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I found this little game a few years ago. When we have downtime or a few minutes left in the period, I just pull this out and we play it. Nothing to prepare. :) Here are a few links to other games like this...

Geography:

https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/ForChildren/Guess-Answers-Using-Three-Clues-50958.html

General:

https://www.baamboozle.com/game/203264

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I ask students to reflect on things they don’t like people to say or do in a group when they are working on math together. Students came up with quite a few important ideas. I then asked them to think of what they DO like people to say or do when working in a group. All the ideas went onto a poster as our agreed upon classroom norms that we can refer back to through the year.

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This was a fun activity to help get to know students on a different level. It revealed some unique things from whoever was sharing. The reason behind the lessons was that having students know you (and others) better will lead to student engagement in the classroom setting

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This school year, I've dedicated Fridays to students and their needs. Students have the choice to complete iReady lessons, silent read, work on missing assignments, resubmit work for a higher grade, test corrections, work on assignments for another class, etc. It's a good time for me to check in with students who are struggling and help them out and give them guidance as to which assignments will give them the most bang for their buck. We also use this time to play games like Heads Up, Seven Up, Silent Speed Ball, Boggle, etc. It is a great way to end the week and let students know that you care.

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We do a lot of relational capacity work.

One thing we have been concentrating on recently is service to others.  The kids looks for ways to help others and then we brainstorm ideas.
Food drive,
making new students/teachers feel welcome
Learning to interact with a special needs student
Helping each other when we see a need

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How I build relationships with my students...

1. I play "Would You Rather" with my students at the beginning of each class period. This not only helps my students make a connection with their peers, but they can also make a connection with me. We have lots of laughs together!
2. I share my family life with my students within reason. They like to see pictures from my trips, pics of my very tall son (6'1" and I am only 5'1"). I allow them to ask questions about my life. Some questions I will not answer and that teaches them what kind of questions are appropriate and inappropriate.

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Julie Kern:                                                                     Meet Them At The Door, Check In, "Thank You For Coming Today"                        

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Julie Kern:                                                                     Meet Them At The Door, Check In, "Thank You For Coming Today"                        

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I welcome students into the classroom daily by meeting them at the door. I greet the students with a welcoming, warm hello. I also spend the first couple of minutes of class asking them about how they are doing or how their weekend was, then we get into the academic assignments of the day. When students leave for the day, I thank them for coming to class. This helps build the relationships with them because they know I appreciate their efforts and they presence.

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I have the kids share out on their weekend (or especially Thanksgiving) activities when we get back on Mondays.  They get really excited about some of the things that have transpired. Crazy, but they always ask about my weekend, too.

Of course, saying hello as they enter the classroom is great.

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I love playing four corners with the kids and you can always make this topical to fit the lesson you are teaching or a holiday or event that is approaching. For example pie and Thanksgiving. If you like apple go to this corner. If you prefer pumpkin go to this corner. Those that love pecan go to that corner, but if you love cherry go to this corner. I have them talk about why they love it so much and then have them "Elect" a spokes person. That person then tries to convince the other three group why their selection is the best.

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1. Look up a student's grades in Synergy.
2. Identify a class the student is struggling in.
3. Check out the gradebook to find a recent assignment that is missing or low score.
4. Contact that teacher to see what the dealio is, what work needs to be redone if possible, the directions, get a copy, etc.
5. Meet briefly with the student at end of your class or at lunch or before school or in ASES or pull from HR during SH and go over what needs to be done and offer to help get the work made-up and turned in.
6.  If the student already has the work done, look at what they have to make sure they are going to get credit for it and even offer to walk it over to other class and turn it in for them.

When a student sees that you care and are willing to reach out to help with work outside of your content area, they start to see you as a helper in general, and they will be more willing to ask you for help in your class when needed. You become an ally.

Plus, you start to get a sense for what other teachers are doing and how their work might affect the work in your class. I know for sure that on days when there is a science test, a curl-up test, or a STEM project due, their heads are not in my grammar! Sometimes when I start to hear rumors of big assignments due, we'll just stop and talk through expectations, open note or no, question type, etc for a few minutes to easy their jitters. This is great to do with IAs in your class because the IAs find out which kids don't have quiz notes or cheat sheets and they can intervene.

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Everyday, I take roll with a random check in question.

Would you rather?.
What do you think about....?
Or whatever.

Some are low key, "What is your favorite color?"

Some are silly, "Would you rather own a wild pet that is cute or a common pet that is ugly?"

Some are a little serious, "How do you feel about hugging?" "Best and worst of ____ break?"

The kids seem to like it, they remind me when I forget. :) Also, it exposes similarities and differences. For example, one kid had never had mac and cheese and everyone else was in an uproar of disbelief - we can point out that not everyone has the same experiences and that's ok.

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Found these at Target.   We also have a similar set at home at the dinner table.

