Build Community In The Library This Fall!

Ideas from FactCite, a collection of research databases for students, edited by Susan Gall, FactCite co-founder. Contact MISBO for information on FactCite previews and subscriptions.

The start of a new school year brings opportunities to reinvigorate relationships and spark some new ones! Here are some ways you can build excitement and engage students on Day 1…and throughout the school year!

Like all educators, we at FactCite understand the importance of the first week of school. It is a crucial time for establishing procedures, expectations, and most importantly, relationships. Investing time early in getting to know students and building teamwork pays dividends throughout the year. Strong relationships and solid teamwork allow our library media lessons and programs to grow and thrive.

Here, we will take a look at three common icebreakers contributed by FactCite subscriber Jennifer Siderius from New Market Elementary School in Maryland. Use them the first week of school to build community, or adapt the same icebreaker to use as a formative assessment or exit ticket with research throughout the year. Email us (owls@factcite.com) to request templates to support these activities.

Icebreaker 1: Who’s in your circle?

Greet students during their first visit and talk about what makes a community. A great way to do this is to share a read-aloud on the subject. (Suggestion: The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague.)

Have students brainstorm the many circles they belong to (clubs, sports teams, their class, bus number, etc.) and things they like (hobbies, professional sports teams, food, etc.).

Then ask students to draw three nested circles on paper or dry erase board. Students then write something about themselves with common “getting to know you” themes discussed during brainstorming, such as favorite hobby, sport played, favorite food, etc. The other circles are labeled “love,” “like,” and “IDK.”

Next, students talk to each other to share their favorites. Classmates sign each other’s circles in the appropriate outer circles (love, like, or IDK). This activity helps students find others who share common interests and shows how we can make connections with others in a variety of ways.

Variation to use with research:

This activity can also be adapted to share research throughout the year. One aspect of problem-solving is being able to identify patterns and connections. We can strengthen this skill with an engaging activity for students to use in sharing their research.

First, have students choose an animal to research. (FactCite 1-2-3 has a strong Animals module – email owls@factcite.com to request a trial to use this content for student research.)

Have students read and learn about their chosen animal. Have them draw two sets of three nesting circles (or use the “Animal Friends” template). In the innermost circles, record information about the animal’s diet and habitat. Label the other circles “same” and “different.”

Finally, have students talk to each other about their animals. Ask others to record their animal in appropriate outer circle. Ask students to look at their papers and look for patterns among the animals who share the same diet or habitat. Are they all from the same animal family, such as reptiles? Do they all live in the same geographical area? Why do they think they share those common features?

Icebreaker 2: Would you rather?

Use “Would You Rather?” at the beginning of the year or anytime there are a few spare minutes at the end of a class session! It’s always fun to see the choices that students make and interesting to hear the reasons behind their choices. Plus, this activity can be adapted to any space, the time available, or subject area.

To play “Would You Rather?” have students form a line in the middle of the room. Then, ask them a question, such as “Would you rather have a million dollars or a tree that grows money?” Students who pick the first choice move to one side of the room while students who pick the second choice move to the opposite side. (If you’re short on space, you can have students just stand up or sit down at their seats to show their answer.) Then, call on a few students to share why they made that choice.

Variation to use with research:

“Would You Rather?” ties in perfectly for biography research. Try it for explorer, author, or inventor research, or during Women’s History or Black History Month.

Have students choose two notable people to research (FactCite has four biography databases. Email owls@factcite.com for a trial during your research period.)

Here, they should think about people in a variety of careers, interests, or achievements. When each student has chosen two people to research, provide them with a graphic organizer to record notes on each person.

After research, ask them to draft a question based on the person they researched. For example, they might ask “Would you rather be a mathematician like Katherine Johnson or a space explorer like Sally Ride?”

In class, read the students’ questions aloud and have the class make their choices. At the end of each question, ask the student who created the question to share their answer and more information about the people referred to in their “Would You Rather?” question.

You can also use their questions on a bulletin board with book covers or images.

Icebreaker 3: Blobs and Lines

“Blobs and Lines” is an icebreaker that provides students with opportunities to practice relationship-building while incorporating movement. We first read about this activity on The Cult of Pedagogy blog, in a version for high school students. We’ve adapted the activity for younger students!

In “Blobs and Lines,” the leader calls out a question. Some questions cause the participants to line up in a specific order while others force them to form small groups around common themes.

For example, one question might ask participants to line up in alphabetical order by first name, which causes them to speak to one another to learn basic information while also problem solving to organize themselves. A second question might ask them to group up by favorite food, causing participants to begin getting to know one another and form small groups. Throughout the game, these groups change based on the questions and show how we might have interests and connections with many different people.

Variation to use with research:

“Blobs and Lines” can be applied to many different research projects. Here’s one example, using a holidays theme. Ask students to choose a holiday to research. (FactCite 123 has a module on holidays. Email owls@factcite.com for a trial during your research period.)

Ask students to record facts for the “Blobs” (activity/tradition, decorations, foods) and for the “Lines” (name, where it is celebrated, month/season it is observed). After students have completed their research, play a holiday version of Blobs and Lines.

Ask students to make blobs based on holiday foods, decorations, and activity/traditions. They can practice organizational skills by forming lines based on the time of year their holiday is celebrated (they can line in month order or season order), alphabetical order by holiday name, or alphabetical order by the country of origin.

Other ideas from librarians:

Here are a few more ideas:

Two come from FactCite subscriber Sue Borain, King’s Ridge Christian School, Georgia:

“FactCite is the perfect resource for our students. At King’s Ridge Christian School, we use FactCite extensively during International Week, when every class from first - fourth grade researches a different country. International Week. Our third graders also find it very useful and the content excellent for preparing for their ‘Living Museum’ - they research and then dress up as a famous person and share facts about their life and accomplishments.”

And another comes from Frances Mazur, Library Media Specialist, Crayton Middle School, South Carolina”

Bring Reading to Life with a Themed Book Club (Contact Ms. Mazur for more information frances.mazur@RICHLANDONE.ORG:)

“My ‘Bring Reading to Life’ activity used with a Harry Potter Club (meets on Friday for 30 minutes) is ideal for the fall. What better way to encourage reading than to recreate scenes from a series and enable students to play roles and share with their classmates? Student witches and wizards were sorted into houses, made wizard trading cards, went through flight training (ground school), created their own Marauder's Maps with disappearing ink, and celebrated Halloween and Nearly Headless Nick's Death Day with a feast!”

How will YOU get the school year off to a great start?

We’d love to hear from you! Email sgall@factcite.com or owls@factcite.com to request templates, get started with a FactCite trial, or to tell us about your back-to-school plans!

Susan Gall

Susan Gall (with her husband Tim) is co-founder of FactCite, an award-winning collection of subscription databases for students in K-12. She is passionate about providing opportunities for ALL students to succeed, regardless of reading proficiency.  I didn’t know if you needed a headshot, but a couple of options are attached. Contact sgall@factcite.com