SECRETS AND STORIES
This is an old Girl Scout activity that I use when we have free moments. The kids LOVE it, and although they get shy and not confident in their English skills at first, it always ends up with people getting closer. Lots of time, people are reduced to laughter (including me).
Directions:
1. Give the students a small piece of paper (like one piece of computer paper ripped up into similar strips to share for everyone. Having identical papers to write on is crucial).
2. Have each student write one sentence about themselves that nobody knows about them IN SECRET. They are not allowed to write their names. They are not allowed to discuss with their neighbor. They can only ask you for help. Give examples to get ideas flowing either from you or previous classes:
"I played piano for 13 years."
"When I was young, I wanted to be a Disney princess."
"I am allergic to mangoes."
3. Have each person fold up their "secrets" and put them in a bag.
4. Shake the bag around, and give one secret to each person.
5. Go around the classroom and have each person read what is on their paper. They have one chance to guess who it is, and if they don't guess correctly, move on to the next person. If they do guess it correctly, continue to the next person. The next "round," those who didn't answer correctly can read the paper once more and the person who wrote it can reveal that he/she wrote it.
Here are some examples of "secrets" my students wrote:
Directions:
1. Give the students a small piece of paper (like one piece of computer paper ripped up into similar strips to share for everyone. Having identical papers to write on is crucial).
2. Have each student write one sentence about themselves that nobody knows about them IN SECRET. They are not allowed to write their names. They are not allowed to discuss with their neighbor. They can only ask you for help. Give examples to get ideas flowing either from you or previous classes:
"I played piano for 13 years."
"When I was young, I wanted to be a Disney princess."
"I am allergic to mangoes."
3. Have each person fold up their "secrets" and put them in a bag.
4. Shake the bag around, and give one secret to each person.
5. Go around the classroom and have each person read what is on their paper. They have one chance to guess who it is, and if they don't guess correctly, move on to the next person. If they do guess it correctly, continue to the next person. The next "round," those who didn't answer correctly can read the paper once more and the person who wrote it can reveal that he/she wrote it.
Here are some examples of "secrets" my students wrote: