Icebreaker: Community-Building Questions

This is an ideal way to get to know your students and for them to start to get to know each other. The questions are not too personal, but still give everyone a chance to find out something about each other that they may not have known.

I’ve used these questions with classes, clubs, and peer-tutoring groups and they’ve been a hit with the kids and the teachers in every situation. Initially, as with almost every opportunity for personal sharing, there’s a little bit of reticence, but after a couple of the more outgoing students (and/or teacher) share, even the most reluctant students are ready to give it a try.

Simply project the PowerPoint file and then let a student choose a number. Click on that number and it links to a prompt. After the student shares his/her answer, return to the grid and let another student choose a number. (Choices disappear after they've been selected to prohibit students from answering the questions again.)

Use this activity as an icebreaker start building the relationships that make a class a safe environment in which students are willing to take the risks necessary to learn.