Icebreaker

Welcome to our video series, Calling All Theatre Teachers! In this series we’re going to answer questions that drama teachers have about stepping into a theatre program. QUESTION: What is your favourite first week activity or ice breaker? Watch the video to see Laramie’s answer to this question. The activity also connects to Laramie’s three important elements when performing theatre - an added bonus! Click the link below for a collection of Ensemble Building Exercises you can use at the beginning of the year. What is YOUR favourite activity to do with students the first week of school?

Icebreakers are not only great tools to help students get to know each other at the beginning of a new class or the start of a school production; they also help to set the tone for the upcoming time together. So if you’d like to foster an environment of thoughtfulness, compassion, and empathy in your drama classroom, try using these icebreaker questions that are all about kindness. Use the following questions for full-class introduction or discussion questions, for the traditional “pair up and interview your partner” exercise, as bellwork or welcome questions at the beginning of class, as written journal or exit slip prompts for the end of class, or as playwriting prompts. If you’re using these questions for an in-person, verbal discussion, you may want to allow some time for students to contemplate and plan their answers before sharing, or even give them these prompts ahead of time. These prompts require a bit more thought and consideration than the typical “What’s an interesting fact about yourself?” icebreaker. 1. You’re casting a show called Kindness: The Musical. What’s the opening number about? 2. What colour or shape do you think kindness would be, and why? 3. What is a small act of kindness someone did for you that you’ve never forgotten, in drama class, in a show, or otherwise? 4. What is a compliment you’ve received that meant a lot to you? 5. How can actors, technicians, and/or stage management show kindness to each other in rehearsal? 6. Think of a character in a book, movie, play, or other media who embodies kindness. What makes you feel that way about them? 7. Think of a character in a book, movie, play, or other media who really needs some kindness. What would you do for them? 8. If there were a superhero whose main power was kindness, what would they be called, and how would their power manifest? 9. What is an act of kindness you’ve done recently (big or small)? 10. Why do you think kindness is important in the drama classroom? Need even more icebreaker questions? Check out these 20 open-ended, inclusive prompts.

During the first few drama classes, we drama teachers often lean heavily on icebreaker questions to get to know our students better and to get them to talk to each other. However, some students struggle with responding to icebreaker questions. Sharing personal information requires a lot of vulnerability on the part of your students. They might have difficulty figuring out what to say when it’s their turn, or be worried that they’ll be made fun of for their answers. (If the latter is the case, you may want to work on trust-building exercises with your students before diving into questions.) So let’s add some variety and comedy to our icebreaker questions with “reverse” icebreakers. Inspired by the game show Jeopardy, students are given various icebreaker answers, and it’s up to them to invent a question to go with it. For example, let’s say that a given answer is "My grandmother's chocolate chip cookies." Some ideas for questions could include: • "What is your favourite food?" • "What is something you can cook or bake?" • “What is something you’d like to receive as a surprise?” • “What is an item that holds a nice memory for you?” • "What's something you'd want to have on a desert island?" • "What's something you don't want to find in your shoe?" The questions can be serious or silly or even outlandish, but they have to make sense with the answer and use appropriate language — no foul or bullying questions allowed. Reverse icebreakers are great because they continue to give students the opportunity to talk with others and help you get to know your students. They just have a different twist than students might be used to, and you’ll need to listen carefully to the types of questions they suggest for a given prompt. Do they stick to simple, straightforward questions? Do they suggest funny questions? Do they try too hard to be funny or shocking? As well, observe how your students respond to various questions their classmates ask. Do they respond appropriately? Does the vibe or energy of the class change when certain people respond? Do they laugh along with or call out any less-than-appropriate questions? These observations can help you tailor your lessons to the abilities and attitudes of your students. There are many ways to incorporate reverse icebreakers into your classes. You can give reverse icebreaker answers to your students as bellwork or a welcome question at the beginning of class. Write something like, “The answer is (xyz); what’s the question?” on the chalkboard or whiteboard and have students write their answers down and submit them. You can use them as an attendance question and have students respond as you call their name on the class roster. You can use them as a group warm-up — have students grab a partner, give a reverse icebreaker answer, and have the pairs write down as many related questions as they can in two minutes. You can play a Jeopardy-like improvisation game — have one student play the host and three students play the contestants. The host gives an answer and the contestants each give a different question response. If you like, you can have the rest of the class vote on what response they think is the funniest, the most creative, or the most convoluted. You can also give a reverse icebreaker prompt as an exit slip at the end of class, and have students write down and submit five possible matching questions. Finally, you can take the questions that your students came up with, and ask them to respond to the questions with what they’d actually answer. If you think of more ways to use reverse icebreakers, be sure to let us know! Here’s a list of 10 sample reverse icebreaker answers to get you started. See the giveaway link below for more reverse icebreaker prompts. Your students will likely enjoy coming up with suggestions as well: • My grandmother's chocolate chip cookies • Professional wrestling • A dead fish • Your mom’s laptop • Your cell phone, with a huge crack across the screen • A tall glass of water • Babysitting the neighbour's three kids • Purple nail polish • A llama wearing your uncle’s hockey jersey • A blurry photograph

