Continuing my school begins series, I wanted to talk about what you do those first few days in your science classroom. Of course I talk about what I do gamifying wise, but what do I do outside of gamifying?
I have tried quite a few things, but I've found that small group, one-on-one ice breakers work the best for my students. Many of my kids are nervous about their first days of school so breaking the ice on a smaller scale is the best way I've found.
Here are some activities for you to break that ice:
Note Card Tower - STEM Activity:
For this activity, have kids get into groups of 3-4 students. Give them a list of "get to know you" questions. I always start with "what school do you go to". The goal of the game is to write answers that they share. So for the example above, all my students go to the same school. They write the answer on their note card and can use it to make a note card tower. They are given a set amount of time to complete the tower and the tallest tower wins!
Partners In Crime - Background Knowledge Activity:
This is a partner game. You have the kids tied up as shown in the picture here. This is a fun challenge if the kids kind of know each other. You have them tied up and tell them to get out. I like using this when talking about the importance of doing your background knowledge. Why? Because I have the answer. I let the students struggle a bit, try to remind them of what we do as scientists and eventually someone realizes the answer. Once one group gets the idea to come to me, the rest follow. Such a fun activity to do and always gets the kids laughing. Answer key HERE.
Can You Draw? - Science Pictionary Activity:
Easy to set up and tear down. Have partners rotate and mix up. Pictionary with a bit of a twist. Have PARTNER 1 look at a simple picture on the board. Have PARTNER 2 sitting backwards (not looking at the picture) with a pencil, paper and clipboard. Give PARTNER 1 2 minutes to explain
HOW to draw the picture (not allowed to say what the picture is) while PARTNER 2 draws it. After the two minutes, reveal! Listen to the laughs and switch up the groups!
Try these out and tell me how they went. Do you have other ideas to share? Have a great first week at school teachers! You ROCK!
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