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2024 Cape Cod Startalk Chinese Teachers' Retreat Workshop Handout 

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2024 Cape Cod Startalk Chinese Teachers' Retreat Workshop Handout 

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Students learn best when they feel a basic sense of safety. So there is no wiser way to begin a school year than by taking time to build your students as a caring community of learners and as a problem-solving team. Once they know one another and begin to feel comfortable and trusting, it's a lot easier for students to share their answers and questions, to help and be helped by their classmates, and to become engaged in and excited by the learning process.

Here are three sets of activities that have been used widely and well. Feel free to adapt by adding drawing or other modalities, and extending and adding to the questions in ways that make the most sense for your students.

1. Student Pairs: What's Your Name?

Knowing the names of others in your class, or any ongoing group you are part of, is basic to feeling safe and comfortable. At Responsive Classroom, they recommend using greetings to help students get to know one another better. A greeting consists of saying your name, saying a greeting phrase in English or another language, and doing something physical to greet, like a handshake, fist-bump, high-five, or bowing to one another.

After one student is greeted, the greeting is acknowledged: "Hello, Robert. Thanks for your greeting. My name is...." It can be done as a round-robin, enabling all students to participate as well as hear all of the greetings. This needs to be repeated, with variations, early in the school year to build a comfort level, particularly with students new to the group or to each other.

2. Small Groups: Who Are You?

Ask students some questions that will allow them to get to know things about their classmates. Here are some sample questions:

What kind of music do you like?

Where do members of your family come from? What languages do they, and you, speak?

What holidays do you enjoy and how do you celebrate them?

If you could travel anyplace for free, where would you like to travel? Why?

What is a place that you have visited that you like the most?

Have you ever been to a park, zoo, museum, or a farm? Pick one and tell us about it.

When is your birthday and where were you born?

What is a movie or a book you have seen or read lately that you really liked? Why?

If you could be any animal that you wanted, what would you pick? Why?

What is something you would change about this school if you could, maybe if you became the principal?

Use a timer and give them 30 to 45 seconds per student to respond. After the first round, help them learn how to keep track of time and to listen to what one another has said. Consider asking them to keep a list or find other ways to let their group mates know they are listening. Repeat more rounds over the next few days, or have kids share within subgroups of different peers.

3. Whole Class: How Many Of You...?

This is an active variation of getting-to-know you and question-asking team-builders. Ask a main question, and decide how you want the student to let you know their answer.

For example, it's best if they have to respond by doing something other than raising their hand (e.g., by standing at their seat, or holding up something that you distribute). Make the response tangible and physical. You ask a question, and all those who can answer yes stand up. After the first question is asked, invite other students (with your modeling and help) to ask follow-up questions until everyone's specific answer gets identified. You will also end up building students' vocabulary and their questioning skills.

Below are some sample main questions and some follow-up questions. Feel free to add to the follow-up list as best suits your students:

How many of you play an instrument? Which ones?

Play a sport? Which sports?

Like to read? Nonfiction? History? Fiction? Mysteries?

Like to eat dessert? What are your favorites?

Like pizza? With cheese? What kind? Other toppings?

Know a quote from a book or poem or music? Know the author or composer? Who can share an example?

Like hot (or cold) weather? Being in the sun? Being in the rain? Thunderstorms? Windy days?

Know someone with a disability? What kind of disability? What is it like to be with that person?

Have ever been part of a team? In school? Out of school? Music-related? Sports-related? What teams? What was your role?

Have ever been to a concert, play, show, or sports event? Indoors? Outdoors? What have you seen?

Thanks to my colleagues at Responsive Classroom and Passageworks for ideas and inspiration for team-building activities and starting the year off well.

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Back to School: 3 Question Activities to Connect Students

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Students learn best when they feel a basic sense of safety. So there is no wiser way to begin a school year than by taking time to build your students as a caring community of learners and as a problem-solving team.

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The first few days of school are so important-it's a chance to get to know your new students and set the tone for the year ahead. But finding the right high school and middle school icebreakers can be a real challenge. Older kids can see the usual "getting-to-know-you" activities coming from a mile away. And they don't want to risk looking silly or awkward in front of their peers. So in order to gain real buy-in, you'll need to choose activities that are meaningful and fun. The key is to make them forget themselves temporarily because they are so wrapped up in the game or challenge. We have a little bit of everything on this list, from speed-dating-inspired activities to snowball fights. Try one of these high school and middle school icebreakers to start off your year on the right foot!

Getting To Know You Icebreakers

Here's a tip: Before you ask kids to tell you about themselves, be sure to introduce yourself first! We've got a great list of ways to introduce yourself to students here, and a lot of these can be flipped for your students to use too.

Now you're ready to ask kids to reveal a bit about themselves. This is an opportunity to find ways to connect with them in the months ahead, and for them to find new friends too. Here are some high school and middle school icebreakers that really do help teachers and students get to know each other.

1. Flip-book intros

Have you tried Flip with your students yet? It allows teachers and kids to record and safely post short videos-and it's completely free! Record a Flip video to introduce yourself to students, then have them do the same. We love that this is a low-risk way for kids who hate talking in front of the class to introduce themselves.

2. Would You Rather

Would you rather ... do math homework or go for a 2-mile run? Read a book or watch a movie? Wrestle a gorilla or swim with alligators? No matter what questions you ask, this is such a fun way for kids to mix and mingle. Pose your question, then have kids move to different sides of the room to show their answers. Give them a few minutes to chat about the topic before moving on to the next one. Check out the section with Would You Rather questions on this list to get started.

3. Classmate Bingo

Use this free bingo card generator to create your own Classmate Bingo cards. Give one to each student, then set them loose to find another student who can initial each space. If you have enough kids, make a rule that each student can only initial one space on any card. Offer small prizes to the first student to fill in a row and the first to fill their whole card.

4. Blobs and Lines

Teacher Jenn of Cult of Pedagogy loves to use this one with her students. Students respond to prompts either by lining up (in order of height, birthday, alphabetical by middle names, etc.) or gathering in "blobs" (grouped by type of shoes, hair color, favorite ice cream flavor, and so on). Jenn loves that it's ridiculously easy, low-risk, and gives kids a chance to find out what they have in common.

5. What Do You Meme?

We found this idea on Mondays Made Easy. Find some popular meme images on the web, print them out, and post them in various places around your classroom. Start class by asking kids to find and stand by the meme that best represents how they feel about the subject you teach. Let them chat in groups for a minute or two, then pose a few more icebreaker questions for them to group together and discuss.

6. Speed meetings

The old "interview each other and introduce them to the class" bit is pretty played out. Try this twist instead, which is a lot like speed dating. Divide the class in half, and have them sit in two concentric circles facing each other. Ask an icebreaker question, set a timer for 60 seconds, and let each pair discuss. When the timer dings, the outside ring moves one seat to the left. Give the new pairs a new question, and set the timer again. You can continue this as long as you like. Tip: To increase engagement, have kids help you generate the list of icebreaker questions before you start.

7. Safe social media

Your students may or may not use social media in real life, but they can all use this classroom-safe form of it. Use this free online Fakebook generator, or try a printable template instead. Kids can personalize these in ways that are appropriate for school. (This also gives you a good opportunity for a lesson on internet safety and using social media responsibly.)

8. Collaborative playlist

Music is meaningful to all of us, and the songs we love can be a window into our personalities. Ask each student to contribute one song choice to a class playlist, along with an explanation of why they love that song. (Depending on age, you can decide on parameters for lyrics and language.) Create the list on Spotify so all students can listen to one another's songs. If you allow music in your classroom, add this playlist to your collections.