Many getting to know you games consist of students sharing interesting facts about themselves and their personalities. In this game, students will discover things they have in common with their classmates. But, the goal is for students to share unique traits about themselves that none of the other students share, to be both one of a kind and the last student standing. This game can be friendly or competitive, but either way it’s an opportunity for you and your students to learn more about each other. Read on to learn how to play. Instructions1. Have students stand in a circle. 2. Choose one student to begin, or allow a volunteer to start. 3. One at a time, students will share their name and something about themselves: My name is Amy and I have one sister. My name is Marcus and I take swimming lessons. My name is Terry and I have a pet iguana. Students should choose a non-physical trait — it’s easy to see who has brown hair, for example. 4. If another student shares the same trait (for example, Sunil also has one sister), the student who named the trait has to sit down — in this case, Amy. If nobody shares the same trait, the student can remain standing. NOTE: Let students know that this game does not come with the expectation that they must confess something scandalous or share a secret with the class. This game is not meant to be group therapy; it’s simply a chance to share traits that make students unique. 5. The game will continue to the right. Students will keep naming traits about themselves and finding out whether anyone in the class shares them. 6. Once you’ve gone through the full class, you can keep going if time permits, or call the game there. The goal is for students to share at least one unique fact about themselves while remaining standing as long as possible. If it comes down to a final group of two or three, you can continue playing as long as time remains, or you can crown a double/triple champion. 7. Variations: • Non-competitive: When the game passes to the next student, any student who is sitting can stand up again. • Friendly competition: Once a student is sitting they are out, but they can still share a trait about themselves and try to get others out. If a seated student shares a unique trait, they can stand back up. Play continues until only one student is standing. • Extra competitive (but still friendly): If another student shares the same trait, all of the students with the shared trait sit down. Seated students can still share traits to get others out. If a seated student shares a unique trait, they can stand back up. • Memory challenge: Have students go through the list of names and share again the students’ names and their unique facts about themselves. • Opposites: Have students try sharing facts about themselves that they think many students in the class will share. In this variation, have students keep a tally of how many facts they have in common with other students. 8. If you wish, your students can complete an exit slip (found below) about their experience playing this game.

When you’re starting out a new term, it’s always a priority to get to know your drama students, whether they’re new to you or returning for another class. We have lots of resources for fun ways to get to know your students, including active games and novelties, icebreaker questions, and bingo. These activities are great for discovering your students’ likes and dislikes, learning interesting facts about them, and gaining some insight into why they’re taking drama class. You can also use questionnaires to get to know your students better. The advantage of using questionnaires in class is that they can be kept confidential, which means students can be a bit more forthcoming with their answers than when they’re working in a large group or with classmates they may not know very well. We have a questionnaire to find out about your students’ past theatrical experiences with drama and theatre, as well as a questionnaire to gauge your students’ previous theatrical knowledge. It’s also helpful to know what kind of learners your students are. Some students are visual learners, who learn best by reading or watching examples. Some students are auditory learners, who learn best by listening to instructions. Some students are kinesthetic learners, who learn best by getting up and practicing the tasks right away. Some students may need additional support for their learning, such as more time to read the material, an aide or interpreter, or working with a peer. Some students thrive in a busy, active environment, while others work best when it’s quiet and calm. Some students hate group work, while others need at least one partner to keep them on task. Some of this information may previously have been given to you, if your students already have an IEP (individualized education program) or similar identified learning accommodation. However, regardless of whether your students are neurotypical or neurodiverse, or whether they have a diagnosis or not, it is beneficial to you to know how you can best support your students in their learning journey. Even knowing what other classes your students have this semester is helpful information to have. You won’t be able to provide every single accommodation, but you might be able to make some adjustments so that you’re employing a wider variety of lesson delivery techniques, offering choices on how your students can learn and present the lesson material, or avoiding assigning a huge project that’s due the same week as their big chemistry lab or history test. Some topics you might want to ask about in your learning style questionnaire include: • Learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, visual), if known • Learning preferences (projects, worksheets, lectures, hands-on activities, etc.) • Students’ tolerance for noise in the classroom • Whether students work better individually, with a partner, in small groups, or in large groups • Whether students prefer to do homework at home or complete it during class time (if available) • Accommodations that students could benefit from • What students wished their classmates or teacher knew about them • Topic preferences (students might take drama but hate acting — are there options for them?) You can format your questionnaire with circle answers, checkboxes, or short answer sections — whatever works. It’s nice to have a variety of types of questions to answer. Leave space for students to include additional notes or explanations, and reiterate to them that you will keep responses confidential. Check out our questionnaire template at the bottom of this article for a formatting example. Be sure to thank your students for their time and honesty, as it will truly benefit everyone in the classroom (anonymously, of course). And as much as possible, apply their responses to your classroom and lessons! Your follow-through will demonstrate that you genuinely care and are listening. And when students have the resources in place to help them, they will be that much closer to success. Additional Resources:Giving Instructions for Different Learning Styles The Inclusive Classroom: Drama Class for Students with Special Needs Tips for Running a Relaxed Performance of Your Show (this article gives ideas about making accommodations for various student needs)

