Another Great Icebreaker

Another fun icebreaker...

1. Explain the term icebreaker (and the expression "to break the ice")

2. Have everyone write down 3 facts (could be modified to 1 to save time) about themselves. Give examples: "I am left-handed." "I speak three languages." "I had a pet ferret growing up."

3. Collect all the pieces of paper and redistribute them.

4. Choose a random student and have him or her read (in a loud, clear voice) what is written on his or her paper. This student then has to guess who the paper belongs to.

5. The person who wrote it will identify him or herself and explain one (the most interesting) fact. You can stimulate discussion by asking questions (ex: wow? three languages, huh? which ones? why those languages? etc.). This person then continues the game by reading what is on his or her paper.

This icebreaker works well both on the first day and later on in the semester once students already know one another. It can be shortened (by using one fact) to fill in the last 10-15 minutes of a class.