First week of School
01 What's Going On?
A variety of games and activities will be offered during the first week of classes to help the students get to know one another and start fostering a healthy learning environment. Students will have the chance to introduce themselves to their classmates. Having said that, the first week of class sets the tone for the classroom, so it will be crucial that we start the year off well and keep it that way for the duration of our time together.
02 My Five Team-Building Activities
1. Scavenger Hunt
Students will be split up into groups and given a list of objects located across the classroom. After that, it will be up to the students to finish their lists by locating every item. (Suggested Game Time: 20-30 minutes)
2. Ice Circles (ICS)
This interactive activity allows students to introduce their hobbies and interests in small groups (circles of 4 seats). We will place 8-10 rounds of ICS. For each round, there's a timer of 15 seconds, and students must be seated once the timer ends. Students will be asked to sit in another circle to prevent introducing themselves to their peers twice.
3. Would You Rather
If students do not wish to intensely interact with their students, we will play the Would You Rather game. The game introduces two scenarios, and students will move to either the left or right side of the classroom based on the scenarios they choose.
4. I Have/Who Has (IHWH)
The I Have/Who Has game provides students with chances to brush up on previously learned materials and cultivates collaboration skills. The IHWH activity also serves as a pre-test of the class that gives me more information for future lesson planning.
5. The Number Hunt
Similar to the Scavenger Hunt, the Number Hunt activity opportunities for students to interact with classmates that they do not know each other, which is great for friendship bonding in the classroom. Students will also supplied with a worksheet to record all the interactions (e.g., names, numbers, social media handles, etc.) for establishing connections.