First-Day-of-School Activities: Grades 6-12
Icebreaker activities are great for easing back-to-school jitters and establishing a positive classroom climate. Try the following fresh ideas (from TeachersFirst, Pinterest and other sources) to help older students get to know each other during the first few days and weeks of school.
Below are five engaging activities teachers can use in middle- and high-school classrooms. Also, don't miss these handy back-to-school templates for middle-schoolers:
Back-to-School Student Survey
Back-to-School Comic Strip
- The Flavors of Yourself: This activity lets students creatively express themselves. The supplies are simple: chocolate, peanuts, pretzels, cereal, small marshmallows, peanut butter, or any other foods you can think of. (Be sure to check for allergies beforehand.) Then have students create a representation of the "flavors" of their personality/self, giving a term/trait with each food item and the instruction to be as creative as possible. After the activity, display the creations and have each student explain his or hers. At the end, students can snack on their "self-portraits."
- Trivia Quiz: This icebreaker activity asks students general and stumping facts such as "Whose face is on a dime?" Give the questions on a worksheet and have kids work in pairs, or pull questions up on a projection screen and work through the trivia quiz with the class. The site also offers scoring options, so if your class is competitive, see which team knows the most useless facts!
- Following Directions: This is a fun (and mildly embarrassing activity) for high-schoolers. Give them the worksheet and tell them to follow the directions and work quietly. On the sheet, it asks students to read carefully and has a math problem, but specifies at the bottom that students should only write their name on the sheet and not do the problem. This will show students that it is important to read directions carefully.
- Find Your Match: Give each student an index card, writing utensil and interview sheet. Index cards (prepared in pairs before the activity) should have famous individuals, businesses, etc. that appeal to students' interests. Ask students to hold up their index card and find their match, for example, Jay-Z and Beyonce. Then have students interview one another about their favorite colors, books, hobbies, etc. At the end of the activity, have each student introduce his/her partner to the class and share that person's favorite things.
- Create Your Own Fingerprint: Give students a piece of paper and ink and have them dip their thumbs and print their fingerprints on the paper. Then, give them poster-sized paper and ask them to draw a much larger version of their thumb print, matching the lines and patterns. Ask students to create a word collage along the shape of the fingerprint, with words following the lines, filling up as much space as possible. Encourage them to be creative and use as many colors as they can. The collage can consist of characteristics, facts, personality traits, strengths and more. Have students share their fingerprints with the class.
Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
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