9. Word clouds

The words we choose to define ourselves can be really telling, and word clouds are a fun way to see that in action. Kids can create word clouds by hand on paper, or try one of these free online word cloud generators instead.

10. Two Truths and a Lie

This one's a classic icebreaker, and for good reason. Ask each student to share two facts about themselves and one lie, without identifying which one is untrue. Other students try to guess which one is the lie. Kids always have fun coming up with stuff to fool each other!

11. A funny debate

Debate team isn't for everyone, but there is a way to make it fun for the whole class. The key is to pick a not-so-serious subject like what is the best pizza topping or whether or not clowns are scary. Then, watch as your students get into defending their positions. If you need ideas, check out these funny debate topics.

12. Toilet paper pass

This fun idea from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle puts a spin on the usual get-to-know you middle school icebreakers. Pass a roll of toilet paper around before explaining what you'll be doing. When the students ask the inevitable question of how much they should take, simply tell them to "take what they need." Finally, for every square of toilet paper taken, have students tell a fact or facts about themselves.

13. Yes, No, Stand Up

This video presents this game as an ESL icebreaker, but we think it would work well for any classroom. Simply ask your students questions and let them know that a yes answer means stand up and a no answer means stay seated. It will certainly be fun to look around the room to see who shares your answer!

Setting Classroom Expectations Icebreakers

Many teachers start the first day of school by sharing their classroom rules, assigning seats, and introducing the year's agenda. Now, let's be honest: Most kids tune out when you start sharing your rules. They've heard them all before, right? So, try giving your students some ownership over the expectations in your classroom. You'll be surprised at how this can be a real game-changer.

14. Seating plan spin

In the beginning, any seating chart you create is pretty arbitrary. The main purpose is to have students in the same seat each day so you can get to know their names, right? So start out by letting students decide how the initial seating chart works (but they CAN'T pick "sit wherever we want"). They might suggest options like "alphabetical by middle names," "grouped by birthday month," and so on. Then, they vote to choose the winner. Finally, kids figure out how to get themselves into the right seats using the rules they chose.

15. Right or wrong skits

First, share your classroom rules and expectations. Then, divide kids into small groups, one for each rule. The group has 10 minutes to prepare short skits showing the right way to follow the rule and the wrong kind of behavior. Kids really have fun hamming up the wrong behaviors, and they're all much more likely to remember your rules.

Learn more: The Teacher's Prep

16. Classroom constitution

By middle school and high school, students tend to know instinctively the rules they need to follow. Give them ownership by letting them draw up the class constitution. Brainstorm expectations for a good classroom, then create the guidelines they'll need to follow to make that happen. Craft the language and have everyone sign. This is a project that can take more than one day, but it's especially fun in social studies, history, and government classes. Get a free online lesson to walk you through the process here.

Learn more: The Teacher Dish

17. Shared goals

From day one, you've got an agenda with lesson plans ready to go, of course. You've probably got standards to follow and routine projects you do every year. But that doesn't mean you can't take time on the first day to find out what your students really want to know. Post a few anchor charts around the room with the following questions. Have kids circulate and write their answers on the charts. Then, look each one over as a class and talk about the responses. Try these questions:

What do you think you'll learn in this class this year?

What do you really want to learn in this class this year?

How can your teacher help you learn and succeed?

What are you most looking forward to in this class?

What do you dread most about this class?

18. Try a Blind Kahoot!

Here's another fun way to introduce your class to what they'll be learning. Create (or find) a Kahoot that covers the basic fundamentals of your syllabus. Kids will likely moan and groan over each question, but it will give you a chance to learn what they already know, and help them discover what's coming in the semesters ahead.

Learn more: WeAreTeachers/Kahoot Ideas

19. Student expectations

Start by writing "Expectations" on a whiteboard. Then go around the room and have students do three things. They should introduce themselves, share their expectations of the class, and finally, share their idea about the best possible outcome if their expectations are met. An example might be, "Hi, my name is Harper. I'm expecting to learn to see different perspectives. My wildest expectation is that if I knew how to do that, I would become more open-minded and make friends with more people."

Learn more: ThoughtCo./Understand Student Expectations

20. Snowball fight

Once you've gone over classroom rules and expectations, hand out blank pieces of paper to your students. Then, have them try to remember those rules and write one on their paper. Now for the fun part: Have them crumple up the papers and throw them inside the circle. Finally, have them grab any paper, read it, and elaborate on the importance of the rule.

Team-Building Icebreakers

Team-building activities can be a lot of fun, though you've got to pick them carefully, especially with this age group. Be sure to debrief when you're done-ask students to think about why you had them do this activity and what they learned from it. And if you're choosing something physical, remember that not everyone in the class may be able (or willing) to participate, so think about how you'll handle that in advance. Find a list of our favorite team-building games and activities here, which are great to use for high school and middle school icebreakers, or try some of the following ideas.

21. Tarp-flip challenge

Spread a few tarps on the floor. Get groups of students to stand on them. The challenge? They have to flip the tarp completely over without stepping off of it. Other students can watch to help keep them honest!

22. Scavenger hunt

There are so many ways to use scavenger hunts as high school and middle school icebreakers. Is this a new school for your students? Send them out to explore it. Want to show them around your classroom? Set up a hunt for different areas and resources. Just want a fun chance to get to know them? Do a hunt to see which group can produce various items (purple pen, hair scrunchie, breath mint, etc.) from their bags or pockets the fastest. The point is to get kids working together in groups and having a little fun.

23. Classroom escape room

If you really want to impress and engage your students, start off with an escape room. You can theme it to help them learn more about you, about the school, or the subject you're teaching. Kids will have to work together to beat the clock, and each student's individual skills will make the group stronger as a whole.

Learn more: WeAreTeachers/Build a Classroom Escape Room Lesson

24. Common thread

Divide students into groups of four and have them sit together in these small groups. Give each group 5 minutes to chat among themselves and find something they all have in common. It could be that they all play soccer, or pizza is their favorite dinner, or they each have a cat. Whatever the common thread, the conversation will help them get to know one another better. Repeat this activity in new groups as many times as you like.

25. STEM challenges

STEM challenges are great high school and middle school icebreakers because they get kids thinking outside the box and working together. There are so many you can try, and they almost all only require the most basic of supplies. Looking for ideas? Find our big list of STEM activities for all ages here.

26. Classification challenge

Prepare a tray (or a picture collage) with 20 unrelated items-for instance, a spool of thread, an eraser, a juice box, etc. Divide your class into groups and challenge them to put the 20 items into four categories that make sense to them. For example, they may put an earring, a glove, a headset, a sock, and a smile into the category "things you wear." Have groups work quietly so that their ideas are kept secret. When each group is finished, give each one time to present their categories and their rationale behind each category.

27. Perfect square

This activity requires strong verbal communication and cooperation. Kids need to be blindfolded, so you may want to allow some students to opt out and be observers instead. Blindfolded students try to take a piece of rope and form a perfect square. It's harder than it sounds, but if kids master it too quickly, ask them to try a harder shape, like a circle or a hexagon.

28. Follow the leader

Ask for a volunteer guesser and have them leave the room. While they're gone, choose a leader and have the group stand in a circle. The leader begins a movement, which the rest of the group must mimic. (For instance, the leader might jump up and down or wave their arms over their head.) Invite the guesser back in to stand in the middle of the circle as the movements continue. Every so often, the leader changes the movement, and the rest of the group follows. The guesser must try to determine who the leader is by watching the group's actions closely.

29. No-hands cup stacking

So simple and so fun! Students use a rubber band attached to pieces of string to pick up and stack cups into a pyramid. Want to make the challenge even greater? Don't let them talk while they're working, limit them to one hand only, or make the strings different lengths.

