I don't know about you, but first days of school are long and often boring. Though I do try to avoid spending most of the time on procedures or rules, I also realize (as an introvert) that asking me to stand up and talk about my summer is ABSOLUTELY not something I want to do. I don't care to hear that you went to Europe or hiked to the top of Pike's Peak. I watched Netflix, so thanks. :)
So, with that in mind, I often try to do icebreaker activities in smaller groups and in a way that isn't going to upset my introverts too much.
Here's one that I think might work well from Tophat.com that I created a document to go with--
Divide students into small groups, and have them share three facts about themselves: something personal, something professional and something peculiar, such as an interesting hobby or habit.
A few little pieces of advice:
- Always ask students to say their own names on day 1 (so you don't butcher them AND so they have a better opportunity to let you know what they go by-- so you aren't calling someone Alexandria when she prefers Lex!) and have a seating chart so they know where to sit (this prevents shy kids from feeling like they have no friends and avoids cliques from sitting in groups). I usually just say, "Okay, let's see if you found the right seats..."
- If you do a sharing activity, divide them into small groups and let them share in a little group rather than a big class forum. Then, you can collect the papers and review them on your own (I think it's nice to collect them after giving a little "work and small share time" and then ask if they want to share something they learned from someone else and you can make notes on the papers while they do.
