Two truths and a lie
For an introductory activity, ask each student to write down three sentences about themselves: two of which are truths and one of which is a lie. Go around the room sharing all three with the listeners then guessing which sentence is a lie. After the activity, discuss what cues led people to designate truth from lie and how students chose which details to share and which to not reveal. Connect the discussion to the nature of context—i.e. how our assumptions about gender, say, might lead us to assume a blonde petite women does not play football, etc.
Office items
As a way of introducing the paper, bring with you all the items you have displayed in your office/study/workspace and spread them out on the table. Ask students to come up and study them and write a paragraph on what they would assume about you based on seeing these items in your office. Then discuss the cultural meanings they attached to certain items. (Another version of this asks them to predict what you might have in your bag or office based on what they know about you so far.)