30. Game day

Imagine your students walking into class on the first day to find a stack of board game boxes! Games actually make terrific icebreakers, and lots of them help you with team building too. Try cooperative party games like Codenames, Herd Mentality, Pictionary, or Decrypto. Find more terrific classroom games here.

31. Balloon tower

First break your class into small groups of four to six students. Then supply each group with many multisized balloons and masking tape. Give each group several minutes to brainstorm techniques before they actually start building. Finally, challenge each group to build the tallest tower they can. We love that this activity will get even the shyest of students talking!

32. Stations

Set up stations around the classroom and provide each station with a sentence starter. Then have students complete that sentence. Once that is done, have them gather at the appropriate station and share what they filled out for their sentence starter. Then, attach the sticky to the wall at that station and rotate the kids. Be sure to keep the groups small, so quieter kids aren't able to hide. As far as high school and middle school icebreakers go, we think this one will certainly get kids talking without feeling too self-conscious.

33. Hot Seat

One student sits in the Hot Seat with their back to the whiteboard while the other students sit facing them. Once the teacher writes a word on the board, the students not in the hot seat must get the designated player to guess the word without saying it!

What high school and middle school icebreakers do you use? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

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33 Icebreakers for Middle and High School Students That Really Work

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The first day of school is a key time for getting to know students. Try these truly meaningful high school and middle school icebreakers.

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43 Awesome Team-Building Games and Activities for Kids

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Students will have fun while learning how to cooperate and communicate.

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If you're looking for a new and creative way to introduce yourself to students this year, we've got you covered! We gathered lots of terrific ideas, including some from teachers on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. They range from quick and easy options to some that will take some planning, but they're all great ways to start the new year off on the right note.

1. Do a Teacher Feature on school social media

Lots of schools use their social media accounts to introduce teachers, like this example from @tstlongview. Propose the idea at your school, suggesting they do a teacher a day in the weeks leading up to back-to-school time.

2. Have last year's students introduce you

This fun learning activity not only allows your current students to introduce you to next year's class, it gives you a chance to get feedback about how this year has gone! See how this teacher runs the lesson with her students.

3. Send postcards to introduce yourself

No time for a full letter? Try postcards instead. "I took a picture of me playing fetch with my trusty golden retriever and sent it to each of my new students over the summer," James C. shares. "On the back, I wrote a short note introducing myself and telling them how excited I was to have them in my class." See how The Techie Teacher uses this idea here.

4. Show them a slideshow

Lots of teachers use a slideshow to introduce themselves. We've made it even easier to create one with our free editable template-grab it here!

5. Introduce yourself with a quiz

First-day quizzes are a really popular way to introduce yourself to students. Kahoot even has an easy-to-customize template just for getting to know your teacher! Lisa T. does a slideshow about herself on the first day and then follows up on the second day with a quiz to see how much they remember.

6. Share your talents

Students expect the usual bio intro-I'm Ms. Smith, I've been teaching for 10 year, etc. But why not open with a bit of pizzazz by sharing one of your unique talents with students? Play a song on your trumpet, pass out cookies you made, display a quilt you made. Opening up with something personal will encourage your students to do the same.

7. Plan a meet-the-teacher escape room

OK, we admit this is going to take some work. But it's a surefire way to amp up student excitement from day one! Set up an escape room to help kids learn more about you and explore the classroom at the same time. See how Mskcpotter does it here.

8. Play 20 Questions

After a brief introduction, open the floor to students' questions about yourself and the coming year. This is a great way to reveal students' wishes and hopes for the year as well as any concerns that are lurking beneath the surface. Be sure to have a "pass" option if students ask any questions that are too personal for you so you can deflect with good humor.

9. Use a student-created brochure

Emily F. lets her previous year's class help her introduce herself to incoming students. Then she gives a quiz to see if kids really took the time to read it! "At the end of the year, I have my students make a brochure for next year's students. If the kids read it, they get a lot of answers to my quiz questions right." Looking for a template? We like this one from Teacher Trap.

10. Decorate a Bitmoji virtual classroom

Whether you're teaching in person or online, Bitmoji classrooms are a fantastic way to show off your personality. This one from The Social Studies World of Ms. J has clickable images to take students to different important links. Learn how to create your own here.

11. Read, run, and write

Get your students working collaboratively and focusing on their writing skills right away with this activity from the Busy Teacher . Write a list of facts about yourself-your background, family, hobbies, etc.-and post several copies of the list in the front of the room.

Divide your class into small teams and give each team a sheet of paper. One student in each group will stay at their desk while the others take turns running up to the board, reading and memorizing as much as they can before running back to the student at the desk who will listen and write down what they're told. The first group to correctly write down the full list wins.

12. Build a word cloud

Word clouds are fun to make, and you can use this as an activity for all your students on the first day if you like. Make your own using instructions from Happy Hooligans using words that describe your background, hobbies, style, and more. Plus, check out these free word cloud generators for teachers.

13. Set up a question-and-answer match

Fourth grade teacher Lori Silviera shares this fun activity: "I make Q and A's on index cards about me," she says, "and then the students try to find a classmate who has the answer or question that matches the card they get. After they partner, the person with the question reads it and then the partner that has the answer reads it to the rest of the class. For example: How many pets do I have? (One cat named Lenny)."

14. Make a photo book to introduce yourself

Start the year by reading your kids a book that's all about you! Heidi J. says, "Last year, I made an 'ABC' photo book on Shutterfly and included one thing about myself for each letter of the alphabet. (And yes, I really had to stretch to figure out 'X' and 'Q.') After reading it to my students on the first day of school, I left it in the classroom library. The kids read it over and over again throughout the year." Learn how teacher Sarah Chesworth uses her autobiography with her class here.

15. Create a Fakebook profile

It's not a great idea to show students your real social media pages. Instead, create a "Fakebook" profile, like teacher Marissa Q. does. Use the free online tool, or mock up one on paper, sharing interesting facts, photos, and other info about you that you're comfortable with kids knowing.

16. Model a survey

Try this fun and educational activity from the Art of Education. Student questionnaires/surveys are a great way to get to know your students, and for students to have an opportunity to share things with you at the start of the school year. Ask things like, "Do you have a nickname or middle name that you go by instead of what is on the roster?" "What is your preferred pronoun?" "How do you like to receive feedback?" etc. We like this list of questions from the Inspiration Board.

17. Let students research your life

Introduce yourself to your students with a lesson on gathering info from trustworthy primary sources. "I give students a stack of primary documents from my life (letters, report cards, class pictures, etc.) with all the sensitive information blacked out," eighth grade teacher Phil L. says. "I ask the students to create a timeline from that information, hypothesize about what happened in the gaps, and draw conclusions about the kind of person they think I am."

18. Try a game of This and That

Your new students will love this hands-on "get to know you" game from Amateur Craft Hour. The game begins with the first person securing a ball of yarn to their wrist. Then, they choose a stick with a word written on each side-for example, fame and money. They choose which one they would prefer. Then, they ask those who would make the same choice to raise their hand and toss the yarn to one of them. Play continues until the yarn has woven quite a web illustrating that we are all connected in some way.

19. Hold a scavenger hunt

Jan R. expands on the research activity by turning her students into detectives. She puts all the documents in envelopes marked TOP SECRET and stashes them around her room. She even gives them magnifying glasses to read the fine print! Use the free printables from Moms & Munchkins to make this even more fun.

20. Introduce yourself in a movie

It's a bit more work, but teachers point out that you can use these to introduce yourself again and again. Plus, a movie works in both regular and virtual classrooms. Many teachers already have access to iMovie on their school computers. Learn how to use it here.

