Poker Face

I didn't create this game, but I've found that it's the best single ice-breaker for a new group. There is usually a good deal of tension on the first day of a class as the students size up each other and this new teacher, so a funny slant on a well worn activity is a good way to get the ball rolling and to let them know that I'm not afraid to mix things up.

My students have heard the term "poker face" and some of them can explain the concept. I tell them -- tongue in cheek, naturally -- that lying is a key to career success and a skill they need to polish if they want to get ahead. I ask them who has the best poker face. This inevitably leads to uncomfortable smiling (reverse psychology at its finest) and a disconcerting realization that the other students are going to be listening intently to their autobiography, and therefore they need to get these sentences right.

The exercise is simple: after watching the teacher demonstrate, each student writes down four sentences about themselves, of which three are true and one is a blatant lie. They then read the four sentences with their best poker face, after which the other students guess which one is the lie. Singing along with Lady Gaga is optional.