Donate

Community Builders

Mingle, Mingle

Each participant will receive an index card with a question on it [ex: What did you do this summer? What is the last movie you saw? Favorite ice cream flavor? etc.]

Participants are instructed to walk around the room and find a partner. Participants ask each other the question on their card. Instructor gives time for both people to go, and calls out, “Switch.” Participants switch cards (so that they have a new question to ask their next partner) and repeat until Instructor ends the session.

Reflection: What did you learn about a classmate? Who do you have something in common with? etc.


Sun & Moon

Split the group in half and ask Group 1 to form a circle.

Group two will stand in front of Group 1 (face to face) creating an inner circle.

Instructor will ask a question to the entire group and give time for both people to speak.

Instructor will ask the inner circle to move to the right, and will ask another question. (Questions: talk about a time you were lost, talk about a fun activity you did this summer, etc.)

Repeat. *Facilitator walks around the circle, listening in to get a feel for what students are talking about.


Graffiti Walls

Soft music plays as participants silently walk around the room and “tag” the chart paper, answering the prompts written in the middle of the chart paper. Participants are instructed not to talk or respond to anyone’s statement.

Prompts: Favorite book, Favorite Singer, Sports I Play, Goals for this School Year, etc.

Reflection: instructor reads out a few answers from each chart paper and leads a discussion about “who’s in the room” [“We have basketball players, lovers of hip-hop, etc. How many of you play basketball, etc.]


Stand Up If

Teacher gives the following instructions: “This is a silent activity. I will make a statement and if the answer is “Yes” for you, please stand. Take a look at those who are standing with you and those who are not to notice who you have something in common with.

Teacher reads a statement, starting with something less personal or serious and eventually asks more personal/serious questions. [Stand up if you do not have a middle name…Stand up if you live with both your biological parents]

Note: make 5-8 statements, more than that can be too many and less than that can lessen the impact


Learn Names with Movement

This is a fun and active way to get to know everyone’s name.

One at a time, each student says their name and accompanies it with a physical motion.

The rest of the group repeats the name and does the motion.

Then you move on to the next person. This exercise gets students moving while learning the names of their classmates.


Zip, Zap, Zop

Everyone stands in a circle. One person starts the game by saying “ZIP!” and pointing to someone across the circle.

The person who the first person pointed to, must immediately point to another player and say “Zap.”

That player must, in turn, immediately point to another person and say “Zop.”

The fourth person goes back to “ZIP!” while pointing to a new person and the group continues the pattern onward.

Continue in this fashion until someone makes a mistake by either saying the wrong word or by hesitating too long. That player is eliminated, and the game resumes with the remaining players

Keep playing until one person is left – the winner.


 

TEACHING TOOLS

RACIAL EQUITY RESOURCES

STUDENT WORK