21. Introduce yourself on Flip

Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is the best interactive tool you're not using yet. It allows teachers and kids to record and safely post short videos ... and it's completely free! Record a Flip video to introduce yourself to students, then have them do the same. Whether you're teaching in person or online, this is such a fun way for everyone to get to know each other.

22. Let them do the math

Sneak a little math review into your teacher introduction with this clever idea! Come up with a series of facts about you that can be represented in numbers, then turn those into math problems. This works at a variety of grade levels, and kids always get such a kick out of it! Learn more from The Magnificent Fourth Grade Year.

23. Design a T-shirt

Wear your personality on your sleeve! Draw the outline of a shirt and decorate it with information about yourself. Have your students do the same and then use them to adorn your room, like Counseling Corner does. (Feeling ambitious? Decorate and wear a real T-shirt instead!)

24. Draw a name map

Mapping is an excellent writing strategy, and you can teach the concept early on with a fun name map. Create one to introduce yourself on the first day of class, then have your students do the same. Find out more from TeachWithMe.com.

25. Put together a name tent

Name tents work in traditional or virtual classrooms. In an in-person classroom, prop this on your desk for the first week or so. Online, post the image during breaks or leave it on the corner of the screen. (Kids can do this activity too!) Learn more from Spark Creativity.

26. Give them the scoop on you

Is there any cuter way to introduce yourself to your students? If you really want to guarantee yourself the "best teacher ever" award, you could have an ice cream sundae party to go along with it! Learn more from True Life I'm a Teacher.

27. Let your star shine

"Every week during the year, one student is Star of the Week and they get to display a collage of their favorite things in the classroom," says Judith G. "For the first week, I'm the star and my collage allows my students to get to know me." Use this example from Amanda Hager on Pinterest for inspiration.

28. Dress the part

"I know my students think of me as a bit of a geek (hey, what can I say, I'm a math teacher!) so I totally geek out for the first day of school," admits Greg S. "I wear a pi T-shirt and thick glasses and really play up the geeky math teacher thing." Want to go all out? Try these teacher dresses that make you look just like Ms. Frizzle!

29. Play Red Light, Green Light, getting-to-know-you style

Here's a fun twist on the classic "Two Truths and a Lie" (another teacher-introduction favorite). Line kids up on one end of the room or playground. Stand on the other side, and make a statement about yourself. If students think the statement is true, they take one step forward. If they're wrong, they go back to the start! The first student to reach you is the winner. Learn more about this unique way to introduce yourself from Rulin' the Roost.

30. Write an autobiographical poem

This idea comes from Brianna H., who says, "I like to do an autobiographical poem. I do a model about myself to use as a guide for them. Students write their own using the template and then write it on construction paper and cut out images to create a collage around it." See this project in action from Melulater.

31. Show them you're one part of the puzzle

Use this cute idea to introduce yourself and create a terrific back-to-school bulletin board all at once! Personalize your puzzle piece with pictures or facts about yourself. Have kids do the same, and put all the pieces together to make a terrific mural for your classroom. Learn more from Supply Me.

32. Assemble a picture collage

Use pictures to make a collage that tells kids about you with pictures instead of words. "We do a Get to Know Me in Pictures," says Paige T. "I made one for myself and I introduce myself to the whole class using mine." If you really want to get creative, make your collage in the shape of your silhouette. Learn how from Kix. (This works online too- try it using Padlet.)

33. Map out a timeline of your life

Draw a timeline on the whiteboard before you introduce yourself, suggests Jan R. As you share facts about yourself from different points in your life, have kids come up and add those events to the right place on the timeline. Make it even more fun by adding photos from your life, like this one from Surfin' Through Second.

34. Craft a get-to-know-you cloudburst

This simple and colorful craft lets students know what's important to you. Have them make their own so you can get to know them too. Hat tip to GuysTeachToo on Instagram for this idea.

35. Write a Mystery Box essay

Dawn M. explains, "I put 3 items that represent me in a bag and use it to teach the 5-paragraph essay format. Each item is one paragraph of my essay. Then I share my essay with the kids and pull each item out while reading that item's paragraph." She follows up by having kids write their own introductory essays using the same format. See how one teacher uses this activity at Welcome to Room 36!

36. Pop an emoji bubble

We love this clever little game that works with Google Slides and is perfect for virtual or traditional classrooms. Students pick an emoji and "pop" the bubble, and you answer the question to tell them a bit about yourself. Kids can play too! Get the game from SSSTeaching on Teachers Pay Teachers.

How do you introduce yourself to your students? Come share your ideas and get advice on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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36 Unique Ways To Introduce Yourself to Students This Year

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Make a meaningful first impression when you introduce yourself to students using these engaging ideas. Your students can use them too!

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Day 1

Nothing is more important than building a strong relationship with your students. John C. Maxwell, who, according to Inc. magazine, is "widely considered to be one of the world's top leadership thinkers," said, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Creating a safe, free-from-failing classroom environment sets all your students up for a risk-taking mindset. To reach a student's mind, you need to first touch their heart and let them know you're there for them, you care about them as a human being, and you believe in them. You should also make sure you can pronounce their names correctly from the start; take notes on pronunciations as needed.

About you: Students, like adults, make split-second judgments, so how you begin those first couple of minutes of the first class period will tell your students more than you can imagine. Leave going over the class syllabus to day two or three; today, let's get to know one another. Do something upbeat, light, and fun to help you get to know your students. Here are some suggestions. Let students see that you're a genuine person. Share a little about yourself: hobbies, struggles you had in school, favorite lessons to teach, why you got into teaching, pets, etc.

About your students: Pair up students with one another, and have them create a four-slide PowerPoint presentation about each other. Have the students give their presentations to the class or in small groups. Here are some ideas for slides:

Slide one: What name do you like to be called (pronunciation and/or nickname)?

Slide two: What's something interesting about you-a hobby, you're double-jointed, you moved here from Portugal?

Slide three: What's your favorite place to be and why?

Slide four: What's one thing you'd like to learn more about?

Give a student survey. This can be in digital form or with paper and pencil, or in smaller classrooms, you can verbally ask your students to tell you more about themselves. For example:

What name do you like to be called?

How do you learn best-hands-on, reading, listening, independent, small group?

What are your interests?

How do you like to be recognized for accomplishments and hard work?

Is there anything else I should know that will impact your learning-a job, sports, a caregiver, challenges?

A group activity to assess leadership styles and work ethic: Have students, in groups of three, create the tallest tower in 10 minutes. Students can use toothpicks and marshmallows, dried spaghetti and marshmallows, Popsicle sticks and clay, or anything that's easily accessible. Listen to their conversations and take notes:

Who took charge?

Who is sitting back and observing?

Who is the problem solver?

Day 2

Students, like adults, want to know, "What's the plan?" "Are there procedures or processes to follow in the classroom, leaving the classroom, in the hallway, and cafeteria?" "Will this be a 'positive intent' type of classroom or a 'gotcha doing wrong' type of classroom?" "How will I know if I am doing and learning what I'm supposed to?" "What if I don't follow the expectations?"

Create classroom norms together. Go over and demonstrate the procedures and processes of everything that will or might take place in your classroom. For example:

Restroom procedures

Homework policy

Where to find classroom supplies and what the policy is for using them

Syllabus

Using affirming statements when you see students following the procedures and processes is a simple way to reinforce their new learning. Talk to your students about positive affirmations:

Explain what they are.

Ask students how they like to receive positive affirmations (whole class or individual recognition).

Clarify whether you set classroom or team goals.

