Building a classroom community is a key factor to starting a new school year off on the right note! A classroom community allows students to feel safe, nurtured, and supported by the teacher and his or her own peers, which sets the stage for the year. Take time at the beginning of the year to break the ice and first day jitters with a get to know you dice game!
To set up this activity, put students into groups of 4 to 5. Each group will need one dice that has question cards ready to go. Choose a timer to give to each group. A timer will make sure students don't talk too long! This probably won't be a problem at the beginning of the year, but will be later on once students are comfortable.
To help my students to be comfortable talking and listening to each other, I will start this activity with very basic question cards. During this time, I will be modeling appropriate and respectful interactions. It is important to begin teaching correct interactions on day one!
Get to Know Your Class Pocket Cards contain many amazing question cards! Some question cards are simple and will be easier for students to answer. Other cards will require more creative thinking. There are so many questions that this activity can be used many times throughout the year!
Make sure you join in on groups so students can learn about you, too! This is also a great way for you to learn about your new students in a fun and engaging way.
