What are some different types of "Getting Acquainted" exercises for high school students?

Question

I am teaching a remedial English course for 9th and 10th grade students from different schools. Most of the students will not know anything about each other.

Answer 1

This may be too juvenile but have you or a student get up and walk to the center of the room. Hold out both arms. On one arm, say something general like. "I like to draw" and on the other, say "I enjoy the show 24" Then, have the students who 'agree' with those link to the corresponding arms, then they do the same thing with their arms, and then you keep going until everyone in the room is linked.
It's corny, but I did it at a high school leadership conference with kids from all around and we enjoyed it.

Also, you can set two equal rows of chairs facing each other, then have students sit in both rows. Have the students sitting across from each other get to know one another (exchange name, hometown, school, interests, etc..) then after about a minute, have one row shift, where everyone moves down a seat (and the last person goes around to the first empty seat, of course), and keep doing that until everyone in that row has sat in every seat in that row. It's similar to speed dating, and you usually don't remember much, but it's a good way to get people talking and make the atmosphere less uncomfortable.

Also, what really worked in my english class is to conduct class in a circle (if possible), that way, no one is really, in the back or can separate themselves from the group. You can lead discussions as the teacher in the middle.

You can also do an interest based version of musical chairs. Make sure there is one less chair for everyone in the room, then you or a volunteer (that isn't sitting in that extra chair) get up and state a interest you have like "I watched every minute of the NCAA march madness games" then everyone who agrees has to get up and change seats until that one person is left in the middle and they start the process again.

Or you give everyone a small slip of paper. Tell them to write two things on the paper about themselves that are true and one that is not. Then you collect the papers, and you go through each one with the class and they try to guess which is the lie. Then the person who wrote it can verify.

Answer 2

Some possible icebreaker exercises can include:

1. Each member names his or her favorite movie, TV show, or snack food with no comment. The team later discusses why each person made those particular selections.

2. Each member explains how he or she got their first name

3. Members could answer a hypothetical question such as "If you could travel any place in the world, where would you go?"

4. Members can state the last book or movie each has seen.

5. Members can answer a forced-choice question such as "Which is better, football or basketball?,""the future or the present?" or one related to the course.