I have yet to meet a student who didn’t cringe (inwardly or outwardly!) at the start of a new semester or the first rehearsal when they hear their teacher say, “Ok, let’s go around the circle and share an interesting fact about ourselves!” So. Much. Pressure. Here’s a game that helps teachers and students get to know each other without the stress of having to come up with an interesting fact — all you have to do is answer a question. You’ll need a deck of playing cards and a printout of our question set, found at the bottom of this article. Grab your cards and deal out a card face down to each student, or fan out cards face down and let each student select one. The number on the card corresponds to a pre-set question. If a student gets the Joker card, they get to choose which question they answer. The questions can be theatre-related (“Do you like plays or musicals better and why?”), drama class-related (“What is something you’re hoping to learn in drama class this term?”), personality-related (“Are you a morning person or a night owl?”), likes/dislikes-related (“What’s your favourite meal? Describe it.”), or combination of any of them. You might even have your students submit suggestions and select the best ones to ask. Just keep it light — you’re all getting to know each other. You’ll have time to go deeper later in the term. If you think your students would benefit from knowing the questions in advance, print out copies of the question list and hand them out, or make a large copy and post/project it at the front of the room. This may help reduce some potential anxiety over “What question am I going to be asked?” Your students might appreciate being allowed to turn their cards over and look at them secretly for a few moments, so they can see the question and have a little time to think about their answers. They might also like the thrill of not knowing their question until the last minute! Just make sure everyone turns their cards back over while others are answering, so everyone can listen respectfully. Here’s an example of how your question sheet might look: • Ace = What is your favourite meal? Describe it. • Two = What is something you enjoy doing in your spare time? • Three = What is something you’re hoping to learn in drama class? • Four = What is your favourite way to consume media (social media, videos, podcasts)? • And so on. Jack, Queen, King, and Joker follow Ten. Check the bottom of this article for a full template. Here are some ways to mix up the gameplay: • Interview: Divide students into pairs. Deal out three cards to each pair. Have the partners interview each other using the questions related to the cards. • Trades: Before looking at the card, the student has the option to trade cards with another student who hasn’t yet answered their question. (Unfortunately this means that the student who goes last doesn’t get to trade, but this might encourage students to volunteer to go sooner!) • Suits: If the suit of the chosen card is Hearts (no matter what number the card is), the student must mime their answer. You can add additional challenges to each suit if you like. For example: Diamonds = sing your answer, Spades = answer in a funny voice, Clubs = speak your answer while doing some sort of gesture or movement. • Dice Roll: Before looking at the card, give the student the option to roll a die. If they get a 1 or 2, they will answer their question. If they get a 3 or 4, they will have to trade cards with another student nearby and answer the question on the new card. If they get a 5 or 6, they will have to draw a second card and answer that question as well. • Hot Seat: Have three students draw cards and ask YOU the questions corresponding to the numbers on the cards. ** Additional Resources:**• 20 Icebreaker Questions for Drama Students To Get To Know Each Other • Get To Know You Bingo • Three “Get To Know You” Games

