CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNITY
BUILDING
WA State TRiO Conference, 2017
Suzie Altsuler
Susan Dordal
ICEBREAKER #1
THE IMPORTANCE
OF COMMUNITY
BUILDING
STRATEGIES TO
BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS
IF AT FIRST YOU
DON’T SUCCEED…
TODAY’S ACTIVITY MENU
 1. “Four Corners” (15 mins)
 2. “Choices” (15 mins)
 3. “Picture This” (15 mins)
 4. “Bubble Blowing Contest” (5 mins)
 5. Personal Scavenger Hunt
“Yes, I Have Done That”
MORE ACTIVITIES
IF WE HAD ALL THE
TIME IN THE
WORLD,…
“Act and React”
“Camping Trip”
“Crazy Questions and Answers”
“The Magic Word”
Clue Scavenger Hunt
“If I Could Have, I Would Have”
“Yes, I Have Done That”
“Sentence Starters”
“Cup Stacking”
“Protect the Egg”
“Act and React”
“Hodge Podge Word Game”
and many more!
TRIO PROGRAMS
 The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student
services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals
from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted
to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college
students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the
academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
TRIO also includes a training program for directors and staff of TRIO
projects (Department of Education).
REFERENCES
Carnell, E. (2007). Conceptions of effective teaching in higher education: Extending the boundaries.
Teaching in Higher Education, 12(1), 25-40. doi:10.1080/13562510601102081
Chu, S. (2011). Teacher perceptions of their efficacy for special education referral of students from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Education, 132(1), 3-14. Retrieved from
https://ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&
AN=66538769&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Dunn, R., Honigsfeld, A., Doolan, L. S., Bostrom, L., Russo, K., Schiering, M. S., . . . Tenedero, H. (2009).
Impact of learning-style instructional strategies on students' achievement and attitudes: Perceptions of
educators in diverse institutions. Clearing House, 82(3), 135-140. Retrieved from
https://ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&
AN=35608370&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Knoell, C. M., & Crow, S. R. (2013). Exploring teacher influence on the lives of students from diverse
elementary schools in a rural midwestern community. International Journal of Psychology: A
Biopsychosocial Approach / Tarptautinis Psichologijos Zurnalas: Biopsichosocialinis Poziuris, (13), 31-48.
doi:10.7220/1941-7233.13.2
Four Corners Questions:
Absolutely (yes) 1
No WAY! 2
Likely not 3
Possibly yes 4

Have you ever been to Europe?

Would you ride a motorcycle on the freeway?

Would you like to live in Hawaii?

Would you ever want to be famous?

Do you have a green thumb?

Have you ever planned a wedding?

Have you ever driven a riding lawn mower?

Would you participate in a marathon?

Would you climb Mount Everest if given a chance, with all expenses paid?

Would you ever participate in a beauty contest?

Have you ever been somewhere while an earthquake occurred?

How many languages do you speak (including English)?
Directions: Use any method to create partners, give each person one question to
Would you rather be ignorant and happy or be knowledgeable and never fully content?
answer with their partner. If time, allow the partner to share answers with whole
Would you rather never play or play but always lose?
group.
Would you rather be 10 minutes late or be 20 minutes early for everything?
Would you rather be super strong or super fast?
Would you rather be a master of every musical instrument or be fluent in every
Would you rather have a third eye or a third arm?
language?
Would you rather age from the neck up only or the neck down only?
Would you rather be stuck in a home that is constantly dark or a house that is
Would you rather be poor and work at a job you love or be rich and work at a job you constantly bright?
hate?
Would you rather be in your pajamas all day or in a suit all day?
Would you rather be rich and ugly or poor and good looking?
Would you rather go forward or back in time?
Would you rather take a guaranteed $100,000 or a 50/50 chance at $1,000,000?
Would you rather be in constant pain or have a constant itch?
Would you rather have no sense of smell or smell everything near you as though it
were right in front of your nose?
Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout everything?
Would you rather save the life of someone that you're close to or save the lives of 5
random strangers?
Would you rather never touch another human again or never touch a computer
powered device again?
Would you rather have 1 wish granted today or 3 wishes granted 5 years from now?
Would you rather go without the internet or a car for a month?
Would you rather have to sit all day or stand all day?
Would you rather go to jail for a year or live in your car for a year?
Would you rather be a parent or a child?
Would you rather be stuck in a house with someone you hate or be stuck in a house
alone?
Would you rather be a genius in a world of morons, or a moron in a world of geniuses?
Would you rather take an ice cold shower and be clean or not shower at all?
Would you rather drink a cup of spoiled milk or pee your pants in public?
Would you rather have the ability to fly or the ability to read people's mind?
Would you rather have your flight delayed by 8 hours or lose your luggage?
Would you rather be the worst player on the best team or the best player on a great
team?
Would you rather never be able to eat hot food again or never take a hot shower
again?
“Choices”
Picture This:

You will need a pen and paper for each person.

Divide everyone into groups of two. Have the two individuals sitting back-to-back. Give one
person the pen and paper and have the other person describe something in the room, one
part at a time, to draw it on the paper in front of them (without peaking). The describer does
not actually say what they are drawing. The person with the pen and paper draws what they
think the picture depicts, based on the verbal description. Set a time limit for 10 – 15 minutes.
Bubble Blowing Contest – Each participant is given one piece of
gum to chew and try to blow the biggest bubble. Easy to do, lots of
laughs!