Spatial Requirements: Regular classroom setup: Little or no space required
Activity Type: Movement/group
Grades: 4-12
Group Size: 10 or more
Time: 10 minutes
Introduction: The object of this activity is to help students gain an appreciation of the uniqueness and value of each individual. They will learn the importance of listening to others in order to break down barriers, build interpersonal relationships, and rip off labels to reveal the real self.
Materials:
- 1 pen or pencil per student
- 1 piece of paper per student
- Blackboard or whiteboard
- 1 watch, clock, or timer
Activity:
During a five-minute time period, students are challenged to talk to as many people as possible. They should approach each person and say, “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.” They will then record that person’s first name and enough of the person’s answer to help them remember it. They then tell that person something unique about themselves. An important rule to remember is that every answer must be different. Each time someone tells something unique, they cannot repeat the same response to another participant in the activity. Responses can include something they have done, something they have, something they like, or something about their family.
When the five minutes is up, each person reports how many people he or she was able to receive answers from. Then they will each report one interesting response they received from someone else.
You may want to have them omit the name of the person who gave the response so the activity doesn’t turn into a contest.
Record all the interesting pieces of information on the board.
Processing the Experience:
- Did anyone’s response surprise you?
- What is the value in getting to know the people around you?
- How did you feel about giving so much information to others? Did it get easier or harder as time went on?
- Do we sometimes misjudge our peers according to their labels?
- How can getting to know someone different from us benefit us personally? How could it benefit them?
- How can reaching out to others help you rip off your own label?
- How can building positive relationships help us achieve our goals in life?
- How can you help others see the “real me”?