Description

Book Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller author of Dangerous Minds has a new way to engage students

LouAnne Johnson''s newest book is a collection of fun and simple educational icebreaker activities that get students excited and engaged from the very first minute of class. These activities are great to use with students at all levels, and many of the activities include variations and modifications for different groups. Research has shown that the use of icebreakers increases student motivation by creating an emotional connection between the student and school. In as little as five minutes, a creative icebreaker can engage students'' brains, encourage critical thinking, and much more.

  • Includes a fun-filled collection of icebreakers that get students thinking and keeps them engaged
  • Written by LouAnne Johnson, a teacher and acclaimed author of eight books
  • Contains ideas for promoting creativity, unifying the classroom community, preventing disr

    Table of Contents
    Acknowledgments xiii

    About the Author xv

    Introduction xvii

    PART ONE: GETTING PERSONAL

    Chapter One: Getting to Know You: Introductions 5

    1. The Adjective Game 7

    2. Autograph Collectors 8

    3. Are You Kidding? 10

    4. Business Card Creations 11

    5. Flash Figures 12

    6. Getting to Know You 14

    7. I Have to & I Can’t 17

    8. I Never Would Have Guessed 18

    9. Magic Eyes 19

    10. Me in a Bag 2 0

    11. Do You See What I See? 21

    12. Name Cards 22

    13. Right or Left Brain? 23

    14. Wave Your Flag 26

    15. Stand by Your Music 28

    16. Would You Ever? 29

    Chapter Two: Working Together: Assigning Pairs & Partners 31

    17. Card Sharks 33

    18. Animal Pals 34

    19. Personality Matches 36

    20. Comics Coworkers 38

    21. Pick-a-Stick Partners 39

    22. Puzzle Partners 40

    23. Story Segments 41

    Chapter Three: Body & Brain: Kinesthetic Activities 43

    24. Beanbag Topic Toss 44

    25. Birthday Circle 45

    26. Brain Boosters 46

    27. Find Your Folder 47

    28. Keep It Up 48

    29. Hello, Stranger! 50

    30. Make Your Move 51

    31. Meet and Greet 52

    32. Name Game Ball Toss 53

    33. Name Tag Search 54

    34. Shall We Dance? 55

    35. Symbol Search 56

    36. Slow, Fast, Slow 58

    37. Verb Mania 59

    Chapter Four: How We Do Things: Routines & Rules 61

    38. Class Chant 63

    39. Call-and-Response 64

    40. Crazy Quiz 66

    41. Cleanup Time 68

    42. Give Me Three 69

    43. Noise-o-Meter 70

    44. My Kind of Class 72

    45. Rules Bingo 73

    46 . Seat Scramble Signal 74

    47. We’re Going Reading 75

    48. You & Me Pact 76

    Chapter Five: Teamwork: Building Classroom Communities 79

    49. Find the Teacher 81

    50. Team Classroom Concentration 82

    51. First-Day Feelings 84

    52. Finish the Story 86

    53. Juggling Teams 87

    54. Our Class Puzzle 88

    55. Multi-Balloon Float 90

    56. Paper Turnover 91

    57. Team Trivia 92

    58. Unusual Measures 93

    PART TWO: STICKING TO THE SUBJECT

    Chapter Six: Mathematical Possibilities 97

    59. Balancing Act 98

    60. Count My Fingers 100

    61. Matchstick Puzzles 101

    62. The Number Game 102

    63. People Shapes 104

    64. Rhythm & Words 105

    65. What’s My Number? 106

    Chapter Seven: Scientific Suggestions 107

    66. Critter Connection 108

    67. It’s Elemental 110

    68. Is That a Fact? 112

    69. Mail Call 113

    70. Recycled Animals 114

    71. Tower Builders 115

    72. What Is This? 116

    Chapter Eight: Language Arts Starters 117

    73. Analogy Anchors 118

    74. A Picture Tells a Hundred Words 120

    75. Canine Connection 121

    76. Contraction Cutters 122

    77. Foreign Phrases 124

    78. “I Am” Poems 125

    79. Meaningful Matches 126

    80. Lick a Slug 127

    81. Mirror Writing 128

    82. Musical Words 129

    83. Pictographs 130

    84. Poetry-Picture Match 132

    85. Proofreading Pairs 133

    86. Quotations 134

    87. Six-Word Summaries 136

    88. Wacky Wordies 138

    Chapter Nine: Rev Up the Reading 141

    89. Back-to-Back 143

    90. Book Swap 144

    91. Fishing for Sight Words 146

    92. I Can See Clearly Now 147

    93. Three-Story View 148

    Chapter Ten: Social Studies Scenarios 149

    94. City Search 150

    95. Birthday Customs 152

    96. Local Geography Bingo 153

    97. Name That Flag 154

    98. State Silhouettes 156

    99. Our World Map 158

    100. Time Stretchers 159

    101. World View 160

    Chapter Eleven: Techno Tasks 161

    102. Add a Sentence 16 2

    103. Map Your School 163

    104. Sell a Subject 164

    105. What We Know Slideshow 165

    106. Wordle Teams 166

    Chapter Twelve: Artistic Experiences 169

    107. Animal Figurines 171

    108. Artists & Art 172

    109. Head & Shoulders 174

    110. “Me” Collage 175

    111. Partner Silhouettes 176

    112. Newspaper Hats 178

    113. Tinfoil Sculptures 179

    114. Window on My World 180

    Chapter Thirteen: Musical Moments 183

    115. Beats Me 184

    116. Music-Picture Match 186

    117. Musical Moods 187

    118. What Color Is This Song? 188

    119. Song Switch 190

    Chapter Fourteen: Swell Ideas for ELLs 191

    120. Body Parts 192

    121. Let’s Talk 194

    122. Noses to Toes195

    123. School Shoppers 196

    124. Picture Pairs 198

    125. Take a Note 199

    PART THREE: FORTY WAYS TO WRAP IT UP

    Chapter Fifteen: What We Learned Today: Daily Closure 205

    1. ABCs 206

    2. Ball Toss Recap 207

    3. Big Banner 208

    4. Board Bingo 210

    5. Cartoon Quotes 211

    6. Connect the Dots 212

    7. Countdown: 3, 2, 1 213

    8. Flash Cards 214

    9. Fractured Phrases 215

    10. Learning Tree or Garden 216

    11. Little Whiteboard Review 217

    12. Missing Words 218

    13. Pair Shares 219

    14. Paper Airplanes 220

    15. Question of the Day 221

    16. Quiz Questions 222

    17. Rate the Lesson 223

    18. Roger Recap 224

    19. Sentence Starters 225

    20. 60-Second Recall 226

    Chapter Sixteen: Recapping the Course: End-of-Term Closure 227

    21. Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 229

    22. Class Portrait 230

    23. Create a Quiz 232

    24. Dear Me 233

    25. Dear Future Student (or Dear New Kid) 234

    26. Digital Scrapbook 235

    27. Draw & Discuss 236

    28. Famous Quotations 237

    29. I’m the Expert 238

    30. I Used to Think 239

    31. Learning Tips 240

    32. Paper Quilt 241

    33. Scrapbook 242

    34. Self-Assessment 243

    35. Six–Word Memoirs 244

    36. Story Time 246

    37. Twenty Questions 247

    38. Who Wants to Earn an A? 248

    39. Words of Wisdom 249

    40. Write a Book 250

    APPENDIX: We Want More! 251

    Index 255

KickStart Your Class

    Product form

    £17.09

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £18.99 – you save £1.90 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 6 Aug 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by LouAnne Johnson

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of KickStart Your Class by LouAnne Johnson

      Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 19/04/2012
      ISBN13: 9781118104569, 978-1118104569
      ISBN10: 1118104560

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The New York Times bestseller author of Dangerous Minds has a new way to engage students

      LouAnne Johnson''s newest book is a collection of fun and simple educational icebreaker activities that get students excited and engaged from the very first minute of class. These activities are great to use with students at all levels, and many of the activities include variations and modifications for different groups. Research has shown that the use of icebreakers increases student motivation by creating an emotional connection between the student and school. In as little as five minutes, a creative icebreaker can engage students'' brains, encourage critical thinking, and much more.

      • Includes a fun-filled collection of icebreakers that get students thinking and keeps them engaged
      • Written by LouAnne Johnson, a teacher and acclaimed author of eight books
      • Contains ideas for promoting creativity, unifying the classroom community, preventing disr