Day 3

As we continue to work on processes and procedures, it's imperative that all students understand the reason why academic talk will be a part of every lesson, every day, and the expectations. Explain to your students why discussing what they're learning is one of the most valuable steps in the learning process. To illustrate this, show a video of students using a talking structure-Numbered Heads Together, think-pair-share, etc.

It's also important to explicitly clarify everyone's role in the discussion process, whether it's in groups of two or five. Use the "fishbowl" approach and have students model the process.

Teach collaboration and communication skills by grouping students into pairs, triads, quads, or quintets, and practice. Pose engaging topics. For example: Should there be recess or no recess? What are the traits of a good teacher? What makes lessons engaging? Discuss a hot topic that's currently in the news, but as always be selective to avoid something too controversial or divisive. Finally, practice, practice, practice.

Day 4

Now students are ready to learn, so it's time to go back to the students' perceptions. It's important to be explicitly clear about the learning and why the students need to learn the content. What's the relevance to the students? When will they apply the new knowledge and how? This is all part of creating smooth processes and procedures, leaving nothing to chance. For instance, with bell work, students' questions likely will include the following:

"What is it; why are we doing it?"

"What do I do when I'm finished with it?"

"What if I just got here and haven't even started the bell work and the teacher is collecting it?"

"Does it count for or against my grade?"

Day 5

It's time to engage the learners and dive into the very first lesson of the school year. You've prepared meticulously and everything is ready to go. You've asked and answered the questions:

What am I going to do to engage students in the content to help them see the relevance of learning this concept?

What connections do they already have to the content?

Will I start with a story? Video? Article? What materials will I need?

What structures are in place for them to discuss and process their new learning?

How will I know that everyone understands the concepts or processes throughout the lesson?

How will they practice their new learning in some form of application?

How should I wrap up the lesson and begin building the bridge to tomorrow's, so that they are eager to return and learn more.

Go Slow to Go Fast

The adage "go slow to go fast" was written for teachers beginning a new school year. If you take your time to intentionally teach every procedure and process that might come up during a regular school day, with nothing left to chance, you're simply adding days of instruction back into your semester or school year, because everything has been spelled out, practiced, and reviewed, so that you won't need to use instructional time to explain simple structures.

Every school's expectations for the first few days are a little different. Some schools have preassessments that teachers must conduct, some have benchmarking assessments, and others have specific academic expectations.

Regardless of what those required expectations are for your school, you want to explicitly teach, review, practice, and enjoy your new learning community. Being prepared before the first day can help ensure that you can meet these goals and have a productive and rewarding school year.

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Nothing is more important than building a strong relationship with your students. John C. Maxwell, who, according to Inc. magazine, is "widely considered to be one of the world's top leadership thinkers," said, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

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Are you struggling with Children with big emotions. . . Overwhelmed administrators. . . Teachers burning out. . . Students feeling unsafe. . . Teachers

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中文课玩过的游戏 Games and Activities Done in Chinese Classes .docx

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30 Icebreaker Activities for High School and Middle School Students

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30 icebreaker activities for high school and middle school students that will help teenagers get to know each other and promote learning.

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31 Icebreaker Games For Teens For ANY Situation

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31 Icebreaker Games For Teens For ANY Situation

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31 Icebreaker Games For Teens For ANY Situation

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Help teens overcome social awkwardness and nervousness with these innovative icebreaker games that spark conversations and teamwork.

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In response to the fear- and hate-mongering alive in our country today, I have joined Julie Landsman?a writer, teacher, and activist based in Minneapolis?to create the I Am From Project. Through our website ( iamfromproject.com) and Facebook page, we?re collecting art from around the country prompted by that theme. You can listen to our interview on the National Writing Project radio here: https://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/4673.

We want to gather the diversity of our voices, and we plan to archive the results online and to present them, in some form, in D.C. We?d love to have your voice among them!

The Kentucky Arts Council has wrapped up my Where I'm From?project with a total of 731 poems from eighty-three counties. My thanks to everyone at the Council, especially Tamara Coffey, who put all those poems online. You can visit this website to find the map where you can click on any county and read offerings from poets of all ages.

"Where I'm From" grew out of my response to a poem from Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet (Orchard Books, 1989; Theater Communications Group, 1991) by my friend, Tennessee writer Jo Carson. All of the People Pieces, as Jo calls them, are based on things folks actually said, and number 22 begins, "I want to know when you get to be from a place. " Jo's speaker, one of those people "that doesn't have roots like trees, " tells us "I am from Interstate 40" and "I am from the work my father did. "

In the summer of 1993, I decided to see what would happen if I made my own where-I'm-from lists, which I did, in a black and white speckled composition book. I edited them into a poem - not my usual way of working - but even when that was done I kept on making the lists. The process was too rich and too much fun to give up after only one poem. Realizing this, I decided to try it as an exercise with other writers, and it immediately took off. The list form is simple and familiar, and the question of where you are from reaches deep.

Since then, the poem as a writing prompt has traveled in amazing ways. People have used it at their family reunions, teachers have used it with kids all over the United States, in Ecuador and China; they have taken it to girls in juvenile detention, to men in prison for life, and to refugees in a camp in the Sudan. Its life beyond my notebook is a testimony to the power of poetry, of roots, and of teachers. My thanks to all of you who have taken it to heart and handed it on. It's a thrill to read the poems you send me, to have a window into that many young souls.

I hope you won't stop there, though. Besides being a poem in its own right, "Where I'm From" can be a map for a lot of other writing journeys. Here are some things I've thought of:

Where to Go with "Where I'm From"

While you can revise (edit, extend, rearrange) your "Where I'm From" list into a poem, you can also see it as a corridor of doors opening onto further knowledge and other kinds of writing. The key is to let yourself explore these rooms. Don't rush to decide what kind of writing you're going to do or to revise or finish a piece. Let your goal be the writing itself. Learn to let it lead you. This will help you lead students, both in their own writing and in their response as readers. Look for these elements in your WIF poem and see where else they might take you:

a place could open into a piece of descriptive writing or a scene from memory.

your parents' work could open into a memory of going with them, helping, being in the way. Could be a remembered dialogue between your parents about work. Could be a poem made from a litany of tools they used.

an important event could open into freewriting all the memories of that experience, then writing it as a scene, with description and dialogue. It's also possible to let the description become setting and directions and let the dialogue turn into a play.

food could open into a scene at the table, a character sketch of the person who prepared the food, a litany of different experiences with it, a process essay of how to make it.

music could take you to a scene where the music is playing; could provide you the chance to interleave the words of the song and words you might have said (or a narrative of what you were thinking and feeling at the time the song was first important to you ("Where I'm Singing From").

something someone said to you could open into a scene or a poem which captures that moment; could be what you wanted to say back but never did.

a significant object could open into a sensory exploration of the object-what it felt, sounded, smelled, looked, and tasted like; then where it came from, what happened to it, a memory of your connection with it. Is there a secret or a longing connected with this object? A message? If you could go back to yourself when this object was important to you, what would you ask, tell, or give yourself?

Remember, you are the expert on you. No one else sees the world as you do; no one else has your material to draw on. You don't have to know where to begin. Just start. Let it flow. Trust the work to find its own form.

Where Others Have Gone with "Where I'm From"

Watch a visual poem based on "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon, created by Julia Daniel for Tamalpais High School's Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media (AIM), fall 2010:

A Young Artist's Own "Where I'm From" in Words and Image:
In Winter of 2008, Sage Hennequin Kuhens was enrolled in University of South Carolina Upstate's "Write Here, Write Now: Sharing Slices of Life Through the Magic of Digital Storytelling," a series of writing and publishing workshops sponsored by the Spartanburg Community Writing Center. At eight years old, Sage was the youngest among her group of about 50 or so students, and was determined to be as independent as she could be. Her delightful instructor, Tasha Thomas, encouraged her independence.

