Good Ice-breaker game?

[busangaz]

Hi guys,

This is my 1st post as I am new to the teaching game. Anyway, I start teaching proper (after 2 weeks of introduction lecture) to Middle school students on Monday. And before I introduce my lesson plan, I was thinking of a Ice-Breaker game just to get them talking/interested.

Any idea's?

Thanks

[be the ball]

I really like the 2 truth/1lie snowball fight icebreaker....

the details are outlined here....

http://eflclassroom.ning.com/forum/topics/icebreakers-1

I've used variations on this countless times and the kids like it. Sometimes I skip the fight, sometimes I reward the student if the class guesses wrong etc....

[Ollie84]

'Liar Liar'

It's a game I made up which I am sure many people are familiar with. On the board I write the sentence 'When I grow up I want to be a _______'. After explaining and practising the sentence I divide the class into small groups. I instruct each person in the group to complete the sentence with their dream job. The catch is that two students must tell a lie. They must say the sentence complete with a job which is not their dream job.

After, I draw a table on the board with two columns - one for team numbers and one for points. One by one each group stands up and each group member says the complete sentence. Every other group need to guess which two group members are lying. If they guess right their team gets a point. If no team guesses correctly the team which are presenting get the point.

It's worked well so far. I have 36 students in each class. If you include time for explanation and thinking the game takes around 20 minutes.

[Lynnie]

To introduce myself and act as an icebreaker, I used the toilet paper game (like ball pass or string game, but with consequences...):

Bring in a roll of toilet paper. Hold one end of the tiolet paper and throw the rest of the roll to a student. After the student catches the toilet paper roll, he/she must answer a question (i.e. What is my name?, How was your weekend?, Where am I from?). After answering the question, the student proceeds to latch on to the toilet paper and throw the roll to another student (so both I, and the first student, are still holding the toilet paper). Then ask another question to the new TP recipient, who also holds the paper and then throws.

If the toilet paper breaks during any launch, then the thrower must wear the toilet paper as a tail for the rest of class! If it doesn't break, just continue on. Just begin again if it breaks. In case it doesn't break, just go tear it :) 5th grade kids got a big kick out of this.

[sonya]

Ahhhhh....the joys of toilet paper!  This one works best with small classes!

Pass a roll of toilet paper around and have the students take as much or as little as they want...when all students have what they want then they must count the squares.  For every square they must tell you something about them. 

For example...3 squares...My name is _____, I am _____ years old and I go to ____________ school.

You could do this in groups so they are all working simutaneously if you choose to work as a big class or do it with a bunch of volunteers...you could have them write out their answers or give them orally...so many ways you can use this activity.

Good luck to you!

Sonya