Another Shoe Game!
Everybody takes of a shoe from one side (lets say right side) and throw that shoe in a pile. Then everybody grabs (at random) a shoe from the pile and put in on. Now the aim is to pair up the shoes. Each person must find the people who are wearing the same shoes as he/she is, and stand such that the pair of shoes are together. E.g. I'm wearing my shoe A and somebody's shoe G, I must find the person who is wearing the other shoe A, and stand so that pair of shoes are together (AA), and I must find someone wearing shoe G, and put my shoe G with his/her shoe G. Both shoes A and shoes G should be together in space and time (i.e. the object is to form a sort of a line or 'twister' kind of formation where all the shoes have been paired up.)
T-Shirts in the Middle School Classroom
At some point during the first week of school, assign students to groups based on similar size, gender, hair color, hair length, interests, books read over the summer or hobby. Have them meet with other members of their groups to take a few notes about each member of the group, including the correct spelling of each student's name.
Hand out pre-drawn T-shirt templates that fill 8 ½" x 11" sheets of paper. Each student should write down his best qualities on the shirt sleeves, something about himself that makes him unique on the front of the shirt and their goals around the collar area. Allow students to talk and explain what they are doing within their groups.
Have students exchange T-shirt designs with another student in the group, making sure each student has a shirt other than his own.
Students should then use their notes, their conversation during the group activity and the assigned T-shirt to design a special T-shirt that speaks to the interests and characteristics of the original T-shirt's owner.
Allow students who want to design their own shirts to do so, making sure every student is comfortable with this activity.
On a volunteer basis, have students share the designs they made with the class next day to introduce the T-shirt owners or themselves.