I'm from big blue herons to small river otters,
I'm from big Metasequioas to tall stalks of bamboo,
I'm from cousins that were unknown to the closest of friends,
I'm from my mom and dad to my lab-beagle dog, albino rats, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches,
I'm from roaring water falls to silent flowing streams,
I'm from terrifying Zombie walks and Scarowinds to a gentle princess-loving godsister and godbrother
I'm from pepperoni pizza to microwaved meatballs,
I'm from my inspiration station drawing and writing to a homemade book,
I'm from my old dog Chani to red-shouldered hawks,
I'm from Jack the magic clown to my weird parents,
I'm from a tiny baby to an educated sister showing baby MinMin what school's like,
I'm from bold looking deer to relaxing foxes,
I'm from making a fire in the county to ridin' in a cotton combine,
I'm from a fan of Alexa Vega and Miley Cyrus to a spy lovin' tween (me),
I'm from playing with cockroaches with a friend to Joe and I together,
I'm from my heritages to Mom's mystery heritages,
I have an opinion that none can change...life is great!

-Sage Hennequin Kuhens 1-29-08

The Hale Pono Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii posted ?Where I?m From? by Dixie Castillo on their blog. Read it here.

Here?s a poem based on ?Where I?m From? written by an eighth grade student as part of a study of The Killer Angels. The lesson plan is here.

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official site of george ella lyon writer and teacher

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new words: poems from the appalachian poetry project

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Where I'm From, a poem by George Ella Lyon, writer and teacher

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Where I'm From, a poem by George Ella Lyon, writer and teacher

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https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ddi6ti7c61EJCjV3gfIUXQ?clickpos=0&clicktag=bar_share&scene=294&from_safari=1

How to make an index card towel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2_bPQuRZE4

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开学第一天，AP语法创新教学活动大揭秘 🏰

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暑假一回来，学生是不是已经不记得怎么说中文了？\x0a\x0a用课堂活动来唤醒他们的记忆吧。\x0a\x0a很多老师用了这个搭高塔活动，我们也可以把它运用在AP教学里。\x0a\x0a活动设计\x0a预热阶段： 学生观看一段关于中国学生暑假生活的短视频，激发兴趣并复习相关词汇。\x0a\x0a小组讨论： 学生分组，讨论自己的暑假经历，找共同点。 \x0a\x0a卡片创作： ...

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Get to Know Your Memory High Level 1st Day of School 

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Get to Know Your Memory High Level 1st Day of School 

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We're back in full swing: I've met my Little Darlings, learned most of their names, reprogramed by bladder schedule and have been in bed by 8:00 every night...sounds like Back to School!

Here's a new game I'm using with my Spanish4s and APs. It would also be great with Heritage Learners and Level 3s. It's got an output focus, so this is NOT one for your lower levels at the start of the year! Remember, those language babies need loads and loads of input!! The credit for this game goes to my sister because she told me that my original idea was lame. She totally reworked the game and I was dubious that there could be TWO Game Creators in ONE family, but she was right and this is WAY better than my original, lame idea.

AND IT'S NO PREP, SO HALLELUJIAH!

Here's how to play:

1. Give each student 3 small pieces of paper and instruct them to write their name on all three papers.

2. Students need to think of 3 facts about themselves. They do NOT write these down, they just think of them. To help out my Spanish 4s (and to help keep their output cleanish) I gave them sentence starters:

Tengo... (I have...) It could be "I have 3 brothers" or "I have a ferret named Mrs. Pigglewiggle" or "I have a 1982 Ford Mustang" or... whatever. But the goal is to get to know each other, so it has to be true!

Soy...(I am...) "I am a soccer player" or "I am the oldest in my family" or "I am Mexican American" or "I am the tallest person in this class" or "I am from Michigan" or...

Nací en...(I was born in...) / Fui a... (I went to...) For this one students picked one of the two options. "I went to the gas station this morning" OR "When I was 7, I went to Disneyland" OR "I was born in Kansas City or...

(But of course, you could make it anything you want: I love.... I hate... My favorite class is...)

For AP and Heritage Classes, you might make the sentence starters optional, to help them think of a fact if they're stuck, but not to limit them. We played this as a department in English at our first meeting and I learned some fascinating things about my colleagues! (I work with a Karate Black Belt!)

3. Then divide the students into groups of 4-5 . (If you want the game to go quicker, do fewer students, if you want to make it longer or harder, go with more students.) My favorite way to divide students is Flippity's Name Picker which has a new template that allows you to drop all your classes into one template and gives you a unique link for each class.

4. Once students are in their groups, they introduce themselves and share their three facts. I had this on the board to assist:

5. All students put their name papers face down on the table or floor, mix them up and spread them out.

6. Now explain the rules:

The youngest (or tallest or bravest or the one that lives closest to the school or...) student picks one paper and...

If she picks her own name, she returns it to the table, face down, and loses her turn. 😣

If she picks another student's paper and can say one of that student's facts, in Spanish, she keeps the name paper and earns a point. 🎉

If she picks another student's paper and can't remember a fact or can't say it in Spanish, she returns the paper and her turn is over😵

Now...facts can't be repeated, so let's say Max's paper is drawn the first time and the other student announces, "Max, you are the captain of the Academic Team" and keeps the paper. The next time Max's paper is drawn, whoever drew his paper must say a different fact about Max, "You have 6 horses". The third time Max's paper is drawn, the student must state Max's final fact: " This morning you went to the wrong class". Facts do not have to be said in order, they just can't be restated.

When students draw a paper, they look at that person and announce the fact in the "you" form. To remind my Little Darlings about those pesky endings, this is projected on board:

Students play until there are no name papers left to draw, and the winner is the student with the most papers. In the case of a tie, we settle everything with Rock, Paper, Scissors. If you've got time left, shuffle the teams and play again!

And of course, since our goal is to load the Little Darlings up with lots of comprehensible language, you'll want to explain the game in your target language:

(I'd love to add the instructions in other languages, so if you're so inclined, grab a copy and share it back with me: senora chase at gmail dot com!)

If you're heading back to school soon and are looking for some super practical suggestions for setting up some procedures to address the most annoying of student behaviors before they become annoying, be sure to check out this recorded training: Set for Success, Starting the School Year Right.

Happy Back to School, dear friends!

❤️️🍎, AnneMarie

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We're back in full swing: I've met my Little Darlings, learned most of their names, reprogramed by bladder schedule and have been in bed by 8:00 every night...sounds like Back to School! Here's a new game I'm using with my Spanish4s and APs. It would also be great with Heritage Learners and Level 3s.

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I love the Beginning of the Year in Spanish 1. They come so excited to learn and soak it up like sponges! Instead of spending the first few days yammering away about the syllabus (zzzzzzzzzzzzz) lo…

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I can't wait to share this activity with you! Shout out to Tami, Barbara and Sra. Garcia for sharing with me!

Click here to watch the original TikTok by Mrs. Garcia (I said Gonzales in the podcast but her name is Garcia. I apologize!)

The doors to my PL Community, La Familia Loca, are open this week! If you'd like to transform your school year and receive year round support, inspiration, and resources, within a community of individuals who really "get it" then this is the PLC for you! Just click here to learn more!

The doors close Friday, August 19th at 6pm CDT!

Click here for a letter to request funding from your school or department head!

