Ice-breaker flash cards

Ages 11 and up
Levels All
Time 15 minutes, (less if repeated on a second occasion)
Focus Learning names or learning a little about pastimes and passions
Materials One sheet of A4 card or very stiff paper for everyone and plenty of broad-tipped markers
Function Ice-breaker

This ice-breaker can be done at the beginning of a lesson and again, in abbreviated form, at the end. Or it can be done once at the beginning of two successive lessons. There needs to be space for everyone to stand in a circle or a horse-shoe.

Preparation
Prepare an example card for yourself. (See Steps 2 and 3.)

Procedure

1. Give everyone a sheet of card and a marker.
2. Ask everyone to write, on one side, either the first two letters of their first name (or equivalent) followed by a dash, or the first and the last letter with a dash in between. For example, if someone's name is Lena, the result should be either Le— or L--a. Display the corresponding side of your own card and stress that the letters on everyone's card should be as large and bold as possible.
3. Ask everyone to turn their cards over and either draw a simple picture or a single word to refer to something they like or like doing. For example, someone who likes skiing might sketch a pair of skis sticking out of the snow, or might write the word skiing. Someone who likes music might draw a face with a musical note coming out of the open mouth, or just write the word music.
4. Ask everyone to stand in a circle or horse-shoe arrangement such that everyone can clearly see everyone else.
5. Ask students to pair up, if possible with someone they don't know. Add that the members of each pair should learn each other's names now.
6. Tell everyone to hold the name side of their card (e.g., 'Vl—') in front of them so that everyone can see everyone else's card.
7. Tell everyone to look around the class and tell their partner the name of everyone they already know.
8. Going right around the room, ask everyone to a) say their own name and show the name side of their card b) then show the other side and say something like, "I like skiing" or "I drew this because I like dancing".
9. Ask everyone to write their own name in tiny letters somewhere on their card; collect the cards for re-use.

Following on

• From Step 8: Ask people to form new pairs (preferably with someone they don't know yet) and add that if they don't know their partner's name, they should learn it now. Around the circle one more time, everyone says not their own name but the name of their partner and what her/his hobby or pastime is.
• After the above: Say that the members of each pair should look around the class and again see how many names they can remember as a team. Add that they should also try to remember what's on the other side of other students' cards (i.e., the clues about pastimes and passions).
• After or instead of the above: Ask everyone to display the hobby/passion side of their card and say that partners should try to agree about what passion or pastime everyone's word or picture represents.
• Repeat some of the variations above on a later occasion.
• To review names in a later lesson, display the cards one by one (start with the name side first) and ask, "Where is s/he sitting? What does s/he like?"

Tips

• It's important to move through the steps briskly.
• If there are 24 or more students in your class, at Step 4 divide it in into two circles. Or three, if your class is really big.

Comment
If most or all of your students are new to each other and you have a large class, don't expect total name learning in one go. Perhaps postpone one or more of the follow-ons to the following lesson.

Seth Lindstromberg