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Getting to Know You

Check out these bright ideas to help students get to know one another better.

Icebreaker Inspiration

For more getting-to-know-you activities, check out the Education World Icebreakers Volume 1-10.

Do you have an icebreaker to share? Send it to [email protected].

Graph It
May I ask you a question?

In this activity, students get to know one another as they create bar or picture graphs. Arrange students in pairs or small groups and have each group write 1-3 questions (depending on grade level) that they think will help them learn more about their classmates. Questions might include: What is your favorite food? How do you get to school? What is your best subject in school? What is your favorite sport? Have each pair or group survey the entire class, and then graph the results. Invite one student from each group to report on the survey's findings, and another to explain the graph.

Make Me Famous
Students interview one another.

Present to students a mini lesson on conducting interviews -- how to ask questions and how to formulate follow-up questions. Then arrange students into pairs, and have each student interview his or her partner, taking notes throughout the interview. For homework, assign students to use their notes to write a formal account of the interview. Also ask students to bring to school photographs of themselves. The next day, have partners introduce each other to the class by reading the interviews they conducted. Post each interview on a bulletin board, along with the photo of the student interviewed.

Two of a Kind
Let me introduce you.

Distribute animal stickers to younger students, making sure to give out two stickers of the same animal. Invite students to find the person with a matching sticker. Have students with matching stickers introduce themselves to each other and learn two facts about their partner. Then, ask partners to use what they learned to introduce each other to the rest of the class.


Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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