I would LOVE to welcome YOU as our newest member to our familia! Connect with me:
This episode is available on and Subscribe so you're notified of new episodes!
Transcript Welcome
Welcome to Teaching la vida loca a podcast for World Language Teachers seeking inspiration, unapologetic authenticity and guidance in centering joy and facilitating language acquisition to the people who matter most are. I'm your host, Annabelle. Most people call me la Maestra loca. I'm an educator just like you and inspiring teachers is it Hi there and welcome to episode 15 of teaching la Vida loca. I'm glad you are here.
First day activity
Today I want to talk to you about an awesome epic, wonderful, revolutionary even. I don't know that it's revolutionary, but I loved it. activity for the first week of school or even first day I did it my first day with students. It was also my first day ever with these students.
My Grandma
Before I start, I just want to acknowledge that I am not necessarily my normal, bubbly self. My grandma passed away last night and I'm okay. And I know she's okay. She hasn't really been herself for the last three, even four or five years she's suffered with vascular dementia. And today was a day. I was incredibly grateful to be a teacher. I try and practice gratitude every day and especially reflecting on things I'm grateful for throughout my day with my students. But today, especially I was grateful for their smiles for the joy I felt playing brain breaks with them for their love and compassion. I had one student give me a stuffy to carry around all day. And I did. It was a comfort for me. So I'm feeling very grateful to be an educator today. And I'm grateful to do this for you tonight and talk to you about this epic game for you to play on day one of school and again, it doesn't have to be day one. But I know you're gonna love it.
The activity
I learned this from two people in my PLC community. La Familia loca. Tammy and Barbara and both ladies introduced it to me during our monthly workshop at the beginning of the month. And they said oh Annabelle, there's this lady on Tik Tok. She introduced us to this new game, you have to try it. So, they shared the tic toc with me, it's by Miss Gonzales on tick tock. I'll go ahead and share the original video with you as well. The idea is instead of just going through a PowerPoint about yourself, for students to learn about you have them learn about you in a different way. Make it a puzzle, make it a game. Oh my gosh, this was so epic.
Introducing myself
So day one, what I did was introduced myself, I told you all in my last podcast episode, I'm all about English, English, English the first week and a half, two weeks even more if you need really establishing community building connections, setting up expectations, etc. And I didn't really tell them too much about me. After about 15 minutes of like setting up initial expectations teaching a brain break teaching our callback. I said okay, we're going to complete a puzzle for you to learn a little bit about me. And I modeled it first. I asked two students to join me at the front of the classroom, we sat on the floor, I opened a plastic baggie. And inside I had cut up 10 sentence strips, you could have more or less depending on the age you're teaching how you feel about this activity, you might want to do more if you teach older students, I had third and fourth graders, so 10 sentences. And in each sentence, there was a part of the sentence that was missing one word, and I just left that place blank. So it was like a space that they could fill in. So, inside the bag 10 cut up sentence strips. And also there were 10 words, those words would fit into those blanks. So, for example, one sentence that I would pull out to model with them. I had a student read it out loud. And the student would say, Maestra's favorite place she's ever been to was blank. And then I pulled out a word for the other student who was sitting with me to read and they would say turtle as a class A does that make any sense? Nice, just favorite places ever been to was turtle? And they would giggle? No, I'm like, Okay, let's try a different word. pulled out a different word. And this person would read India. I said, does that make sense? They would say yeah, it could be. And so, I'd say Oh, but could it also be Florida? Could it also be Ireland? So, I was hinting to them that there were multiple places in the bag. There were multiple animals in the bag. There were also multiple numbers in the bag.
Gathering students
So, I made sure that I went through that activity first myself to make sure that there were enough answers that made sense. There weren't any gotcha moments where students would be intentionally confused. And to be clear, I did not talk about myself before I introduced this activity to them. They had no idea; they knew nothing about me. The beautiful thing about this activity was, I partnered them myself, I did not let them choose their own groups. I knew nothing about the students, nothing. I'm literally day one learning their names as well. The beautiful thing about this activity is you learn a lot very quickly about students. By doing this, I quickly paired them just counted them off, got them into groups, they sat on the floor and groups of three, and teams of three, there was a couple teams of two occasionally. And I gave them this plastic bag. I of course, made it dramatic and fun and like showered the papers over them threw them up in the air, it was very dramatic, very exciting. And they got to work. I narrated groups that I saw using teamwork, I said, oh, I noticed this group is flipping all the answers over so they can read them all clearly first, even if I didn't see any groups doing that just to give them a little head start and a little help. And then I walked around.
Listen to your new students
And I just listened and observed. I learned very quickly who my strong leaders were. I learned very quickly who my people were that were fighting for equity of voice and making sure that everybody had a chance to participate. I learned very quickly who my students were that were just going to sit back and let everybody else do it for them. I also learned very quickly my students who wanted to dominate and do all of the work. So very quickly, I was learning about personalities in one activity that I just it was it was awesome. And then at the end I said Okay, class A everybody look up at the screen, we're gonna find out the answers. And together we learned about me through the PowerPoint after they did the work. And then they were so cute with their little celebrations. Like yes, I knew she had two kids, not three kids. I didn't know you spoke three languages. You speak three languages. What other language do you speak, it was really, really special, hugely unifying and community building. And I loved that I learned so much about them while they were as a team trying to learn about me. Shout out again to Tammy Barbara and Miss Gonzales on Tik Tok for introducing it to me and for creating it. I love, love, love the idea and I'm grateful for having used it and I hope that y'all love it too.
La Familia Loca
Before I go, I want to invite you to be a member of my professional learning community la Familia loca. The doors are open this week, the doors only open two or three times a year. I've spoken about this group a few times on the podcast. But I want to take the opportunity to extend this invite right now while the doors of the community are open. But Familia loca is a professional learning community where I work to develop and enhance your skills when it comes to acquisition driven instruction, and facilitating language acquisition for your students in a group of like-minded individuals who really center positivity and all the things that they do to unlock unprecedented joy for you and your students. And I know that sounds a little cheesy, but honestly, that is the result that members talk most frequently about is how they feel more joyful in their classrooms, how they sense more joy from their students, and how grateful they are for the community of teachers who really work to focus on the positives, and constantly work to improve and get better. The way the program works is each month we have a strategy and focus, I present on that strategy and focus. You then take that to your classrooms, the different activities I suggest the different strategies I'm teaching you, you apply it in your own classroom, you figure out what went really well highlight the positives, and then come back with what felt tricky and sticky. We talk as a community, we have our community worktime session, we work out the things that didn't feel right and talk about why. And we also are just accountability buddies for our boundaries that we set and everything else when it comes to education.
Monthly benefits
There are seven monthly benefits in the community. The first is the monthly webinar with me. We have a guest of the month I hire an expert in the field of world language education. We've had Justin Slocum- Bailey, Paul Kirkland, Diana Noonan, Mark Mulaney, Jenny. We've had so many people profe Delgadillo. They come and join us each month for an intimate q&a session. We also have a community worktime session where you work with all of the high school language teachers, or all of the middle school language teachers, all the elementary teachers to really hash out what is going well, what's feeling tricky in your classroom. There are resources every month released in English, Spanish and French. These resources are used to support and enhance what you're doing already in your classroom. Sometimes it's a giant mini unit, a current event unit, culture unit, a clip chat unit, with all the activities needed worksheets for your students, etc. That goes out every month. There's also the land map session, which is my favorite, land map session means a little bit extra. It's something totally unrelated to teaching, yoga, we've had painting classes, we've had Zumba, we do trivia nights. This year. This week, we're doing Family Feud. We have one of those events every single month. Sometimes it's just a happy hour. We also have a live q&a session, which is essentially group coaching where you come and you ask me any questions that are on your mind, three members per month get chosen for hot seat, where they are in charge of 15 minutes of those questions. And then the last 15 minutes are for anybody. And then the final benefit is really the community itself. It wasn't always called La Familia Loca PLC. It actually started as live with our loca. And I've been doing this for three years and a year and a half ago, I had to rebrand it completely because everybody in the community within Facebook itself, we were calling each other familia, familia.
Collaborating as a family
And while the membership portal is not through Facebook, we have our own membership portal where all of the recordings are uploaded, all of the resources are uploaded, we all collaborate within Facebook. And that's where it's really magic. I've seen teachers experience a loss in their family. And within hours of reaching out to community, they have lesson plans and ideas to be able to use for their substitutes the next day. Sometimes it's just about going and sharing something that happened. That was awesome. Sometimes, like today I went and I cried and just talked about how hard today was but how grateful I was for students. So it's really about the community. It's about growing as a professional, around people who really get it. Sometimes if you're a department ofone, or sometimes it feels like your department of one. Having that sense of community really can completely transform your school year.
Join us!
So if you're ready to transform your school year, and you'd like to learn more about la familia loca PLC, please go ahead and click the link that is listed in the show notes. I would love to have you. I've also included in the shownotes a letter. If you click it, it'll create a forced copy. You can ask for funding right now at the beginning of the year is the perfect time to ask for funding from your school. And I would love to welcome you as our newest member to La Familia loca PLC. There's truly nothing on the planet, at least professionally. I'm very proud of my children, but nothing professionally that I am more proud of than this community and the people inside of it. If you're already a member of La Familia loca. I love you. I love you and I'm so grateful for you. And thank you for listening teacher. Until next time, I'll be teaching la vida loca and I'm sure you will be.

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Episode 15: The PERFECT Activity for Day 1!

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I can't wait to share this activity with you! Shout out to Tami, Barbara and Sra. Garcia for sharing with me!

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NPR’s Morning Edition wants to hear about the people or places you come from. Drawing on all five senses, craft a poem about your home, using memories and your own words.

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Project Idea for Any Topics

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Inside - Name Game Speedball. Need Spanish icebreakers? This is the best activity for any new group of students the 1st day of Spanish class name game ice breaker. A go-to lesson for the 1st day of Spanish class.

The name game Speedball was originally published 8.13.18 (based on a post & original idea by Allison Wienhold on Mis Clases Locas in 2014) & most recently updated on 7.11.24

The Best Name Game Ice Breaker

Whenever I have a new group of students, this is my go-to activity for the first day as a Spanish icebreaker. I originally posted about my name game ice breaker, which I call Name Game Speedball in 2014, so it was time for an update since I played this game with 12 separate exploratory classes and every since class period when I started at a new school. Here are my go-to first-day plans with a new novice class.

**Update! Get new Name Game Slides in both Spanish & French for free at the bottom of this post! Use these to project to help teach the vocab & explain the rules.

1st Day of School - Name Game Speedball

*Catchy music in Spanish is playing* Instructions to make a name tag are posted on the board.
Greet every student at the door
shaking hands and saying in the target language:

Teacher - My name is Sra. W. What is your name?

Student - *blank stare* or joke about not speaking Spanish yet

Teacher - (repeats with exaggerated gestures) My name is Sra. W. What is your name?

Student - My name is...

Teacher - Repeats the students' names back with a welcoming greeting

Once everyone has been personally greeted and is wearing a nametag, motion for everyone to form a circle, do this in the target language with big gestures. In Spanish circle is a cognate, so they catch on quickly. In my deskless class, it is easy to form a big circle, but if you have desks I would make sure they are arranged so you have a lot of space on day 1.

Name Game Speedball
"I can introduce myself in the target language" Supplies - 1 ball to toss ( + optional project the Name Game Speedball Slides) Student Arrangement - Everyone standing in a big circle
Directions for the name game ice breaker

Example Round - Teacher models, as well as points to what is written on the board in the target language "My name is..." "What is your name?" and passes the ball to the student standing next to the teacher. This continues until everyone has been introduced. (If anyone laughs or makes fun of anyone immediately shut it down and emphasize that this is a safe and positive environment).

Round 1 - Teacher says in the target language "My name is..." "What is your name?" and underhand tosses the ball to another student, first making eye contact. Tell students they need to remember who throws it to them, and to who they throw it. This continues until everyone has been introduced. Repeat as many times as the class needs to get these phrases and the order down.

Speed Round 1 - Here it is important to challenge the kids and play it up that you bet they can't go through the whole order and beat a certain time or another class's record. I then ask for a timekeeper (who thinks it is awesome that they are getting to use their phone in class on day 1.) I record their new time each round on the board. This can keep going as long as there is high interest. The key is to end on a high note and keep them wanting more. To mix it up you can move to new phrases in Round 2 if they are catching on quickly.

Round 2 - Name Game Speedball

Teacher models "his/her name is..." During this round, everyone will say "My name is..." "His/her name is..." while making eye contact and tossing the ball to another student. This will continue until everyone has gotten it once. They will once again need to remember the order.

Name Game Speed Round 2 - You can now see if you can beat your own time from the first speed round. Once again end on a high note and keep them wanting more.

Optional challenge - See if anyone in the class can volunteer to name everyone. Give them a small treat if they can.

** Social Distancing Options for a name-game icebreaker

Here are some ways to play and learn names, while trying to maintain distance.

Play outside in a very large circle. Have everyone wear masks, and sanitize a ball, and hands before and after playing.

Play at desks facing the front without a ball. Have everyone stand in front of their desk. Instead of a ball students play, throwing an imaginary pass or "passing the snap." Or students could do a specific action and then pass it on.

Play seated if mobility or standing for a while is an issue.

Why Name Game Speedball?

The hidden agenda here of this Spanish icebreaker is that I want to learn every student's name on day one. So even if the students all know each other, let them know how important it is to you to learn their names, and they will appreciate it.

That along with building a positive and supportive classroom culture makes this the perfect first-day activity. If I remember, I also like to get a class picture on day one with everyone wearing their name tags. This way I can study if needed. It is also fun to look back on this group's pictures at the end of the year.
>> 15 Ways to Get Your Spanish Class Moving at the start of the year & beyond!

What if we have some extra time at the end of class?

With a little extra time, you can do first-week logistics as stations get logged into Google Classroom, Sr. Wooly, and other accounts for class, fill out a student interest survey, pass out the syllabus and parent newsletter, or go over class expectations.

There are always a ton of "must-do" activities from admin the first week, that I like to wait until the end of class to do since I want high engagement right away during the prime input time.

How can I use this game beyond day 1?

Speedball could be used for future classes with many new get-to-know-you phrases such as "I like" or "I am from," while doing the Super 7 unit in Spanish (or now French!). It is a great brain break and students love getting to move and throw a ball. You could use higher-level phrases in upper levels as well.
What to do on Day 2 of Spanish class?
On Day 2 of Spanish 1, we start our two-week Super 7 present tense unit, using special persona interviews to continue building our positive classroom community.

What about Spanish 2 and above day 1?

If you do not know the names of the class or they do not know each other, a quick round of name game speedball would still be great. You could mix it up so that they say something more advanced like "My name is... & I went to..." Then you could move into my 1st Day Plans for Spanish 2, 3 or 4.

If you are looking for more, my Back to School Bundle has everything you need for a successful first week. Or if you need a mix of everything in an uncertain year Super 7 Bundle.

*Update! Make sure to grab new Name Game Slides for free below

Use these to project to help teach the vocab & explain the rules. Thanks to mi amiga Profe Sierra for her help in collaboration with them.

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1st Day of Spanish 1 - Name Game Speedball

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The best ice-breaker for the first day of Spanish class is Name Game Speedball. get to know students and build a positive community.