As September looms around the corner, many teachers are anxious about the unknown, and rightfully so. After all, even the higher ups may be unsure of the best way to go. Nevertheless, the need to establish rapport and bond with students in this new school year still remains one of the most important tasks a teacher should have. In order to have a smooth (if possible) school year, a close and trusting bond needs to form between a teacher and his/her students. If students aren’t able to have in-person schooling in your district and school is 100% virtual, here are some tips to help you hit the ground running with your class this school year:
There are thousands of icebreakers out there. However, there are some that work well for certain occasions and others that don’t. After having worked with Scouts Canada one summer, I’ve curated a list of icebreakers (with a brief description for each) that will help you have fun with your class:
1) Name Scavenger Hunt: Students need to find an object that starts with each letter of their name. If they have a long name, they may have the option of shortening it.
2) Life in a Bag: This is an idea taken from my very first year of teaching. It was a quick and fun activity for the teacher to know a piece of his/her students’ lives and a great way to practice public speaking.
3) 2-4 Introductions: Sounds like math, doesn’t it? This activity is geared more towards high school students as it does require students to disperse into breakout rooms.
4) Answer a prompt using only a meme or gif. This is a quick filler activity that can get students thinking about how cool their teacher is. Students may choose to express their answers to questions such as “How are you feeling today?” or “what’s your favourite snack?” in a meme or gif.
5) Decorate your virtual notebook: No, we probably won’t get any joy out of making nametags to put on our tables for the first month of school. But, if you’re planning to have students complete a daily journal or keep a virtual notebook for the term, taking some time to decorate it with the usual (favourite food, favourite band, etc.) may just show students you care about what their interests are!
6) Have a “Question of the Day”: This may seem like a minor point, but posting a question on your virtual platform (Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, etc.) gives students an opportunity to bond with each other and participate in a low-stakes setting.
At the end of the day, treat every person in your classroom with compassion. It’s important to really show your students how much you care and want to understand them. Allow them to see that their every action affects those around them and their perspective shapes their experience in this school year. What they put into the year is what they’ll get out of it.
Some additional resources:
Asphalt Green: This website contains a plethora of social distancing games for small groups of children grades 3-8. It has been an absolute LIFESAVER for me during the month of June when we first had in school sessions for part of the week!