Activity
Community building activities, Warm up activities
What Can You Do With A…?
Noha El-Sebai
This is an engaging activity that can be used as a warm-up before class.
Share:
ACTIVITY PURPOSE
This engaging activity can be used as a warm-up before class. It is also particularly useful for language learners to help them recycle learned vocabulary, and enhance speaking skills in a light and humorous way.
USEFUL FOR
Warming up, helping students to feel more comfortable during class, bringing some fun into class. It is also useful for teaching how to use images and using items from the learners’ environment to express ideas using simple slides and items.
PREPARATION
In face-to-face classes, the teacher uses a box filled with items or pictures. In online teaching, the teacher needs to create some slides with images in advance. The teacher can also encourage students to create slides for each other. In addition, students could bring items from their environment and show them to their colleagues in face-to-face or online classes.
INSTRUCTIONS
In face to face classes:
- The teacher prepares a box filled with pictures or items.
- The student should delve his/her hand and pick a picture or an item, and show what he/she picked to the rest of the class.
- In a minute, the student has to think of all the uses, including unconventional ones for a common object like a banana. For example: eat it, increase the potassium level in the blood, using as a pincushion for sewing, use as a paperweight. The more creative the better!
In online classes:
- The teacher designs around 10 slides (depending on the number of the students in the class), each slides should include an image.
- During the class, the teacher shares the slides with the students one slide at a time.
- The students (individually or in teams) are given a minute to think about the possible and creative uses of the item in the slide.
- The students take turns to share their ideas.
DURATION
Variable prep and duration time depending on the number of students.
ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES
For teaching languages, this activity could be developed according to the students’ level of proficiency, the students could create a short story on the (picture/ item/ slide) that includes sequence, verb tenses, and connectors.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
USEFUL RESOURCES
Do you have any suggestions? Please share them in the comments section below.
ABOUT
- Educator prep: None
- Student prep: None
- Synchronous
- Video conferencing
- Duration: 5-30 mins
This activity is one of a series of activities from Equity Unbound, focused on equitable online community building.
Find out moreDo you have an activity that you would like to suggest?
Do you have feedback or suggestions?
More activities
Learning path
Community Building
Curated Activities
Guidance and help
Curated Activities
Reflective Activities
Curated Activities
Ongoing engagement
Curated Activities
Liberating Structures
Curated Activities
Setting the tone activities
Curated Activities
Introductory activities
Activity
Sailboat Retrospective for Reflection
Activity
Live, Love, Learn and Leave a Legacy
Activity
Roses, Thorns, and Buds
Activity
Decolonising Academic Writing through Spoken Word Poetry
Activity
Origin Stories
Activity
Learning to Love
Activity
Getting at Metaphor
Activity
Checking in with GIF, Emoji or Meme
Activity
Personalised Conversation Cards
Curated Activities
Warm up activities
Activity
Alternative Approaches to Grading
Activity
Guess The Topic Mingle
Activity
Ikigai: Help Students Find Their Purpose
Activity
Something Behind You
Activity
Auditory Affect
Activity
Creativity Booster: 16 Squares
Activity
Creativity Booster: An Ode to the Other Hand
Activity
Creativity Booster: 5 Senses
Activity
Creativity Booster: Yes, Let’s!
Activity
Ice Cream/Broccoli: Reflection on Enjoyment and Value
Activity
Create a Fake Photo Group Assignment
Activity
What We Don’t Know About Each Other
Activity
Share Music and Create a Class Playlist
Activity
Would You Rather?
Activity
Creating Escape Room Experience For Students
Activity
I Wish My Students/Teacher Knew
Activity
Using Metaphors to Express Thoughts
Activity
Desert Island Songs
Activity
Using Dominoes in Teaching
Activity
The Shape of You
Activity
Words From Your Names
Tips For Increasing Engagement In Discussions
Activity
Choose a Plant
Activity
Which Picture Best?
Activity
Imaginary Buffet (or Potluck)
Activity
PowerPoint Karaoke
Activity
Office Hour Scheduling via Google Calendar
Activity
Tiny Tales
Activity
Cognitive/Exam Wrappers for Metacognition
Activity
Self-Assessment Tool for Social Justice in Teaching
Activity
Language Portrait
Activity
Lost in Translation
Activity
Wheel of Life for Student Self-help
Activity
Thick Greetings
Activity
Estimate workload
Activity
Simple Metacognitive Activities
Activity
Tiny Demons/Drawing Monsters
Activity
Start/Stop/Continue
Activity
Survey students early in the semester: Pre-Course Survey
Activity
Pass the Paper
Activity
Gratitude Journal
Activity
15% solutions
Activity
Two-minute paper
Checklist / tool
Karen Ray Costa’s Trauma-Aware Teaching Checklist
Resource
Loglines
Activity
Appreciative Interviews
Activity
Pop-up Psychogeography Journey Journal
Guide
Choosing the Right Community Building Activity: Safety Tips
Activity
While We Wait
Activity
What kind of animal are you?
Activity
Two by Three by Bradford
Activity
Troika Consulting – Adaptation for Class Community Building
Activity
TRIZ
Video discussion
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy & How is Your Heart?
Activity
Tour of Where You Are
Activity
Third Places for Ongoing Community Building
Activity
Theater of the Oppressed: Opposites
Activity
Theatre of the Oppressed: Image Theatre
Activity
Teaching Ethics with Theatre of the Oppressed and Liberating Structures
Activity
Surrealist Free Drawing Introductions
Activity
Studio visits
Activity
Structured Dialogues
Activity
Share an Object From Home
Activity
Room 101
Activity
Purpose to Practice
Activity
Pass the Ball & How Do You Make Rice?
Activity
Meditation
Activity
Wild Tea / Mad Tea Party
Activity
Introductions: Story of Your Name
Activity
Human Scavenger Hunt
Activity
Four Ideas for Checking In
Activity
Daily Creates
Activity
Critical Uncertainties
Activity
Conversation Cafe
Activity
Collaborative Storytelling
Activity
Collaborative Literature Review Matrix
Activity
Authentic Open Letter/Video Addressing Students
Activity
Asynchronous & Synchronous Introductions
Activity
9 Whys of Liberating Structures
Activity
Spiral Journal
Activity