Quick Guide
- Keywords: Icebreaker, student interaction, information gap, first day activities
- Learner English level: Elementary to advanced
- Learner maturity: High school and above
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Activity time: 30-35 minutes
- Materials: Survey handouts (one unique handout per student), whiteboard, markers
Creating an engaging classroom atmosphere on the first day is essential to establishing rapport and setting the tone for active participation. Drawing on principles from task-based language teaching (Nunan, 2004) and communicative language teaching (Richards & Schmidt, 2010), I have developed an activity called Top Secret Research: a twist on the classic Find Someone Who, which ensures varied linguistic output, encourages critical listening, and keeps students motivated.
Preparation
Step 1: Create unique survey handouts for each student. Each survey should have fifteen personal information survey prompts using the following patterns:
Basic yes/no prompts: “_____ has a pet”
Negative prompts: “_____ doesn’t like spicy food”
Open-ended prompts: “_____’s favorite movie is _____”
To create variations between surveys, you can modify one element of a phrase. For example, “_______ was born in Hyogo” can be changed to “______ was born in Mie.” I have included three example handouts in the Appendix with suggested variations.
Step 2: Prepare activity rules, ready to display:
Handouts are TOP SECRET - do not show to others
English only
Each name can only appear once
You must interact with different classmates
Write “Nobody” if no one matches a prompt
Step 3: Write “Top Secret Research” on the whiteboard and create a two-column table labeled “Name” and “Information” (4-5 rows).
Step 4: Prepare sample prompts in the table’s right column that mirror the handout format.
Procedure
Step 1: Welcome students to their first class. Tell them they are going to become research investigators to learn interesting things about their new classmates through a special interview activity.
Step 2: Select 4-5 volunteers and have them stand with their backs to the board. Tell them that they must not look at the questions on the board, as the survey is Top Secret!
Step 3: Point to one of the survey prompts and elicit the question from the class. For example, for “_____ has a pet,” the question is “Do you have a pet?”
Step 4: Model the information-gathering process by asking one of the volunteers this question. If they don’t have a pet, continue asking the volunteers until somebody says “Yes.”
Step 5: On the whiteboard, write the student’s name (or “Nobody”) in the left column, so the prompt is now complete (e.g., “Genta has a pet.”)
Step 6: Model the other example prompts as above, until you have checked that students know how to form questions for each prompt type.
Step 7: If necessary, demonstrate the “Nobody” option using another example prompt (e.g., “_____ was born in February.”) Ask volunteers “What month were you born in?” After no one answers “February,” explain “I asked everyone, but nobody was born in February, so I’ll write Nobody here.”
Step 8: Tell students that they will now conduct their own Top Secret investigations.
Step 9: Distribute handouts and tell students that everyone’s handout is different. Nobody knows what questions the other students have, and you must not show your handout to each other!
Step 10: Give students a moment to check their handouts, and make sure they know how to ask their questions. Support, as necessary.
Step 11: Set a timer for 20-25 minutes and tell students to start their investigations.
Step 12: While students work, monitor English use, encourage movement and interaction, and remind students not to show their papers, as necessary.
Step 13: Conclude with a brief sharing session, inviting students to share interesting discoveries about their classmates.
Conclusion
Top Secret Research is an effective icebreaker that creates a lively classroom atmosphere. The grammar focus can be adjusted to students’ needs, while the investigative task encourages higher engagement among new classmates. This activity successfully prioritizes meaningful interaction while providing flexible opportunities for language development.
References
Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. Longman.
Appendix
The appendix is available below:
