Let's break some ice (in the first lesson)!

Icebreakers Ideas for Your First Lessons

The first lesson with a new group is a unique opportunity to build relationships and create a friendly atmosphere in the classroom. Introducing "icebreaker" exercises can be an excellent strategy to achieve this goal.

"Icebreaker" tasks are designed to relax students, help them get to know each other, and encourage communication right from the start. They are a perfect tool for breaking the barrier of shyness and creating a positive mood in the lesson.

Below, you'll find icebreaker tasks available on the Lingstar website. You can easily find all the tasks by searching for "icebreakers" on the homepage. They are also marked with suggested group levels or student levels, but of course, the decision about which task is suitable for your class is up to you.

Lingstar is an alternative to traditional speaking cards, saving your time - all tasks are in the form of convenient slides that you don't need to print (just display them on the board or computer screen, and for online classes, share your unique link with students - and you only need to do this once!).

How to Break the Ice in Your First Lesson?

Getting to Know You - General Questions

It's best to start with these - you'll learn basic things about the student and begin by discussing topics they feel confident and comfortable with.

You can find these tasks on the Lingstar app for levels A1/A2, A2/B1, and B2. Here are some sample slides:

###After Summer Break - Questions

Let's talk about the past summer break - everyone loves discussing vacations! Especially if they actually went somewhere or did something interesting (find out in advance!). Sometimes it's challenging to come up with engaging questions on the spot, and that's where Lingstar comes in handy, providing ready-to-use questions in an interesting and engaging format!

###Beginning of the School Year

Plans, concerns, and new challenges - you'll find plenty of tasks on Lingstar with ready-made questions to ask your students. Here, you'll find ready ESL speking cards with questions about the upcoming school year.

###Icebreakers - Interesting Questions

Once they start getting comfortable, surprise them with more intriguing questions. Let them engage their brains and answer some surprising questions! We have interesting "icebreakers" in the form of EST conversation cards for the first classes with students at all English levels!

This or That - Preferences

You'll find plenty of such tasks on Lingstar, from simple choices like "Dogs or Cats?" to more surprising ones. Let them express their opinions (and don't forget to ask them to justify them)! ;)

###Name 3 - Getting Personal

A fantastic way to get to know your students. Search for "Name 3 - getting personal" on Lingstar and select the appropriate level for your students. Then, let them speak. Everyone likes talking about themselves, so your success is guaranteed!

These are just sample tasks and slides of our ESL speaking cards. You'll find plenty more on Lingstar!

How to Use Lingstar in Face-to-Face Classes?

Once you've found the perfect exercise, go for it! For individual or small group lessons (2- d3 students), simply display the task on your computer screen and turn it towards the students. This is the method I use most often, and it's the most convenient for me.

If you have a larger group or an entire class, you can display the task on the board or send your students your unique link (you'll find it inside each exercise by clicking +). After sending the link to your students or sharing the QR code with them, activate the SHARING ON button for the exercise you want to share. The task will automatically appear for the students, but you always remain in control - you share, move slides, and finish the task.

How to Use Lingstar in Online Classes?

Online classes? No problem! Each teacher has their individual link, which you only need to send to students at the beginning of the school year. Later, just ask the students to click on the link, and you click SHARING ON inside the exercise to display it on the student's screen. This way, you don't have to constantly send new links or share your screen. It can't get any simpler 🙂

Looking for PDF files with materials for English teachers?

Sure, PDF files are nice, but Lingstar is even better if you're not a fan of printing and cutting out those little cards. Oh, how it used to annoy me 😉 Now I have everything at my fingertips, ready for any occasion, and my students MUST speak in every class. Of course, they're not always thrilled about it, but I know they'll thank me later 😉