Kick the New Semester Off with This Ice Breaker

In last week's blog posting, we saw a video clip of a teacher as a motivator who encouraged his students to take responsibility for their own learning by chanting a battle cry.

As school starts for us next week, you may be planning a fun first-day ice breaker activity that will help your students to forge the right attitude about...uh...life, as well as to get them to know and work with each other. I have a puzzle that is worth a try.

If letter A equals 1%, B equals 2%, C equals 3% and so on and so forth, ...all the way down to the last letter in the English alphabet, which obviously equals 26%, like this:

then, H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%;

K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%;

L+O+V+E = 12+15+22+5 = 54%;

L+U+C+K = 12+21+3+11 = 47%.

(Oops. It seems some sacrosanct notions are being challenged here.)

What can create a most fulfilling life?

Is it money?

No, because M+O+N+E+Y = 13+15+14+5+25 = 72%.

Is it leadership?

No, because L+E+A+D+E+R+S+H+I+P = 12+5+1+4+5+18+19+9+16 = 89%.

What then enables one to lead a 100% fulfilling life?

It is attitude as A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%!

After you have small groups of students solve the word puzzles, perhaps in a competitive way, you can then get serious about your definition of the right attitude toward learning in your class.