Create a classroom culture of cooperation and confidence from day one.
As I think back on 16 years' worth of “back-to-school” first days as a math and special education teacher, one thing always sticks out in my mind: the mixed bag of emotions students bring with them as they walk through the door. Some are excited, some are anxious, and some are downright intimidated.
The math classroom is often a high-stakes environment, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a safe space for collaboration and community.
Your first-day icebreakers are central to setting this stage and can positively impact the culture of your classroom for the entire school year. Read on for some of my favorite icebreakers that encourage mathematical thinking and discourse. You can give every learner opportunities to collaborate and entry points to build confidence!
1. I Have/Who Has
I Have/Who Has is a back-to-school activity that's adaptable to any grade level but can require some fast-paced processing that makes it a fun and challenging opening-day icebreaker for upper-middle or high school students. I like to play the game once with a set of simple sequences, such as cardinal numbers, to allow students to get the feel of the game and to avoid putting those who are math-shy on the spot.
Start by passing out one “I Have/Who Has” card to each student; I usually write the “I Have” at the top and the “Who Has” question below it. Keep one card for yourself, plus the starting “Who Has” so you can participate!
These cards should contain a sequence of math-related statements that link to another card in the set. Give students a moment to study the cards.
Begin the game by reading your “Who Has?” card aloud. Your students should listen to see if they have the “I Have” statement that matches. Whoever has your match will read their “I Have” statement aloud and then immediately read their “Who Has?” question. The chain continues with the student who has the corresponding “I Have” statement, and so on. For example:
Teacher: “Who has ½ written as a decimal?”
Student A: “I have 0.5. Who has ¾ written as a percent?”
Student B: “I have 75%. Who has ⅓ written as a decimal?”
I Have/Who Has is an engaging icebreaker to get your students talking while also establishing the classroom norm of active listening when classmates are speaking. It also makes space for every student to participate and be heard; when holding a card they’re responsible for, they can’t fade into the background. Once students are used to the format, you can use this as a warm-up activity, review game, or method to assess prior knowledge.
2. The Toilet Paper Game
While the Toilet Paper Game is typically used as a more general back-to-school icebreaker, try this version with a math twist!
Group your students into teams of three or four using randomized group generators such as Wheel Decide or Random Name Picker.
Next, pass around a roll of toilet paper and instruct groups to tear off as many squares as they like. You can set minimums or maximums as needed.
Now for the math and collaboration. Provide each group with a guideline, such as perfect squares (try to pull from prior learning). Each group must come up with a number, expression, equation, definition, etc. to fit that guideline for each square of toilet paper.
For example, if group A is assigned ‘perfect squares’, they can collaborate to write a perfect square for each sheet of paper. But you can also challenge them to extend their thinking by writing an equation that results in a perfect square, using a perfect square in a simple story problem, or using one square to define the concept in their own words.
Wrap up the activity with presentations, explanations, questioning, and general group discourse. Make sure no one has toilet paper stuck to their shoe when they leave!
3. The Number Hunt
The Number Hunt is a fun, mathematical spin on the typical getting-to-know-you scavenger hunt. This back-to-school game also creates opportunities for students to chat with someone they may not typically talk to, which is great for building community in your classroom.Simply distribute this worksheet of math-based questions that students can ask each other and watch the fun happen! Each question should have a line where the student fulfilling the criteria can sign their name. Be sure to say that each student can only sign someone else’s paper once.
Here are some sample Number Hunt questions and statements to get you started:
- Find someone whose birthdate contains a multiple of 3.
- The digits of this person’s street address total a 2-digit number.
- Find a classmate whose height is greater than 152 cm but less than 165 cm.
I also like to make sure there are supplies available during this icebreaker, such as rulers, yardsticks, calculators, scratch paper, etc. Put these items in a central space and let students know they are free to use them.
Now It’s Your Turn!
Providing your students with engaging, collaborative, and low-stakes icebreakers for the first day is a surefire way to set the stage for a year of successful learning. I hope you enjoy these back-to-school activities as much as I did!
Do you have some opening day icebreakers that you love? Join the conversation in the LONG + LIVE + MATH community Facebook group and swap ideas with other math teachers.
The math classroom is often a high-stakes environment, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a safe space for collaboration and community.
Karen Sloan, Math and Special Education Teacher for 16 Years
Before joining Carnegie Learning's marketing team in 2022, Karen spent 16 years teaching mathematics and social studies in Ohio classrooms. She has a passion for inclusive education and believes that all learners can be meaningfully included in academic settings from day one. As a former math and special education teacher, she is excited to provide educators with the latest in best-practices content so that they can set all students on the path to becoming confident "math people."