        Table of Contents
        Acknowledgments xiii

        About the Author xv

        Introduction xvii

        PART ONE: GETTING PERSONAL

        Chapter One: Getting to Know You: Introductions 5

        1. The Adjective Game 7

        2. Autograph Collectors 8

        3. Are You Kidding? 10

        4. Business Card Creations 11

        5. Flash Figures 12

        6. Getting to Know You 14

        7. I Have to & I Can’t 17

        8. I Never Would Have Guessed 18

        9. Magic Eyes 19

        10. Me in a Bag 2 0

        11. Do You See What I See? 21

        12. Name Cards 22

        13. Right or Left Brain? 23

        14. Wave Your Flag 26

        15. Stand by Your Music 28

        16. Would You Ever? 29

        Chapter Two: Working Together: Assigning Pairs & Partners 31

        17. Card Sharks 33

        18. Animal Pals 34

        19. Personality Matches 36

        20. Comics Coworkers 38

        21. Pick-a-Stick Partners 39

        22. Puzzle Partners 40

        23. Story Segments 41

        Chapter Three: Body & Brain: Kinesthetic Activities 43

        24. Beanbag Topic Toss 44

        25. Birthday Circle 45

        26. Brain Boosters 46

        27. Find Your Folder 47

        28. Keep It Up 48

        29. Hello, Stranger! 50

        30. Make Your Move 51

        31. Meet and Greet 52

        32. Name Game Ball Toss 53

        33. Name Tag Search 54

        34. Shall We Dance? 55

        35. Symbol Search 56

        36. Slow, Fast, Slow 58

        37. Verb Mania 59

        Chapter Four: How We Do Things: Routines & Rules 61

        38. Class Chant 63

        39. Call-and-Response 64

        40. Crazy Quiz 66

        41. Cleanup Time 68

        42. Give Me Three 69

        43. Noise-o-Meter 70

        44. My Kind of Class 72

        45. Rules Bingo 73

        46 . Seat Scramble Signal 74

        47. We’re Going Reading 75

        48. You & Me Pact 76

        Chapter Five: Teamwork: Building Classroom Communities 79

        49. Find the Teacher 81

        50. Team Classroom Concentration 82

        51. First-Day Feelings 84

        52. Finish the Story 86

        53. Juggling Teams 87

        54. Our Class Puzzle 88

        55. Multi-Balloon Float 90

        56. Paper Turnover 91

        57. Team Trivia 92

        58. Unusual Measures 93

        PART TWO: STICKING TO THE SUBJECT

        Chapter Six: Mathematical Possibilities 97

        59. Balancing Act 98

        60. Count My Fingers 100

        61. Matchstick Puzzles 101

        62. The Number Game 102

        63. People Shapes 104

        64. Rhythm & Words 105

        65. What’s My Number? 106

        Chapter Seven: Scientific Suggestions 107

        66. Critter Connection 108

        67. It’s Elemental 110

        68. Is That a Fact? 112

        69. Mail Call 113

        70. Recycled Animals 114

        71. Tower Builders 115

        72. What Is This? 116

        Chapter Eight: Language Arts Starters 117

        73. Analogy Anchors 118

        74. A Picture Tells a Hundred Words 120

        75. Canine Connection 121

        76. Contraction Cutters 122

        77. Foreign Phrases 124

        78. “I Am” Poems 125

        79. Meaningful Matches 126

        80. Lick a Slug 127

        81. Mirror Writing 128

        82. Musical Words 129

        83. Pictographs 130

        84. Poetry-Picture Match 132

        85. Proofreading Pairs 133

        86. Quotations 134

        87. Six-Word Summaries 136

        88. Wacky Wordies 138

        Chapter Nine: Rev Up the Reading 141

        89. Back-to-Back 143

        90. Book Swap 144

        91. Fishing for Sight Words 146

        92. I Can See Clearly Now 147

        93. Three-Story View 148

        Chapter Ten: Social Studies Scenarios 149

        94. City Search 150

        95. Birthday Customs 152

        96. Local Geography Bingo 153

        97. Name That Flag 154

        98. State Silhouettes 156

        99. Our World Map 158

        100. Time Stretchers 159

        101. World View 160

        Chapter Eleven: Techno Tasks 161

        102. Add a Sentence 16 2

        103. Map Your School 163

        104. Sell a Subject 164

        105. What We Know Slideshow 165

        106. Wordle Teams 166

        Chapter Twelve: Artistic Experiences 169

        107. Animal Figurines 171

        108. Artists & Art 172

        109. Head & Shoulders 174

        110. “Me” Collage 175

        111. Partner Silhouettes 176

        112. Newspaper Hats 178

        113. Tinfoil Sculptures 179

        114. Window on My World 180

        Chapter Thirteen: Musical Moments 183

        115. Beats Me 184

        116. Music-Picture Match 186

        117. Musical Moods 187

        118. What Color Is This Song? 188

        119. Song Switch 190

        Chapter Fourteen: Swell Ideas for ELLs 191

        120. Body Parts 192

        121. Let’s Talk 194

        122. Noses to Toes195

        123. School Shoppers 196

        124. Picture Pairs 198

        125. Take a Note 199

        PART THREE: FORTY WAYS TO WRAP IT UP

        Chapter Fifteen: What We Learned Today: Daily Closure 205

        1. ABCs 206

        2. Ball Toss Recap 207

        3. Big Banner 208

        4. Board Bingo 210

        5. Cartoon Quotes 211

        6. Connect the Dots 212

        7. Countdown: 3, 2, 1 213

        8. Flash Cards 214

        9. Fractured Phrases 215

        10. Learning Tree or Garden 216

        11. Little Whiteboard Review 217

        12. Missing Words 218

        13. Pair Shares 219

        14. Paper Airplanes 220

        15. Question of the Day 221

        16. Quiz Questions 222

        17. Rate the Lesson 223

        18. Roger Recap 224

        19. Sentence Starters 225

        20. 60-Second Recall 226

        Chapter Sixteen: Recapping the Course: End-of-Term Closure 227

        21. Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 229

        22. Class Portrait 230

        23. Create a Quiz 232

        24. Dear Me 233

        25. Dear Future Student (or Dear New Kid) 234

        26. Digital Scrapbook 235

        27. Draw & Discuss 236

        28. Famous Quotations 237

        29. I’m the Expert 238

        30. I Used to Think 239

        31. Learning Tips 240

        32. Paper Quilt 241

        33. Scrapbook 242

        34. Self-Assessment 243

        35. Six–Word Memoirs 244

        36. Story Time 246

        37. Twenty Questions 247

        38. Who Wants to Earn an A? 248

        39. Words of Wisdom 249

        40. Write a Book 250

        APPENDIX: We Want More! 251

        Index 255

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