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From: Sandra Heyer <heyer@ticon.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:2772] Re: what to do the first week of class
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I just sent this idea to Susan Hafler, who is going to teach ninth and
tenth graders in Mexico and wanted a good icebreaker activity. It
occurred to me that maybe others would like to try it, so I decided to
post it to the whole group. Here it is:
This idea is much more complicated to explain than to do. It is a
wonderful first-day activity. I got it from Hands-on English, the
newsletter for adult ed teachers. It was submitted by Fiona Armstrong,
a teacher in the New York City schools. Here's what you do:
1. Make a list of questions you'd like to ask each of your students if
you had the time. For example: "How long have you studied English? Do
you like studying English? How many hours of homework do you have each
night? Have you ever been to the United States? Do you watch American
(U.S.) TV? How many brothers and sisters do you have?" You need as
many questions as you have students in your class.
2. On the first day of class, ask the students to take out a piece of
paper and write numbers like this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
They write as many numbers as there are people in the class, plus you.
3. Have ready small pieces of paper with numbers on them. (Post-its
work great.) Give each student a numbered paper and have them tape or
stick them to their shirts.
4. Now tell student 1, "This is your question: How long have you
studied English?" Tell the student to write that question at the top of
his/her paper. (You may need to write the sentence on the board for the
student to copy.) Then tell student 2, "This is your question: Do you
like studying English?" Student 2 writes that question on his/her
paper. Continue until each student has written a question on his/her
paper.
5. Now students walk around the room asking only their question. They
write students' answers next to the corresponding numbers on the paper.
(This keeps track of who they've asked and who they haven't.) I always
give myself this question: What is your name? This gives me time to get
started on memorizing students' names and pronouncing them correctly.
(I make notes.)
6. Students then report on what they learned about their classmates.
("Most of the students watch American TV. We've all been studying
English for 4 years.")
This is an icebreaker with a real purpose. In one class period you get
all kinds of helpful information. I taught a university class this year
and did this activity on the first day. I was wondering how it would go
over and was actually a little nervous about it, but it worked great.
Students enjoyed it, and I got the information I needed. (I found out,
for instance, that my students had studied English for anywhere from 2
years to 18 years.) Of course, this activity is not for beginners.
Good luck.
Sandra Heyer
Whitewater Community Education and the University of WI, Whitewater
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