ICE BREAKERS

AND

WARM UPS

FOR ALL AGES

Sara Denne-Bolton

Kelli Odhuu

BY THE END OF THIS WEBINAR,

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:

i. Define and distinguish between ice breakers

and warm ups

ii. List the reasons for using ice breakers and

warm ups

iii. Identify best practices, including when and how

to use

iv. Create a list of some examples of each

SOME THOUGHTS ON LEARNING

A commonly held myth

about learning is that

learning has to happen

with formal instruction

within a traditional

institutional environment

“Participation in everyday

life can be thought of as

learning”

(Jean Lave)

All learning is physiological and emotional

The brain is social

Complex learning is enhanced by challenge

and inhibited by threat

Principles of

Brain/Mind Based Learning

Caine & Caine

According to brain-based

learning theory, we learn

better when we are

relaxed

The human brain

functions more effectively

and at a higher level

when stress is reduced

(Kathy Cabot )

A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

Learning can

happen

through

peers not

only from

the teacher

Community and

learning extend

outside of the

classroom

Learning quality

is increased

through

peer support

Shared

KnowingShared

Knowledge

Shared

Responsibility

LEARNING

COMMUNITIES

(Tinto 2003)

“students become

self-directed

learners, moving

away from

passively waiting to

be told when and

how to do

something”

Kemp 2010

SUMMARY OF THESE LEARNING THEORIES

Theory 1: Activity is learning

Theory 2: Learning involves

the whole body/mind

Theory 3: Learning is shared

Ice

breakers

are a way

for

learners

to get to

know each

other

ICE BREAKERS

Must

Enable students to get to know each other

Allow for plenty of communication

Should

Be easy activities with

few rules

Be fun!

Can

Be loud or quiet activities

Use speaking, listening, reading and/or writing

Be separate from lesson

Involve mother tongue

BALL TOSS

My name is ……..

What‟s your name?

(throws ball)

LINE UPS

Picture

Me!

Speaks three or

more languages

Likes early

morning

Watches You

Tube

Is afraid of

heights

Likes nature Has three sisters Uses Facebook Loves the color

blue

Wants to be an

English teacher

Writes a diary

in English

Likes to tell

jokes

Gets sleepy in

class

Can cook a meal Likes rap music Eats something

sweet every day

Plays a musical

instrument

Is afraid of the

dark

Prefers coffee to

tea

Has a job Hates spiders

Likes animals Can sing a song

in English

Has one brother Enjoys dancing

Exercises

regularly

Listens to music

while studying

Can’t stand sad

songs

Is a parent

Use: Do you ________?Are you __________? Can you __________?

When you get the right answer, write the person’s name in the square.

Find Someone Who…..

QUESTION SWAP

WARM UPS

•Set the tone for the lesson

•Focus learners on the class

•Activate learners’ schema

•Introduce topic for the day

•Provide structure to lesson

•Create autonomy

WARM UPS

Must be

In English

Should be

Kept under 10 minutes

Easy activities with few rules

Connected to the lesson

Communicative

Can be

Loud or quiet activities

Speaking and listening or reading and writing

WHEN DO WARM

UPS?

At the beginning of

any class

To give the students

a break

Before starting a

new topic or

grammar point

To wake up sleepy

students

WHAT DO THESE THREE OBJECTS HAVE IN

COMMON?

SIMON SAYS…

Simon says raise your

hand

Simon says put your

hand down

Simon says touch your

toes

Raise your hand!

Oh no! You‟re all out!!

WHO AM I ?(STUDENTS HAVE NAME OF FAMOUS PERSON ON THEIR BACK

AND ASK YES/NO QUESTIONS TO FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE)

Am I a woman? Am I alive?

Do I live in the United States? Do I have children?

Am I rich? Do I play sports?

Have you seen me on TV?

Am I businessman?

Am I married?

Bill Gates

SENTENCE COMPLETION

Give students sentence stems which they have to

complete in 2 minutes

The sky was……

I walked into the store and……

Brothers and sisters always…..

A good student is…..

Students share their sentences with their peers

for 2 minutes

LISTENING

Play 5 minutes of a tape (or read to them for 5 minutes)

Students must raise their hands every time they hear a certain

word

READING

Students all read the same short text

Teacher asks „how many times does

_________ (certain word) appear?‟

Students raise hands with answers,

and the first person correct wins

WRITING

Circulating Story

Teacher gives the stem

of the first sentence of

a story – for example:

“The funniest thing happened to me yesterday when….”

Each person writes one sentence continuing the story and then

passes their piece of paper on.

Everyone writes on the story that is passed to them

After 3 passes, teacher collects the stories to pass out and

continue the next few days

At the end of the week, students read the stories they started and

class votes on the best

Without

clear &

simple

directions,

You may

get this

response

**MODELING**

Don‟t just tell them, SHOW them!!

Model activity with a student

before asking the class to do it

Ask students to tell you what they

are going to do to check

understanding

DON’T STOP THERE.. ADAPT!!

Change the content

Change the rules

Change the order

Change the structure

Experiment!

GOODBYE! HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CLASSES!

Kelli Odhuu – odhuuke@state.gov

Sara Denne-Bolton – denne-boltons@state.gov