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IcebreakersA wonderful way to allow students to get to know one another, recuperate from a particularly exhausting activity, or just plain have fun with one another is to introduce Icebreakers into your routine. This is a great idea for team and class building activities when using cooperative learning in your classroom. Students have to work together! Any activity which will stimulate the students while allowing them to have a little fun is worthy of the Icebreaker title. Perhaps you have something that you do that would qualify! SILENT BIRTHDAY: Give students in your class about three minutes to line up according to their birthdays. The catch? They must do this without talking or writing! (If they can't figure out how to do this, hold your hand up and wiggle your fingers until they get the hint.) GROUP YOURSELVES: Using different colored adhesive dots, randomly place stickers on students' foreheads. Ask them to place themselves into groups according to color. Again, no talking or writing is allowed. (Students may help each other - I have had students walk another over to an area of the room and point to a color on a poster to alert that person to what color dot is on their forehead. The person who was helped then helps the other person in the same manner. Once a student knows their color, they are able to round up those students who have the same color on their forehead.) FOUR MINUTE CHECKERBOARD: Divide the class into groups of 4 or 6, or use already established cooperative learning groups. Hand each group the following materials: One full sheet of white construction paper. One half sheet of yellow construction paper. One half sheet of black construction paper. Tape - masking or cellophane (NO SCISSORS!) Tell the student groups that they are to create checkerboards. They have 4 minutes to work cooperatively to complete the project!
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