Break the Ice 2: Two Chasing Time English Series-Based Ice Breakers for the Language Classroom
Mia Tarau
A successful lesson begins by engaging the learners from the start. Therefore, following Michael’s first post in our new series on ice-breakers (https://chasingtimeenglish.com/posts/2025/4/30/break-the-ice-break-the-fear-why-ice-breakers-matter-in-english-classes), in this post I suggest two activities that you can use with your students to kick things off in a fun way. These are inspired by two original Chasing Time English series: My Name is Lucky and The Caldwell Diaries: Season 1.
1. ‘Find someone who…’ – based on My Name Is Lucky
Time: 7-8 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Focus: Speaking, listening, social interaction
To introduce the learners to this series centred around international students navigating language learning in a foreign country (in this case, New Zealand), a ‘Find someone who…’ type ice breaker would be perfect. This is a great way to involve the students in the story they are about to watch while also getting them to share their past study experiences with each other, and perhaps also find new friends that they can relate to. This activity doesn’t have to be too complex – a few minutes at the start of class and a series of simple, yet relevant questions could achieve the goal of allowing students to lower emotional barriers and encourage students to communicate.
Task:
Students walk around the room, interacting with a different person for each question. They write down the name of each student who answered their questions. To go beyond simple answers and encourage deeper sharing, the questions can be two-tiered, as shown below:
Sample Prompts:
1. Find someone who has been in [host country] for less than one month.
Student name:
Length of time in [host country]?
2. Find someone who lives with a host family.
Student name:
What is your favourite thing about living with them?
3. Find someone who likes learning English idioms from the locals.
Student name:
Can you give me an example of an idiom that you have learned so far?
4. Find someone who studied English in another country before this.
Student name:
What country, and how long were you there for?
5. Would you be open to sharing your biggest challenge in [host country] so far?
Student name:
Let’s brainstorm some strategies to overcome these [list the strategies that you and your partner brainstormed]
Students should also make notes on the more detailed answers prompted by the follow-up questions. To wrap up the ice breaker, ask students to share their notes with the class.
2. My Dream Trip Discussion - based on Caldwell Diaries: Season 1
Time: 5 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Skills: Speaking, creativity, social interaction
The Caldwell Diaries: Season 1 focuses on two teenagers who are friends and plan on travelling the world and creating a story of their adventures together. They work hard to save money, but something unexpected interferes with their plans.
To prepare the students for this series, you could begin the lesson with a short group-based activity drawing on the learners’ dreams and experiences in a fun, creative way.
Task:
Put learners into pairs or small groups of 3
Prompt the discussion:
“Imagine your group wants to travel somewhere amazing, but you have to save money first. You have one minute to choose:Where will you go?
What job will you do to save money? (e.g. babysitting, tutoring, working at a café)
One way you will save money while traveling (e.g. staying in hostels, eating street food).”
After 1–2 minutes of discussion, each pair/group shares their idea with the class briefly.
We hope you have fun with these activities – we’d love to know how they went!