This exercise is a great icebreaker game and a fun way for students to get to know each other. Students are challenged to figure out what famous character they are and who their partner in the classroom is, using yes or no questions. Instructions: 1. As a group, brainstorm a list of famous pairs, partners, and duos. You’ll need to come up with at least as many pairs as you have students (i.e., if you have twenty students in your class, you need a minimum of ten pairs). The pairs can be characters from plays, movies, books, comics, or even certain food items that always go together. Here are some ideas to get you started: • Batman and Robin • Mario and Luigi • Peter Pan and Wendy Darling • Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson • Bert and Ernie • Romeo and Juliet • Calvin and Hobbes • Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia • Lilo and Stitch • Mickey and Minnie Mouse • Anna and Elsa • Superman and Lois Lane • Sugar and spice • Peanut butter and jelly • Macaroni and cheese Keep an ear out for potential debates about who a character’s famous partner is. Your students might think Batman and the Joker, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, or Princess Leia and Han Solo are better pairs than the ones listed above. If you want to, allow students to explain their thoughts and vote on which pair is more iconic together. 2. Write each member of the pairs on different pieces of paper, Post-it Notes, or sticker sheets. (Note: if you’re short on time, you can prepare the list of famous pairs and papers in advance — just make sure the pairs you choose are ones that students will be familiar with.) 3. Attach the papers to your students’ backs. 4. Have students walk around the room and try to figure out who or what they are, by using yes or no questions. For example, if a student’s character is Batman, they might ask questions like, “Am I a human?” “Am I a superhero?” or “Am I in a movie?” 5. Once they’ve figured out who or what they are, they need to find their partner (i.e., the student playing Batman must figure out which student is Robin) and stand next to them. 6. If your students find this exercise too easy, you can make it more challenging in a few ways: • Limit the number of questions students can ask each other. For example, if your limit is ten questions, have students hold up their hands. When they ask a question, they have to fold down one of their fingers until they’ve figured out who they are. Once both hands are in fists, they can’t ask any more questions and they’ll have to wait for their partner to find them or figure it out by process of elimination. • Set a time limit for finding their partner. If you want to make it a competition, perhaps the students who pair up in time win a prize, or the students who can’t find their partners have to complete a task such as sweeping the classroom or performing a silly dance in front of the rest of the group. • Miming only. Students cannot use their voices; they have to mime their questions and responses. • Once students figure out their character, they have to act and speak like that character. This might be more difficult for students whose pairs are peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese, but a fun acting challenge nonetheless! • Once students have found their partner, assign the pair a scene to prepare or an improv scenario to complete.

Get To Know You Bingo is a fun icebreaker game. It gets students up out of their seats, moving around and talking to each other. It’s also a good way for you to get to know more about your students, and to potentially gauge their prior drama knowledge. To prepare the game, you’ll need a computer and a printer or photocopier. To play the game, students will each need a printout of the Bingo card and a writing utensil. Preparation:Start by creating a Bingo grid card with various questions that your drama students might know the answers to, or traits that students in your drama class might possess. Since students will be talking to each other to get their squares filled, you don’t have to do different layouts for every student, but you can if you wish. (The website My Free Bingo Cards is a great resource to print free randomized Bingo cards if you don’t want to make them manually.) Traditional Bingo cards in North America are 5 by 5 squares (25 squares total), but you can also make a smaller card of squares or rectangles if you wish (in the United Kingdom, Bingo cards are sometimes made on a 5 by 3 or 9 by 3 rectangular grid). To fill your squares, you can include ideas that are specific to drama or to your class (a production class, musical theatre class, playwriting class, etc.), or go with straightforward personality or appearance traits, or even a mix of both. For example, you might have “Someone who can name a play written by William Shakespeare” or “Someone who has blonde hair.” At the bottom of this article, you can download a whole list of square ideas. You can also duplicate ideas or have students come up with card ideas themselves. You might also want to make a “free” space; traditionally the centre square of the 5 by 5 grid is a free space, but you can put it in any place you wish. Make sure when you’re putting the prompts into the squares that you leave enough room for student signatures. Print enough copies so each student has a sheet. Rules:The game will be played in three rounds. In the first round, students are looking for one line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. In the second round, students are looking for two lines (they can intersect). In the third round, students are aiming to fill a full card. When a student gets the required amount of squares filled with signatures, they yell “Bingo!” Students must ask the person the question on their sheet before they get their signature; they can’t just thrust the paper at them and say, “Sign something.” Students also must write down the person’s answer as applicable. For example, if the person signs the “Someone who has taken dance lessons” square, what kind of dance lessons have they taken? Or where did they take the lessons? It’s more fun to have lots of different signatures on your Bingo card, but if you want to reduce touch points, you can have students write people’s names and answers on their own cards. Just make sure they spell their peers’ names correctly! Students need to be observant and choose their people and squares carefully! Once a square is filled, they can’t erase someone’s signature and get them to sign a different square. Some squares might be easier or more difficult to fill. Signing rules are as follows (feel free to adapt to your class size): • First and second round — one square per person per card. • Third round — students may sign two squares per person per card but no more than two. • Students may sign one square on their own card. • The teacher may sign one square on a student’s card. When a Bingo is called, have the rest of the class sit down and have the winning student share their answers. If you wish, have a person who signed one of the squares answer a followup question. For example, if a student signs the “Someone who has an older sibling” square, you can ask them what their sibling’s name is, or how many older siblings they have. Some squares, like “Someone who has blue eyes,” won’t have much of a personal followup, but you could also ask a general question to the class, like “Who else has blue eyes and could have signed that square?” While we know many students like competing and will likely vie to be the first to call “Bingo,” the point of the exercise is less to WIN and more for students to get to know their classmates better. Distance Learning Adaptations: If you are teaching virtually, you can adapt this game in a few ways. You can use it as a full-class discussion starting point. For example: “Raise your hand if you’ve seen a live theatre show.” From there, you can have students share what shows they’ve seen. Continue with as many squares as you like or have time for. You can also do a small group competition. Divide students into small groups and send them into breakout rooms. Assign one student in each room to be the note-taker. Have each group see how many squares they can fill in a specified amount of time, or see which group can get a full card the quickest. You could also assign bonus points if more than one student in the group can fulfill the square’s requirement. For example, if three students can name three different Shakespearean plays, they get three points for that square.

