around 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on teacher preference

DIRECTIONS-

1. The students will be told that they are going to practice their listening skills2. They will need to listen to the student who is picked as “it”. This student will stand if front of the class and begin

by saying “Ducks Fly”. The students at their desks will flap their arms, like wings. They will continue to flap their arms as long as “it” is naming an animal that will actually fly. Example (Ducks fly, birds fly, bees fly, cows fly). Everyone should have stopped flapping at the word cows. If a student is still flapping then they are now “it” and they replace the other student in front of the classroom.

3. This continues until the teacher calls a halt.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. When and why did you have to listen carefully to the directions in this game?2. Is it easy or hard for you to listen to directions?3. What can you do to help yourself listen to others and follow directions?


It is important to follow directions throughout life. This rule does not just apply in the classroom. Good listening skills are necessary for directions to be followed.

MATERIALS- No materials are needed for this activity


Jones, Alanna (1998). 104 Activities That Build: Self-Esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-Discovery, Coping Skills (p. 142-143). Richland, WA: Rec Room Publishing.

NAME OF ACTIVITY- What Inspires You?TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Self AwarenessTIME- 25 minuetsGOAL OF ACTIVITY- To get everyone thinking about what inspires them in life and to share responses so we can hopefully inspire others in the class.DIRECTIONS- Students will choose an inspirational quote from a list given to them and tell the class why they chose that quote and what it means to them. If there is an appropriate quote that is not listed they can share that instead.PROCESS QUESTIONS- What about this inspires you? Why do you think you were drawn to this quote? Is this one of your favorite quotes? Does this quote/comment inspire anyone else in the class? Why?POINTS TO MAKE- We are all inspired by different things whether it be something we see, hear, read, or do. Having something with you that inspires you is a great idea because you can just look at it though out the day and get motivated.MATERIALS- handouts with a list of inspirational quotesSOURCE- Erin WebsterQuotes:

“the noblest question in the world is, “what good can I do in it?””o Benjamin Franklin

“The only way to have a friend is to be a friend”o Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It does not matter who many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up”o Vince Lombardi

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us”o Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”o Muhammad Ghandi

“Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”o John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“you miss 100% of the shots you never take”o Wayne Gretzky

“Tolerance is seeing with your heart instead of your eyes”

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Machine Game

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- TEAM BUILDING, ENERGIZER

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To add energy to the group and to practice working together

TIME – 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Split group up into groups of three or four2. Tell the students they will have to decide within their groups what machine they would like to act out.3. Each student in every group will be accountable for one noise and one motion of the machine.4. Tell students this game is very similar to charades and give them examples of what you mean by machine

(ceiling fan, watch, etc.)5. Give the students about ten minutes to prepare to act out their machine in front of the class.6. Have each group present and ask the other groups to guess what machine each group is.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Raise your hand if you had any trouble as a group deciding what machine you were going to be. How could this be resolved better/faster?

2. If you had to do this over again what would you change when you were working together in groups?


1. Everyone has to participate in presentation2. Work together as a group.

MATERIALS

1. Prior list of possible groups


http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/machinegame.htm

http://www.residentassistant.com/games/teambuilders/machinegame.htm

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Passing the keys

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Group Building

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- For students to learn to think on their feet. Students learn how to focus under pressure

TIME- 10 minutes-20 minutes

DIRECTIONS-

1. Students get into a circle2. One person is “it” 3. The teacher chooses a setting where multiple events/activities/things can occur4. The teacher will tell the student who is “it” to describe 7 things that can happen in the setting and says GO5. The student hands the keys to the person next to them and then has to list 7 events/activities/things that can

occur in that setting 6. While the student is listing the events the keys are passed around as quickly as possible with the hope that the

keys get around the circle and in the student’s hand before the student can think of 7 things to say.7. Try to stress that they should be spontaneous in their answers and try to be creative.

The teacher should model an example….Example- the teacher says “name 7 things you see at a football game GO!”

The child has to say a noun, verb, and adverb…. Footballs being thrown, players making touch downs, people spilling drinks, people sneaking alcohol, dogs barking at the game, police arresting drunks, kids smoking under the bleachers…Players belching after drinking soft drinks..etc…

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

What was it like being on the spot as the keys were being passed about? What answers did you think were the most creative? In general how do people react under pressure? What are some strategies you learned from this game that may help you when you are under pressure?


