Professional Documents
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Icebreaker activities
Phil Keegan has a few ideas to break the ice with new groups of learners.
Speed friending
Line up chairs in two columns so that
one student faces another. An even
number is essential for this activity so
if there is an odd number of students,
the teacher has to take part as one of
the group.
Tell students that they have two
minutes to find out everything they
can about the person in front of them
by asking questions and exchanging
information (two minutes in total, not
two minutes each). Dont let them
take notes, they should concentrate
on speaking and listening to each
other. The teacher should use a timer
60 second portrait
Line up students in two columns
facing each other. An even number
is essential for this activity so if there
is an odd number of students, the
teacher has to take part in this as one
of the group.
Tell students to have a blank sheet
of paper ready and a pencil (a
pencil if at all possible, not a pen,
preferably with an eraser on the
end. It is a good idea to bring a
supply with you).
Tell students that they have exactly
60 seconds to draw a portrait of
their partner. The students will
immediately start complaining that
they cant draw and it is important
to reassure them that it doesnt
matter if they cant draw as it is not
an art project, but a language task.
Any further complaints/objections
need to be calmly but firmly swept
aside. Once the objections have
subsided, start a timer or stopwatch
and encourage the students to draw
rapidly. The students should draw
at the same time, so that they are
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Liar liar
Students sit in groups of five or six
and take it in turns to talk about
themselves for a minute. They
should basically tell the truth about
themselves except that they should
tell one lie (and one lie only). They
can have a few minutes preparation
time and can make a few notes, but
they should not write out a text and
then read it.
The other students have to work out
what the lie is, not by guessing but
by asking further questions until it
becomes clear what the lie is. It is
important to emphasize that the lie
should not be something outlandish
or bizarre but something they can
tell quite convincingly, for example,
I have three brothers when they
really only have two, or My hobbies
are stamp collecting, dancing and
cooking when they never, in fact,
cook. These types of lie can be
detected with some further questions
as the lie will be exposed though
hesitations and contradictions.
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PRACTICAL IDEAS
This activity works best if the teacher
demonstrates first by talking about
him/herself and including one lie and
then encouraging the students not to
just guess the lie but to question in
the manner of a police officer trying
to catch someone out.
A class round-up can be conducted
where the lies are reviewed, the
correct information is discussed and,
if appropriate, the class can decide
who was the best liar (though it is
important to stress that this is not
at all serious and not in any way
a judgment on the students real
character or integrity but just a bit of
harmless fun).
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My motto
Check that students understand the
word motto and give an explanation
if necessary (e.g. something along the
lines of a short phrase which sums up
a persons attitude to life).
Write your motto on the board. I
actually have a few examples that
I draw on depending on my mood
and the atmosphere. Some examples
are Always be true to yourself, or
if I am feeling lighthearted and it is
appropriate for the group Life is too
short to drink cheap wine.
Invite the students to ask questions
about the motto and be prepared to
explain why you chose it and give an
example or two of how it has been
part of your life.
Now ask students to think of a motto
for themselves, reminding them that
it needs to be fairly short and certainly
not longer than one sentence. At this
point it is good if the teacher circulates
and helps if the students need some
help with vocabulary or with the
phrasing of the motto.
Put the students into groups of four
or five and have them talk about their
mottos and ask each other questions.
A whole class round-up can be
conducted at the end.
A further development of the activity
is to put students into small groups
and have then decide on a motto for
the English class they are now in, and
then, using A3 paper, to make a poster
which each group presents to the
whole class. These posters can then be
used to decorate the classroom if this
is appropriate.
Pot luck
Ask students to write down the
following things:
An everyday task or activity that
they regularly have to do but really
dont like doing (for example,
doing the washing-up, taking the
bus to work and so on)
The most expensive thing, except for
a house, that they have ever bought
Handshakes
I am pretty sure I adapted (or possibly
just stole) this activity from Drama
Techniques by Alan Maley and Alan
Duff. An excellent book!
Ask the students to stand up. Tell
them they are going to walk around
the room and shake hands with
other students. However, they are
PRACTICAL IDEAS
Phil Keegan
Conclusion
Although the activities I have
described here were designed as
icebreakers, most, if not all, also
work with groups who already know
each other. For the most part, the
students are required to talk about
various aspects of themselves and
their lives making the activities
relevant and meaningful, yet
nothing private or too personal
needs to be said. Thus the ice is
broken but no one is in any danger.
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