Ice Breaker for Day 1 - Option 2

Here is another ice breaker to be used on day 1. Have a picture alphabet photocopied and displayed on the walls. Check comprehension, pronunciation and spelling. Afterwards, demonstrate the task by drawing the letters of your own name on a sheet in blank. After you check students understand what they are supposed to do, hand out sheets in blank and markers/colored pencils. Students draw their names and show them to their peers, who will guess them. 

Although it looks childish, I wouldn't have problems using this ice breaker with any level. They have a lot of fun trying to draw their names.

Picture Alphabet - Downloadable

Ice Breaker for Day 1

For the first class of the semester, in order to get to know each other, students are asked to draw about themselves. For example, if they like pizza, they can draw a pizza. If they have pets, they can draw a dog. If they can play soccer or if soccer is their favorite sport, they can draw a soccer ball, and so on and so forth. After they finish and in case you have an I-pad, take a photo of their drawings and project them on the data show equipment. While you show them the photos, they tell their peers what those pictures represent. (For instance, I have a dog or this is my dog, I play soccer or my favorite soccer team is Flamengo, I like pizza, I have a guitar or I can play the guitar, etc.) In case students don't know what to draw, guide them by writing categories on bb (for instance FOOD, SOCCER TEAM, COLOR, DAY OF THE WEEK, PLACE IN TOWN, etc…) In the end, I collect all their drawings, so I can refer back to them as personal files. For a more advanced level, the same drawings can also be used in the following class for a Q/A Practice, a True or False Game or a Memory Game. In that case, students have to be able to use the third person singular. I arrange students in two teams and ask: Does ...... have a pet? or Can ...... play a musical instrument? What can he play? or Is .......married? American? From......? A soccer player? Etc...