Three Icebreakers for the First Day of School!

As a former public speaking teacher, I'm all too familiar with student anxiety.

The first day of school can send every little worry into high gear! New teachers, new classes, for some, a completely new school!

As we think about the first day of school, we as teachers should consider what simple things we can do to break through the anxiety and make students feel more at ease.

I was walking through Dollar Tree the other day and spotted an adorable little foam cube with dry-erase options on each side. It sparked ideas instantly! It came home with me, along with a little dry erase marker.

Ultimately I came up with three ideas to use this fun tool as a way for a non-disruptive icebreaker. Take a look and see if any of them would be fun to try!

Numbers Game

Write numbers 1-6 on each side and have a corresponding list of questions on the board. Questions should be non-invasive but something that could have a different answer for each student. Let the student roll the dice and then look at the question with the same number on the board to answer. Here are some examples I thought of!

1. Tell me about a time you were really proud of yourself.

2. Tell me about a sport/e-sport you play or wish you played.

3. If money was no problem, where would you live?

4. What's your dream vacation location?

5. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

6. What candy do you wish you had a lifetime supply of?

Starting Letters

Write a letter on each side of the cube. Propose a few different topics (or have the students give you some ideas!) and have the student roll. The student will need to answer the proposed question starting with the letter they roll! (Almost Scattergories come to life!) 

(Some popular letters to include could be R, N, T, and O. Or use the 5 vowels and Y)

They could discuss       

1. Foods you like

2. One thing that is scarier than public speaking ;)

3. City/Place you’d like to visit

4. Favorite holiday and why it's your favorite

5. Something you’d hate to step on

and so on! I'd love to hear more ideas below!

Favorite Things

It's as easy as it sounds! For an especially shy/nervous class, this is a simple, non-invasive way to make connections that will get other students to say, "hey- me too!" Write one thing on each side of the cube that a student could tell you their "favorite" of. 

Ideas include things like: 

1. Vacation spot 

2. Food 

3. School subject 

4. Color 

5. Favorite animal 

6. Ice cream flavor

What do you think of these ideas? What other topics and questions would be good to ask? Tell me in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Looking for more back-to-school resources? I've got some that might help you! Check out my Editable Classroom Rules Debate, my Back to School Debate Bundle, or the Storytelling PowerPoint Game!

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Tips for Students with Stage Fright

On day 1 of public speaking class, I wanted to address the elephant in the room. 

"I know a lot of you are scared of public speaking and you may be dreading this class. I promise that I'm on your side, I won't push you to do anything that I don't know you can accomplish, and we will do this together. You will succeed." 

I so badly wanted my students to know that, even if they were scared, I would help them succeed. Stage fright or speaking anxiety wasn't going to stop them from triumph! That's one reason I taught using the workshop method (found here!) but sometimes for certain students, the anxiety can persist. Here are a few tips you can use for your most nervous students.

1. One of the best ways to combat stage fright is through commonality. 

You might think, "how can MORE of what they are afraid of DECREASE the fear?" So much of public speaking fear is tied to one bad experience or how rarely they have tried. 

I keep this in the back of my mind: More speaking = decreasing fear (eventually). The monster becomes smaller and smaller if they keep practicing. Try different types of speeches to shake it up: demonstrations, persuasive, debates, informative, impromptu, speech games, etc. (Psst, you can find ALL of this in my TeachersPayTeachers store.) But they need to keep going! I tried to get my students up in front of the class, even for 30 seconds or in a game, at least once a week.

2. Let students have autonomy over their topics.

Another way to discuss things you KNOW. If you assign all of your student's topics, it doesn't allow the excitement and confidence the student can gain through seeking more information on a topic that interests them.

I'd also encourage public speaking teachers to not push topics that are specifically ONLY about the student. For some that really struggle with speaking anxiety, talking about themselves only intensifies the spotlight! Try introducing or talking about others or discussing their favorite hobby!

I take exception with persuasive topics just because I want balance and situations where both sides can be embraced. Even then, I give students a list to work from so they can still some autonomy and work within their own interests to keep anxiety lower.

3. Don't make them always stand alone.

Giving speeches doesn't have to be only one student behind the podium. You can shake it up! Have groups give a presentation, have the volleyball players describe the perfect spike, the students that enjoy cooking can come together to demonstrate a new skill, etc. Shake things up and have group speeches every so often. 

It keeps things exciting and gives your most nervous students a little boost and extra support. Try to divy up the stronger students and make sure everyone has a turn to speak. Some speeches WITH others can help immensely!

When you teach public speaking, do what you can to help dispel the speaking anxieties. A little confidence goes a long way! Always write down something they did well. Let them practice in pairs during classtime and get peer feedback. Play games and get them laughing and telling stories! Little by little, each of these choices can chip away at anxiety. 

Do you have another idea to help stage fright for public speaking students? Tell me what it is in the comments below!

Need more support to teach public speaking? Check out my public speaking units on TeachersPayTeachers.

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Should classrooms celebrate Valentine's Day?

Inclusion in the classroom has always been a problem. Growing up is unbelievably difficult. 

When holidays roll around, they come with class parties. Activities, treats, energy surge through the classroom. If your school doesn't have the policy to require anyone that bring Valentines to bring one for everyone, it can be heartbreaking to see some kids receive less than others or nothing at all.

It can leave us wondering: should we celebrate Valentine's Day in the classroom? Is it worth the possible heartache?

I actually believe that we can and should allow Valentine's Day celebrations if we do it right. Here's why.

1. Students can't learn empathy if we eliminate all their opportunities to do so.

We can push anti-bullying programs and education, but we must also provide students with the ability to show kindness and inclusivity at normal school functions! It might be tempting to look at things like class parties and gift-giving holidays and say, "no more! Too many kids are being left out!" instead of using them as opportunities to teach the kids HOW to include their classmates.

Teaching them HOW includes teaching them the power of words, and that a student doesn't need disposable cash to make another student feel valued, but that a kind word and a timely note means so much!

2. Encourage students to reach out to someone lonely.

Children tend to be self-focused by nature. I had a teacher who used to say "walk slowly through the crowd." What he meant was to slow down, look around, and see who is by themselves. Who is isolated? Who has been left out? And beyond that, how can I step up and make them feel important?

Encourage them to use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to make a new friend as well.

3. Take this chance to remind every student of the potential you see in them.

You as the teacher can use this as a springboard of encouragement as well. Tell the students how much you care about them and how proud of them you are.

Remind them that you believe they can make anyone and everyone feel included by the choices they make! Did you bring something for everyone? Did you know you have the ability to make someone's day by the words that you choose? I know and believe you can!

In my opinion, it comes down to this: if we eliminate all opportunities for students to include each other, they'll never learn how to do it!

What do you think? Should we celebrate Valentine's Day in the classroom? Tell me in the comments below!

Do you want to have this same discussion with your students? Check out my Valentine's Day Debate Activity!

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