If you are trying to make a point about creativity-(great game to get ready for creative writing in English or social studies) Tell them that usually what happens is that the first ideas are common…. It’s the spontaneous ones after you say the usual stuff that is creative and interesting. (Try to model that when you are demonstrating the game)

If you go the route of pressure you can talk about focusing on that task at that moment will help you get through the pressure( great game before SOL’s)

MATERIALS- Something to pass around

SOURCE- From workshop on improvisation

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Snowball fight


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To have students get to know each other well

TIME- 20 min

DIRECTIONS-

1. Students write on a piece of paper three things about themselves. 2. Then they crumple the paper up into a 'snowball' and have a one-minute snowball fight. 3. At the end of the minute, everyone grabs the closest snowball and has to try to find the person who wrote it. 4. They then introduce that person to the rest of the group, sharing the three facts.

PROCESS QUESTIONS- CHRISTINA-REMEMBER TO HAVE THIS AS WELL

What was it like to have to write information about yourself? What was it like introducing someone to the group? What was something new you learned about someone?


The more we know about each other the more we learn to trust each other and build the community We need to remember to always be respectful when people are sharing about themselves or others.

MATERIALS- paper, pencil


www.educationworld.com

http://www.educationworld.com/

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Ten Seconds

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Self-esteem builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY- To build up self-esteem and to create a positive atmosphere by saying and hearing positive comments.

TIME- about 20-25 minutes (at least)

DIRECTIONS-

1. Gather group into circle and ask a volunteer to start the game.

2. Give them 10 seconds to day something positive, nice, complimentary, or uplifting about anything, or you can limit the comments to be about the group, group members, and/or the individual gibing the comment.

3. After the positive comment is given the next person in the circle gets 10 seconds to come up with his/her own positive comment and so on around the circle.

4. If someone does not say something nice they our “out.” You may also get “out” if you say a positive comment that has previously been stated before in the game or if you say something negative during your 10 seconds.

5. If you choose to while playing eliminations, someone can get back into the game after two other people say something nice about them.

6. The level of difficulty can be changed by adding or subtracting the amount of seconds the people have to give out an answer.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. Was it hard or easy for you to come up with positive comments?2. Do you usually say negative words to others or positive? Why?3. What is the effect of positive words on a group?4. How can positive words affect your everyday life?5. Do you need to hear more positive words or say them more?


Getting people to think positively about the world, their own lives, and most importantly themselves is a big step towards building a healthy and happy self-esteem.

MATERIALS- A watch, clock, or timing device that can measure 10 seconds


Activities that Build pages 116-117

NAME OF ACTIVITY- M & M Game


GOAL OF ACTIVITY- Get to know the classmates names and some personal information.

TIME- No time limit.

DIRECTIONS-

1. Pass around a bag of M&M’s.2. Have each person pick out 2 to begin with (but don’t let them eat it!)3. For each color of the M&M’s there will be an assigned question that the student must answer.4. The students will go around in a circle and answer the questions.

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

How does this activity help our classroom community?

What are other things you could you do to get to know your classmates better?


The more we know about each other the more we understand different positions.

The more we know about each other the easier it is to talk in front of each other.

MATERIALS- Bag of M&M’s, a question sheet for the teacher to read the questions off of. Maybe write down the questions on the board for them to see and be able to think about an answer before it gets to be their turn.

Sample Questions:

1. What’s your favorite season? Why?

2. What’s your favorite movie?

3. Where is one place you want to travel to?

4. What’s your favorite sports?

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY- Christian Youthworkers egroup

http://www.funandgames.org/Games_icebreakers.html#havenever

http://www.funandgames.org/Games_icebreakers.html#havenever

NAME OF ACTIVITY: “My Slogan”


TIME: 20 minutes

GOAL OF ACTIVITY: To express or identify yourself using a slogan or motto.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin this activity by discussing how businesses and companies have different slogans that they use to reflect their values.

2. For example, Chevrolet uses the slogan “Like a rock” to compare their vehicles to the durability and stability of rocks.

3. Have students write down their own slogan that applies to them and their beliefs. 4. Have students share with the class.

PROCESS QUESTIONS:

What qualities did you use about yourself to make up your slogan? Does everyone feel like they know a little bit more about your classmates? What did you like about this activity? What did you not like about this activity?


This is a fun way to tell something interesting about yourself besides introducing yourself and stating a fact.

