Thanks to Justine Murison and Brian Mooney for these ideas
Some teachers, when beginning a class or a semester, like to have their students physically move about the classroom. Here are a couple of ways to do just that.
Greetings and Positions
Have everyone stand up and move about the room, saying "hello" and exchanging names. After a few moments of such circulating, have everyone stop, and remain standing. Ask them to begin making "I am" statements, one at a time, such as "I am an eldest child." Whenever someone utters a statement, the rest of the class should move so as to indicate how much they identify with such a statement. So, other eldest children should move towards the speaker, and youngest/middle children should move away from her. You can give a first example, and then encourage other speakers.
In addition to moving the blood, these exercises can easily lead into conversations about how we introduce and position ourselves in social contexts, and how we might want to introduce and position ourselves in writing. You may also have students continue with the "I" statements on paper and use them for a first draft prompt.
