On the first day of school, we had students fill out a worksheet entitled "All About Me" which asked them to tell us about themselves - their interests and hobbies, strengths, weakness, and fears, and their home lives. Today we were finally able to have the students share their responses. All of the students were asked to take notes as presentations were made because we are playing "Name-O" on Friday - a modified version of Bing-O where students place their classmates names on the grid and cover them up when they hear a fact about that individual.
Although I think that this was a good idea, I really would have liked to see a more engaging activity. Students were not really motivated to pay attention as their classmates spoke. For some students, getting up and making a presentation during the first week of school was extremely stressful and it showed as they fumbled and trembled their way through. I understand the purpose, but it could have been done in a less threatening manner that would have done better to establish a comfortable learning environment.
We also introduced the "20 Questions" card game that the class can elect to play during down time. Each card has a person, place, or thing at the top and 20 clues that describe it. As clues are read, students try to determine what they are describing.