MATERIALS:

Paper Writing Utensils

NAME OF SOURCE WHERE YOU GOT ACTIVITY: http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingettes/icebreakers.html

http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingettes/icebreakers.html

NAME OF ACTIVITY- Strip Poker

TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Trust Builder

GOAL OF ACTIVITY-

1. To provide students an opportunity to learn more about each other2. To provide students with an opportunity to learn to listen to each other3. To build trust in the group

TIME- 30-45 minutes depending on class size. Could make it shorter by dealing less cards

DIRECTIONS-

1. Tell students they are going to play strip poker2. Ask students how is the game played?3. Tell them that instead of clothes they are going to begin to strip away their guards and masks and be given a

chance to share more about themselves4. Divide students into groups of 4-55. Give each group a deck of cards6. Ask someone to be the dealer and have them deal out 5 cards7. From those 5 cards each student takes turns choosing a card and then answering the question that corresponds

to that card. (Can have a person be designated as the reader) 8. If a student does not wish to answer that question then they must get another card dealt to them and answer

that question 9. Students continue the process until all questions are answered 10. Remind students to be respectful and listen to each others’ responses in a respectful way

PROCESS QUESTIONS-

1. How many people found that activity easy? Difficult?2. How many heard a question that someone else got that they wish they had?3. Did anyone have a question that was hard to answer? What was the question and why was it hard?4. Did any question that they had or another person had made them really think? What question was that?


One of the greatest gifts is the gift of listening to another person. These activities help to build the community of the group Students need to learn to listen not only in these activities but when we are doing class work and group

activitiesMATERIALS-

Decks of playing cards…. Enough for the number of small groups you have

The list of questions


STRIP POKER- QUESTIONSSPADESACE- If you could eliminate the anger in someone you know and replace it with inner peace who would that person be?KING- What advice would you give a student teacher about how to deal with students? QUEEN- What was the most embarrassing outfit your parents made you wear?JACK- In your opinion which animal is the most beautiful?10- What is the most important thing missing from your life right now?9- If you had to name your worst character trait, what would you say it is?8- What advice would you give to a teen whose parents have recently been divorced?7- If you could skip any one grade in school which would it be and why?6- What is the first lie you ever remember telling your parents?5- If you had to perform in a circus what would you do?4- If you could get a telegram from any person from history who would you want to send it to you? 3- What is the most exciting event you have ever witnessed?2- What is your favorite sport to watch?HEARTS

ACE- If you could enforce on new rule in your school what would it be?KING- What is the worst meal you have ever eaten? QUEEN- If you had a personal maid or butler that would perform one task (job) for you every day what task (job) would it be?JACK- If you had to be trapped in a television show for a month, which show would you choose?10- What scent do you enjoy more than any other?9- If you had to name one thing you were curious about concerning another religion what would it be?8- If you had to fill a time capsule the size of a microwave oven to be buried and then opened in the year 2100 what would you put in it?7- If you could kiss any movie star or popular figure who would it be?6- If you could do any job for one day, what job would it be and why?5- If you had to name the most spiritual person you know, who would you name?4- Name the teacher who had the greatest impact on you.3- If you had to move to another country which country would you pick?2- What do you think is the most important quality a president should have?

DIAMONDS

ACE- If you could be on the cover of any magazine next month, which one would you choose?KING- If you had the ability to compete in any Olympic competition which would you choose?QUEEN- What time of day do you feel the most at peace?JACK- If you had to be an animal that lives in a zoo, which animal would you choose to be?10- If you could choose the age you could get married what age would that be?9- If you had three angels watching over you, what would you put them in charge of?8- If you could only play one CD for a month which one would it be?7- If some one were making a movie about you who would want them to play you, and your parents?6- If you had to be a part of a reality television show which one would you pick?5- When you were young, which piece of play ground equipment did you most enjoy playing on?4- You wrote your autobiography, what would the title be? ( can’t be your name)3- If you could change one event in your life what would it be?2- If you had to choose between living on the moon or under water for a month which would you choose?

CLUBS

ACE- When was the last time you cried and why?KING- If you were a parent and your child started dating someone you didn’t approve of how would you handle it? QUEEN- If you had to name the most important ingredient for a spiritual life what would it be?JACK- What cause would you be willing to commit civil disobedience and be arrested for?10- If you had to name mankind’s most positive characteristic what would you say it is?9- If you had to choose one person that you know who could read your mind 24 hours a day who would you choose?8- If you were asked to be a part of a television commercial which would you choose?7- What is your favorite band?6- If the government asked you to pick an animal in addition to the eagle to represent the United States, which animal would you pick?5- You have two minutes of phone time to speak to anyone living in the world, who would you speak to?4- Where was the most beautiful place that you have ever been in nature?3- If you had to change your hair color what color would you choose?2- If you had to get a tattoo what would you get and where would you put it?

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