Getting To Know Each Other
I work in a neighborhood school, where most of the students live within a 3-mile radius of the campus. Many of them have known each other since kindergarten, so the first day of school isn’t as traumatic as it can be in a new school where everyone is a stranger. Despite this, I find that I still have to encourage them to socialize! Icebreaker activities are perfect for the beginning of the school year because they encourage students to mingle and communicate with each other.
“Find Someone Who…” activities require students to do just that - find someone who fits each category in the worksheet grid. To maximize interactions and ensure that students don’t just stay within their usual social groups, I tell them that they can only have a classmate’s name on their sheet once.
The Find Someone Who Bundle includes 3 themed worksheets for 4th - 6th grade students.
This resource bundle includes 3 different themed worksheets (each is also available for individual purchase):
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the categories on the math-themed worksheet:
Students can describe what they know about each category.
Each sheet in the set has 20 categories. If your class has fewer than 20 students, you might allow students to record names more than once.
Point values have been assigned to each category, so you can add a math component by having students total their scores once their chart is filled or they could be challenged to earn the most points in a given time.
Students can accumulate points as they mingle.
I encourage students to engage in short conversations as they interact, so instead of just handing their sheet to a classmate to sign wherever they wish (which can be done without talking!), students must choose a category and ask their classmate if it applies to them.
If it does, the classmate should share some details that relate to the category, for example, if a student signs their name under “…has more than one pet”, he or she can share how many pets they have, what types of pets they are, their names, etc.
Students write their own names on each other’s sheets to eliminate the risk of misspelling a name.
I like to stand back and watch the fun, but students usually start to approach me as a last resort when they can’t easily find someone to fit into a category. As soon as the other students realize that I’m willing to participate, a line quickly forms at my desk!
Tip: The mornings of the first week of school are usually spent going over rules and procedures, so use these activities later in the day when the students start to get restless. You’ll thank me later. 😉
Ready to give them a try? Click the images below to start shopping! 👇🏽
