I’m very open in my classes because I like my students to feel that they know me a bit. I think it helps to create a connected atmosphere in the class. One community building activity I often do is two truths and a lie. This semester, I’m going to change it up a bit. I just created a true/false grid activity that will give the students a chance to work together to get to know me a bit more. It will also get them talking in groups which is an added bonus.

Create a grid with statements (some true and some false) about yourself. Try and think of things that might have an interesting story related to them, so you’ll have a chance to share some interesting things about yourself.

Put students into groups of 3-4 and have them work together to decide which things are true and which things are false. Each group will get a point for each item it gets correct, so it adds a bit of competition to the activity as well.

Next, go over each statement and let the class know if it’s true or false. This is the time you can share the stories behind some of the items if you want.