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"Would you rather have nostrils that play music or a USB belly button?"

While I'm greeting students at the door and the kiddos are entering the classroom, getting Raider Reminders out, etc. before the bell rings, I like to have an outlandish question of the day on the board.  You can't NOT answer it, it's so weird and funny. :)
They share their answers with elbow partners first, then have the option to share out whole group.  It takes a whopping 30 seconds of our First Five and starts the day with low risk class participation and a smile.

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When the Exploratory wheel rotates each trimester, the kids write a blog post on Who They Are.  Some are short some go in detail.  Some kids like to share others don't.

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D-Ice Breakers: Students roll digital or physical dice and ask questions. They can be get-to-know-you or content-related. 

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D-Ice Breakers: Students roll digital or physical dice and ask questions. They can be get-to-know-you or content-related. 

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More ideas and templates: https://tech-empoweredteacher.com/2021/07/26/relationships-before-rigor-10-ways-to-build-classroom-community-and-celebrate-our-students-in-person-and-online/

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I find sticky notes or notepads and make an effort to write each student a nice note over time. I do a few a day or within a week. Once I get through everyone I start over. The smiles on their faces when they read their note is heartwarming. I notice the notes being used as bookmarks, in their binders, in their pencil boxes etc. for months to come. Something small to show that you care and that THEY matter.

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When we have extra time at the end of the week, students bring up pictures of their pet(s) 🐶🐱🦎🐴 or friends' /relatives' pets. We've had students share cats, dogs, horses, guinea pigs, and bearded dragons. They also get a chance to share stories, ooh and aah, and compete for who has the cutest pet.

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This is an activity you can play at the beginning of the year and re-make with new versions! Give your students a paper survey or a google survey and simply ask them to write down 2 or 3 truths and 1 lie. I like to ask for 3 truths and 1 lie so that each question has 4 options. You can ask for a list of even 10 truths and 2-3 lies so that you can make different versions! Of course you have to preface that statements need to be appropriate. You can then create a Kahoot or Blooket from their responses to play in class! I included an example of a Kahoot I created last year with my Workshop Elective class! This is something similar to Rachel's idea that you can do whole class!

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I usually take time at the beginning of each week to have students share what they want about their weekend. I encourage positive sharing but it isn't always.

I try to greet people as they come in the door at the beginning of each class.

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Easy- Free- FUN ~ A class Gratitude Wall is a great way to remember what is really important- ENJOY!

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Easy- Free- FUN ~ A class Gratitude Wall is a great way to remember what is really important- ENJOY!

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I used STEM challenges at different times throughout the school year. At the beginning of the year, they are more low-risk teamwork/get to know you activities (Saving Sam, Tallest Tower, Cup Stacking, etc.). When we switch groups/teams, I will often use a quick STEM challenge for students to become comfortable with their new team members.

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I do a teacher quiz every year for the kids to get to know me in an interactive fun way. I have them guess the answers to things about me such as my age, favorite color, favorite subject in school, etc... I show pictures of my family and interests along the way and the students hopefully find things in common with me through my hobbies, tv shows, movies....etc.... I use Kahoot, but can be done easily in many formats. I just like Kahoot because it makes it a little more interactive and less passive. I have also done powerpoint and kids put answers using paper and pencil too in the past, before I learned how to use Kahoot. I will also make 2 versions. A 6th grade and 8th grade, so that my future repeat students get different questions from their 6th grade year with me. I love it and the students seem to as well. :)

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We play the blanket game in AVID a couple of times during the first 3 weeks of school to help kids learn each others names.  Divide class into two teams and get each team to sit on the floor on opposite sides of the room. Two adults or children stretch the blanket between them to form a divider.

Now one team chooses one of their members to crawl up to the blanket and sit behind it, quietly. The student should face the other team. The two people holding the blanket drop the blanket and the other team races to identify and shout out the child's name. Helps with learning names fast & the kids love the competition!

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Each time students switch teams, we do a Getting to Know You activity to help them establish connections within their new group. One game we like to play is Two Facts, One Fib. Students get a few minutes to think of two facts about themselves and one fib. They take turns sharing their information, and have fun getting to know each other in the process! I always model an example in the beginning, so they get to know more about me, too!

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Doing a quick would you rather as part of the first 5 of class helps students connect with each other and leads to funny conversations.  This also allows students to connect with others that they would normally not connect with. Below is a link to some of my would you rather slides.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1slji62a4trZETs8-847O6DXobqv6aOqb5ZK1Xuz4-Ok/edit?usp=sharing

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We've all been there when the lesson leaves us with a minute or two left in the period.  Trying to stretch on the fly is rough!   Have the kids fill out 3 fun facts about themselves on a 3x5 card in the beginning of the year (or trimester)-- then as you have extra time at the end of the period, read the 3 fun facts and allow the class to Guess Who for a couple of minutes here and there