An icebreaker I like is "favorite YouTube video."
If you're digital, you can use WallWisher to post them.
http://www.wallwisher.com/
Here's one of mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=bR2ue7H-4cE
Mark
On Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:59 -0700, "Carol Morrison"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Geoff:
LOL! Long story short: there was a small group of girls grades
10-12 who became close-knit throughout high school and we all
gave ourselves space cadet names: "Solar Sandy," "Lunar Linda,"
"Galactic Gail," "Inter-planet Janet." We were also Star Trek
devotees and into punk rock and new wave music. The years were
1979-81. Unfortunately, I am no longer cosmic by our standards
back then: I do not wear purple Vidal Sassoon corduroys, blast
the B-52's out of my '73 Maverick, or have '80s poof hair with
pink hi-lights. Although I think students will enjoy the
icebreaker, as their teacher I probably won't reveal my past
identity, or they will really think I'm in outer space!
Carol:)
--- On Fri, 8/19/11, Geoffrey Layton <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
From: Geoffrey Layton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: First Day Icebreakers for College English
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, August 19, 2011, 1:22 PM
This is too good!
All of these suggestions can be used to relate the intial first
day(s) activities back to writing - i.e., "Cosmic Carol" is a
"hook." What's more interesting - "Hi, my name is Carol." Or,
"Hi, back in the day, they called me 'Cosmic Carol'!" This
exercise also relates to "known/new" information. For example,
"Cosmic Carol" requires (yes, requires!) new information - most
immediately, we absolutely need to know if you are still "Cosmic"
(and if so, how have you maintained your "cosmicity"), or has
that quality somehow been altered (and if so, what happened?).
We also need more "old" information - what, precisely, was/is a
"Cosmic Carol"? What are "cosmic" qualities? What created
your cosmicity?
Geoff Layton
____________________________________________________________
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:06:43 -0700
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: First Day Icebreakers for College English
To: [log in to unmask]
Linda: Another great idea! I actually used to go by the nickname
"Cosmic Carol" in high school. I think students would enjoy that
and also the adjectives would serve as mnemonic devices to help
them remember each other's names.
--- On Fri, 8/19/11, Linda Comerford
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Linda Comerford <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: First Day Icebreakers for College English
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, August 19, 2011, 12:52 PM
One quick icebreaker idea I use during a short grammar workshop
is to have the students introduce themselves with a adjective
that starts with the same letter as their first name. For
example, I would be "Lively Linda." They have fun with that,
refer to themselves by their adjective names throughout the
class, and get a painless introduction to using adjective.
Regards,
Lively Linda~
Linda Comerford
317.786.6404
[log in to unmask]
[1]www.comerfordconsulting.com
____________________________________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol Morrison
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 9:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: First Day Icebreakers for College English
Thank you John, and everyone for all of the helpful advice. I
really felt stuck or hung up on the first day for some reason and
all of these ideas should provide for a very rich first couple of
classes. I am planning on doing student introductions the first
day as well. I think using grammar/writing terminology right away
is wise too, so students will become familiar with the lingo and
not make the grammar a separate part of the learning or secondary
to the writing. (Even though they have a separate grammar
handbook). I plan on using all of these ideas! Thanx again.
Carol:)
--- On Fri, 8/19/11, John Dews-Alexander
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: John Dews-Alexander <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: First Day Icebreakers for College English
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, August 19, 2011, 9:13 AM
I think introductions around the room are helpful for all if
class size allows for it. I always provide a structure for the
introduction because I remember what it was like not knowing
exactly what to say.
On the first day of any language arts class, I enjoy discussions
that emphasizes the cooperative, non-lecture-only type of
environment. My initial goal is to get the students thinking
about what English/Language Arts classes are really all about and
what they encompass. We look at the overlap of grammar,
composition, and literature and how they are difficult to
appreciate/study in isolation, without reference to each other. I
want them to understand WHY we will touch on all of those things.
A grammar survey is also applicable--not a survey of skill but
one of experience. In other words, I want to gague the level of
"grammarphobia" in the class and get a sense of the students'
experiences (or lack thereof) with grammar and language analysis
(word level, sentence level, paragraph level, etc.).
Best of luck! You'll do great!
John
On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 3:59 PM, Carol Morrison
<[2][log in to unmask]> wrote:
The days are flying by as I rapidly approach the first day of
class on 8/31, and I am trying to think of a good first day plan
for introducing myself and my courses to the students. My final
schedule will now be (2) sections of COMP 101 and (1) section of
Basic Writing. Aside from handing out the syllabus, and
introducing myself to the class, do any of you have some good
ideas for day #1? We used to do a diagnostic essay, but the
college has done away with that, which I am relieved about for
many reasons: mock “grading” or commenting on student writing
before class has even commenced and also the idea that this essay
will somehow diagnose what illnesses the students’ writing
suffers from or what might plague it. Another term that has been
used is “writing sample,” which I also find off-putting, maybe
because it conjures up the image of a urine sample which will be
tested to see if it comes out “clean.” Anyway, I think the first
day is important for many reasons: it is the first impression the
students will have of me as their instructor and also can be a
deal breaker for some students who will drop after the first day
if they don’t like what they experience. Any ideas? I am also
presuming at least half of the students will not have purchased
texts, so I don't want to dive right into that the first day.
Thanks so much.
Carol Morrison
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References
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