Chapter Two Working Together: Assigning Pairs & Partners

Making Sure Nobody Is Left Out s

Using an icebreaker to assign work partners is a dual-purpose strategy. In addition to allowing students to interact in an enjoyable activity, the assignment of partners will mean you are prepared for future lessons that require pairs or teams. The activities in this chapter group students randomly, so that popularity and familiarity are not factors. Best of all, nobody is left out, as sometimes happens when students form groups or nd partners on their own. In a recent class on eective teaching, one of the teacher candidates presented a rst-day activity that involved choosing partners. Another student, a woman in her early forties with a few years of teaching experience, ended up without a partner. I cant believe how upset I feel, she said. All semester, everybody has been talking about how important it is that we make sure nobody is left out when we assign partners, and I thought you guys were making a big thing out of nothing. Now that it happened to me, I see how awful it feels, even though I knew it was an accident. If an adult felt that bad, imagine how a child would feel. After all the apologies and explanations and corrections have been made, its likely that the student will still hear that doubtful little voice saying, Nobody wanted me. And if the teacher rushed in to save the day by oering to be the students partner, the voice may become even louder: Not only did none of my classmates want to work with me, I had to work with the teacher, which made me

31

look like a loser or a brownie or a reject. Even if the teacher managed to patch up the problem, thats not the kind of memory we want students to take away from our classes. We want them to look forward to our next class with joyful curiosity. (You can avoid this problem by counting students ahead of time and adding yourself or a classroom aide to the partner selection process ahead of time, so that you are chosen just as students are.)

Transition to Tasks
The icebreakers in this chapter create an excellent opportunity to transition to a partner or team task as soon as partners are assigned. You can avoid many problems if you give students a task or challenge to complete as soon as they form their groups. For example, give them ve to ten minutes to discuss a question or statement and see if their group can agree on an answerfor example, Students should be allowed to drop out of school when they are fteen years old. Or assign them a fun but useful task, such as Design a report card for teachers that students ll out and send to the principal. The idea is to get them working together as quickly as possible; this makes good use of time and also prevents the lag time when personality conicts can arise out of anxiety or boredom. Note: When working with tough students, avoid assignments that require sharing of personal information that may make them feel vulnerable and defensive. Keep the focus on ideas, concepts, or facts that require thinking and analysis, instead of feelings.

32

Kick-Start Your Class

17.

CARD SHARKS

x P U R P O S E : assign partners or teammates x A G E S : 6adult x T I M E : 515 minutes x M A T E R I A L S : cards with numbers, symbols or pictures; poster board
PREPARATION
Divide the number of students in your class by the number of members (24) that you want per team. Then create sets of 24 matching cards to make one set for each team. For an uneven class, tweak the card groups so you have one larger or smaller group. (And be prepared to make allowances for absent or new students.) Place all the cards in one stack and shue it. On poster board, create a master list that shows a sample card from each set of matching cards with blank lines beside or below each sample where student names will be entered. Design a 1015-minute assignment or game for students (such as a jigsaw or crossword puzzle, trivia quiz, or quick art project). Post your assignment on the board or screen. Distribute one card to each student as he or she enters the room. Prepare your Attention Getter (see the Introduction for details).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS

1. 2. 3. 4.

There are ___ number of people who have cards that match yours. When I say Go, you will have _____ seconds (or minutes) to locate the people whose cards match yours. This will be the signal that time is up. [Demonstrate your Attention Getter.] As soon as you have matched up your cards, raise your hand and wait for me to come and record your names. After your names have been recorded, sit down with your partners and begin the activity that is posted on the board (or screen).

FOLLOW-UP
Post a copy of your master list where students can easily view it. As new students arrive, add them to existing teams or create new teams. If you dont have time for an assignment immediately following this activity, then later, when you want students to work in teams, make your assignment and give students 3060 seconds to nd their Card Sharks partners and get to work.

Create your own deck of cards with selected words, symbols, or pictures for a specic subject or grade level: symbols (such as stars, balloons, and apples) for nonreaders or English language learners; musical terms (such as adagio, pianissimo, and forte) for music students; technology terms (such as wiki, download, and web link) for computer students.
Taken from Kick-Start Your Class: Academic Icebreakers to Engage Students. Copyright 2012 by LouAnne Johnson. Reproduced by permission of Jossey-Bass, an Imprint of Wiley. www.josseybass.com.

33

CARD SHARKS

VARIATIONS

18.