“What did you do on your summer/winter holidays?” is over. “What are your plans for the weekend?” is boring. You need some new and fresh icebreaker questions to get your students conversing. Not only will these questions help your students get to know each other, but they’ll give you deeper insight into their lives and personalities as well. The following questions are open-ended, so students can share more than just yes/no or one-word responses. They’re also meant to be inclusive, so students can participate without feeling “less than.” For example, asking students what they did over the holidays can be great if they went on a fancy vacation, but not so great if they had to stay home and babysit their siblings or work a part-time job. Some of the questions are funny, some are serious, some are more personal. Be aware of your students’ dynamics and what questions might be uncomfortable for them, and adjust or omit questions as necessary. You can use these questions for the traditional “pair up and interview your partner” exercise, as full-class group discussion questions, or as written journal prompts. 1. What television show, movie, novel, or comic book do you think would make a great theatrical stage production? Why? 2. If you got to set the drama curriculum for the semester, what lessons/topics would you teach? 3. What do you think drama teachers do when they’re not in class? 4. What is your dream job? How could the skills you learn in drama class help you to get that job? 5. What are three traits a great drama teacher should possess? 6. What is something you’re interested in? Why does it interest you? 7. Name a person you respect or admire. What is it about that person that you like? 8. What is a great piece of advice you have received? Or, what advice would you share with others? 9. If you could write a play or musical about any topic or featuring any music, what would you create? 10. Describe a favourite taste or smell with as many expressive words or phrases as you can. 11. If you could donate a million dollars to any charity or cause, what would you donate the money to? Why? 12. If the drama classroom could talk, what do you think it would say? 13. If you could have any talent, what talent would you want and why? 14. What place — real or fictional — would you like to visit and why? 15. If you had a time machine, would you rather visit the past or the future? Why? 16. What do you want to be remembered for? 17. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Who would star in the movie adaptation? 18. Describe how you’d arrange and decorate your ideal drama classroom. 19. What three words would you use to describe yourself? What are three words you think others would use to describe you? 20. What is something that always makes you laugh?

The first week of drama class can be the toughest week of the semester. A drama class is quite different than a “regular” class. Students need to be comfortable with each other before the “real work” can begin. The objective of the first few drama classes is to build that comfortable environment. There are three things you need to do: • Break the ice • Establish an environment of trust • Turn the class into a community The activities that work best for the first week of drama class tend to be games and exercises that are simple and let everyone get to know each other. Where to start? We've made it easy with Ten Fantastic First Week Activities for Drama Class - all created to help you prepare for a week packed with creativity, laughter, and self-discovery! Click the link below to download and get started. Wishing you a great start to the new school year!