Back to School: Getting-to-Know-You Activities

Lesson Plan: Three Get-to-Know-You Activities for the First Week of School

Objective: The objective of this lesson is for students to get to know each other and build a positive classroom community. Through engaging activities, students will have the opportunity to share information about themselves, learn about their classmates, and foster connections.

Duration: Each activity should take approximately 15-20 minutes.

Materials:

• Index cards or small pieces of paper

• Writing materials (pens, pencils, markers)

• (Optional) Old magazines students can cut up

• Sticky notes

• Prepared "Find Someone Who" activity (see below)

Instructor Note: This lesson plan involves three different activities. They can be done all in one class period, or you could split them up throughout the week to help students feel more comfortable with each other. 

Creating Your Own “Find Someone Who” Activity

This will be a simple worksheet you can personalize to your students and grade level. The worksheet should contain a list of statements with blank spaces next to them for students to fill in names.

Examples of statements:

• Find someone who has a pet dog.

• Find someone who has traveled to another country.

• Find someone who enjoys playing a musical instrument.

• Find someone who has read a specific book or watched a popular movie.

• Find someone who likes to play a certain sport

Procedures:

Activity 1: "Two Truths and a Lie"

Introduction and Instructions (10 minutes)

Say: This activity will be a great chance for you to learn some interesting facts about your new classmates. We’re going to play Two Truths and a Lie. 

Do: Share an example of two truths and a lie about yourself to demonstrate the activity.

Do: Distribute index cards or small pieces of paper to each student.

• Instruct students to write down two true statements and one false statement about themselves without revealing which is the lie.

• Encourage students to be creative and include unique details.

Sharing and Guessing (10 minutes)

Do: Depending on your classroom size, put students into small groups or pairs.

Say: In your groups, take turns sharing your two truths and let your classmates guess which statement is false. 

• Encourage students to ask follow-up questions to gather more information.

Discussion: After each student shares, allow time for students to share one or two and let the class guess.

Do: Conclude the activity by revealing the correct answers and discussing interesting facts that were shared.

Activity 2: "All About Me Collage"

Introduction and Instructions (10 minutes)

Say: In this activity, you will create a collage that represents who you are as an individual. The collages can include images, words, symbols, or anything that reflects their personalities and interests.

• Encourage them to include images or words that represent their hobbies, favorite things, family, dreams, or any other aspects they would like to share.

Do: Provide each student with a sheet of paper and art supplies such as markers, colored pencils, scissors, and glue. You can also lay out old magazines for students to cut pictures or words from. 

Sharing and Gallery Walk (15 minutes)

Do: Have the students display their collages around the classroom, either on walls or on desks. Instruct students to walk around the classroom and observe their classmates' collages silently.

• Encourage them to use sticky notes to write positive comments or questions about the collages.

Discuss: After the gallery walk, allow time for students to share their collages and discuss any commonalities or interesting findings.

Activity 3: "Find Someone Who"

Introduction and Instructions (15 minutes)

Say: This activity will be a chance for you to interact with your classmates, learn their names, and discover some of their experiences or interests.

Do: Distribute your "Find Someone Who" worksheet to each student. 

Do: Instruct students to mingle and find classmates who fit each statement. They should write the names of their classmates in the blank spaces.

Sharing and Discussion (15 minutes)

Do: Read through the worksheet list and ask students to raise their hand if they found someone who fit each question. Have them name the person they found, and give the other student a chance to expound on their experience. 

Discuss: Give students the opportunity to share things on the list they want to do or things they found most interesting. 

Written by Rachel Jones
Education World Contributor
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