Icebreaker Activity

Pack

Aligned with

ELD
Common Core Standards
 CONTENTS

Pages
Objectives and Procedures 1-3

Icebreaker Sheet 4-5

Conjugation Chart 6

Sentence Strips 7-13

Vocabulary Cards 14-23

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ICEBREAKER ACTIVITY – OBJECTIVES AND PROCEDURES

OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS

As a result of engaging in this icebreaker activity, students will be able to:
ask basic yes/no questions in the present tense.
respond to basic yes/no questions in the present tense.

This lesson addresses the following Core Standards:

Learning About How English Works:

3. Using verbs and verb phrases

Use various verbs/verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having,
thinking/feeling) and tenses appropriate for the text type and discipline (e.g.,
simple past for recounting an experience) for familiar topics.
4. Using nouns and noun phrases
Expand noun phrases in simple ways (e.g., adding an adjective) in order to
enrich the meaning of sentences and add details about ideas, people, things,
etc.

MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need:
Scavenger Hunt Sheet (one per student)
Sentence Structure Chart (one per student)
Vocabulary Cards (one set)
Conjugation Chart (one per student)
Sentence Strips (one set per student)

Note: It’s a good idea to print the charts on card stock – you might even
consider having them laminated.

INTRODUCTION
This lesson helps the teacher to begin the semester/term with a genuine
learning activity. For low-level students, the activity will provide an introduc-
tion to a basic, critical communication skill; for more advanced students, the
activity will provide a solid refresher on this skill. Additionally, it makes use of
multiple intelligences and provides the students an easy way to remember
the grammatical content, and to practice it on their own.
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PROCEDURE
1. BEFORE YOU START
Before the class session starts, write the following on the board:

Today you will:

meet your classmates.
learn how to answer yes/no questions in the present tense.

Once the students are settled and it’s time for class to begin, direct their
attention to the board and read them what you’ve written. Explain that they
will meet their classmates through a “scavenger hunt” activity.

2. DIRECTIONS
Pass out the Scavenger Hunt Sheets and Sentence Structure Charts.

Read the directions with the students. If you like, have a volunteer/volunteers
read them aloud.

Tell the students that they are only going to ask and answer the first five
questions right now. After about ten minutes, the class will stop to share their
findings before continuing with the scavenger hunt. (The first five questions
use the verb to be; the others use do as an auxiliary/helping verb.)

3. WARM UP-INTRODUCTORY SET

Let the students browse the first five items (an only child through
superstitious) on the Scavenger Hunt Sheet. If anyone is unfamiliar with any
of the items, help that student gain an understanding of these; using the
Vocabulary Cards will help students understand and remember the new
vocabulary.

Note: It’s possible that, even in a lower-level class, the students will
collectively know most, or even all, of the items. Should they know the
vocabulary already, by all means let them “strut their stuff.”

Have a pair of students come to the front of the room and demonstrate the
example interaction (“Are you an only child?”).

Then direct their attention to the Sentence Structure Chart. Explain that the
first table provides the structure that they will need to answer (and answer)
the first five questions. (For the moment, don’t worry about not being able to
go through all the present-tense forms of to be.)

Note: Lower-level classes might want to write out all the questions before
starting the scavenger hunt.
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7. ACTIVITY – PART ONE

Give the students at least ten minutes to engage in the scavenger hunt
activity. Join them for the first seven or so minutes, and then return to the
front of the classroom.

Take a few minutes to review the activity: either ask each student one of the
questions, or have the students ask each other, one at a time, while the rest
of the class listens.

8. ACTIVITY – PART TWO

For the second part of the activity, simply repeat the steps of the Warm Up-
Introductory Set and Part One; however, use the remaining five items on the
Scavenger Hunt Sheet.

Note: to form the next five questions, students will need to use do as an
auxiliary/helping verb. Before letting them engage in the scavenger hunt,
make sure they can form these questions, and respond to them. Also, be
sure that they are able to form and respond to them in the negative.

9. WRAP UP
Before the students return to their seats, draw the Conjugation Chart on the
board (or, better yet, project it on the board, which will allow you to manipu-
late the cards as your students do so).

Once the students have returned to their seats, pass out the Conjugation
Charts and Conjugation Cards. Explain that you are going to use the charts
and cards to review the forms that you’ve learned.

As you ask students and they ask each other the questions (“Do you ride
roller coasters?” and so on), demonstrate how they can use the chart and the
cards to help themselves learn subject-verb agreement (the cards and chart
are color-coded according to person and number).

10. ASSESSMENT
Assess each student’s ability to ask and answer questions using both
structures.

11. EXTENSION ACTIVITY

If the class has a strong enough grasp on the material, consider one of the
following extensions:
Use the charts and cards to ask and answer third-person and plural
questions.
Ask information questions (e.g., “How many brothers and sisters do
you have?”; “Which newspaper do you read?” and so on).
Have students create, ask, and answer their own questions.
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SCAVENGER HUNT ACTIVITY

Are you an Yes, I am an

only child? only child.

Directions:
1. Ask your classmates questions
using the words and phrases .

2. Beside the word or phrase, write

the name of any classmate who
Paola Pavel
answers yes to the question.

1. an only child

Pavel________________________

1. an only child

2. afraid of heights

3. from another country

4. a parent

5.superstitious
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SCAVENGER HUNT ACTIVITY

Do you ride
roller coasters? Yes, I do.

Directions:
1. Ask your classmates questions
using the words and phrases .

2. Beside the word or phrase, write

the name of any classmate who
Paola Pavel
answers yes to the question.

1. ride roller coasters

Pavel________________________

6. ride roller coasters

7. read a newspaper every day

8. use dental floss

9. play a musical instrument

10.drink coffee
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I we
you you
he she it they
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am are do do not
are are do do not
is are does do not
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ride ride read read

ride ride read read
rides ride reads read
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play play drink drink

play play drink drink
plays play drinks drink
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use use
use use
uses use
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afraid of heights superstitious

an only child a parent
from another country
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a newspaper every day

a musical instrument coffee
roller coasters dental floss
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