ANIMAL PALS

x P U R P O S E : assign partners or teammates x A G E S : 5adult x T I M E : 515 minutes x M A T E R I A L S : index cards, pencils, animal drawings or clip art, poster board
PREPARATION
Using drawings, clip art, or stickers, assemble sets of identical animal pictures (three pictures per animal). If the number of students in class is not divisible by three, create one pair of picturesor participate in the activity yourself. Next use index cards to create one card for each student in your class (and be prepared for extra students). Attach one animal picture to each card. Draw a blank at the top of the card for the students name and two blanks below or beside the picture for classmates names. Create a master list on poster board or easel paper with a picture of each animal and blanks for three student names beside or below the animal. If this is your rst-day activity, you may choose to hand each student a card as he or she enters the room. Or distribute cards after students are seated. Either way, show them a sample card that is completed with ctional names. Project this completed card on a screen or walk around to enable all students to view the card. Prepare your Attention Getter (see the Introduction for details).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS

1. 2. 3. 4.

Print your own rst and last name on the rst blank under the picture of the animal on your card. [Pause while students write their names.] When I say, Go, you will have _____ seconds (or minutes) to nd the two people whose animal cards match yours. Print your name on their cards. Ask them to print their names on yours. This will be the signal that time is up. [Demonstrate your Attention Getter.] After your team has lled the blanks on your cards, bring your cards to the teacher, who will print your names on the master list. [Or you can let students print their own names.]

FOLLOW-UP
Post your master list where it is clearly visible by students. Whenever you want students to work in teams, give them 3060 seconds to locate their partners.

VARIATIONS

ANIMAL PALS

To assign pairs or larger teams, decrease or increase the number of animal pictures in each group. For older students, instead of animals, use names or pictures of cities or countries, or terms for specic subjects. (For math, use circles, squares, ovals, cones, and cylinders; for teaching theory, use Dewey, Montessori, Piaget, and Vygotsky). (continued)
Taken from Kick-Start Your Class: Academic Icebreakers to Engage Students. Copyright 2012 by LouAnne Johnson. Reproduced by permission of Jossey-Bass, an Imprint of Wiley. www.josseybass.com.

34

(continued)

Taken from Kick-Start Your Class: Academic Icebreakers to Engage Students. Copyright 2012 by LouAnne Johnson. Reproduced by permission of Jossey-Bass, an Imprint of Wiley. www.josseybass.com.

35

ANIMAL PALS

19.

PERSONALITY MATCHES

x P U R P O S E : assigning partners x A G E S : 7adult x T I M E : 515 minutes x M A T E R I A L S : card stock or index cards, stickers or line art, poster board
PREPARATION
Using clip art, stickers, or line drawings, assemble pairs of pictures that match a famous person with a title, object, or activity related to that person (athletes and sports, authors and books, singers and songs, actors and movies, and so on). If you have an uneven number of students, create one trio of matching cards (two books by one author or two movies starring the same actor). Tape or glue your personalities and titles or pictures to cards. Create a master list on your poster board with spaces for two names beside or below each personality match you have assembled. Design a quick activity (word game, math challenge, trivia quiz, or art project) for students. Post this assignment on the board or make instruction sheet handouts. As students enter the room, hand each student a card or put all the cards inside a bag and invite each student to draw a card. Before you begin the activity, demonstrate your Attention Getter (see the Introduction for details) to indicate that time is up or that you need everyones quiet attention.

STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS

1. 2. 3.

Your card shows a picture of a person or a picture of an object or activity associated with that personsuch as a football player and a football. Your job is to match the correct personality with his or her activity or object. You will have ____ number of minutes to nd your personality match. As soon as you nd your partner, show me your cards so I can make sure you have a proper match. Then you can write your names on the master list. After you record your names, you and your Personality Match can begin your rst assignment. (continued)

PERSONALITY MATCHES

36

Taken from Kick-Start Your Class: Academic Icebreakers to Engage Students. Copyright 2012 by LouAnne Johnson. Reproduced by permission of Jossey-Bass, an Imprint of Wiley. www.josseybass.com.

(continued)

FOLLOW-UP
Post the master list where students can easily see it. Whenever you want students to work with partners, give them 3060 seconds to locate their partners and prepare to begin the next activity.

VARIATION
Make this activity more challenging for older students by using abstract or subjectspecic matches, such as U.S. presidents and terms of oce, or scientists and discoveries or inventions (for example, Newton for gravity, Curie for radioactivity, Jenkins and Armat for the Vitascope).

Taken from Kick-Start Your Class: Academic Icebreakers to Engage Students. Copyright 2012 by LouAnne Johnson. Reproduced by permission of Jossey-Bass, an Imprint of Wiley. www.josseybass.com.

37

PERSONALITY MATCHES