Get it? An icebreaker!
Don’t know what to do during that awkward first staff meeting? Can’t decide what to do with your students those tough first days?
Play this classic Icebreaker!
Two Truths & A Lie.
Directions to be read to staff or class:
“You have 5 minutes to write 3 sentences about yourself: two must be true, one must be false. Next, everyone will take turns reading his or her 3 sentences aloud to the class. After you read, we will all try to guess which one is the false one. If you fool us, you win, so try to be sneaky! Good luck!”
It’s fun, everyone opens up, everyone laughs because people inevitably write hilarious sentences, and you learn weird stuff about each other. Plus, everyone has shot at be a winner.
Even the toughest inner-city kids I’ve taught have loved this game.
Let’s play right now:
1. I got an ulcer during my first two years of teaching.
2. I have taught English in Florence, Italy and Chiba, Japan for 3 years.
3. I have a huge, 50 gallon fish tank and only one small catfish in it.
Remember, two of the above sentences are true and the other one is a lie.
If you leave a comment with your guess of which is the false sentence, I will email you the answer.
Please also leave your own three sentences!
The fish tank sentence was a lie?
Maybe. I am emailing you the correct answer now… oops… the email address you left didn’t work… try again?
I delivered pizzas in college for money
I was a model in college for money
I donated plasma in college for money
hmm… tricky… first of all, at the very least, I’ve learned you needed some serious financial aid for your higher learning.. haha.. I’m still paying off my college debts 10 years later… anyway, back to the game…
I’m going to go with the donating plasma was a lie…b/c that hurts. The other two would be fun, or at least interesting… nobody like regular needles… am I right?
I also enjoy using this icebeaker to build community in the classroom. I had forgotten about it, so thank you for helping to jog my memory. I find that this game works in a small school like mine, even though most of the students have went to school together all of their lives. Great idea making your blog interactive – you have inspired me to try different things with my blog as well. My guess – #1 is the lie? I will have to think about my 3 sentences and post later!
Thanks, as always, for your positive feedback and support, sfarnsworth! I’m glad I could jog your memory about this classic game. That makes me think, teachers have so many great tricks and games to use, we need a “God List” directory of all of them in one place. I suppose that’s one thing the internet is slowly becoming….hmm….
Second, I also work at a small school where the students have been together all of their lives. That just means they have to be really creative to fool me and their friends.
Third, yes, I like the idea of making blogs more interactive… if teachers all know our classrooms should be interactive, as opposed to the traditional one-directional, then why shouldn’t our blogs? I look forward to seeing where this leads your blog.
Finally, being that we follow each other on twitter, I will DM you the answer. No pressure, but I would love to hear three sentences from you.
I love playing this game with students (and teachers). My list:
1. I was a llama wrangler.
2. I was the first fitness instructor ever at Florida State University.
3. I have a pet boa constrictor.
Not many guess the lie and I share photo evidence of the truths.
Click here for a great “God list” of ice breakers and team builders
Thanks, Lee Ann! I love the God list you included and will tweet all about it!
Also, I’m so happy you have added your own three sentences…your sentences are tough to crack, and I admit, I cheated a little by checking out your website…
So I learned you are indeed from Florida, and I can’t imagine there being may llamas to wrangle down there. However, being you’ve played this game before, I bet you are clever…. so my guess is # 2 is false… you look young, and Florida State must have had other fitness instructors before your college days.
If I am correct, I WANT LLAMA WRANGLING PICS ASAP!
haha.. I can’t even imagine what that entails! Don’t they get over-heated down there? I will email you which of my sentences was false. Thanks for playing!
It’s an interesting ice-breaker.
I’d say sentence 1) (I got an ulcer during my first two years of teaching.)
These are my sentences:
1) I’ve taught English in the same language school since I graduated.
2) A colleague from Japan sent me chocolates as a reward for my participation in a survey for teachers.
3) I’ve asked my students to take their pets to class for them to make a presentation of the topic.