Numerous versions of counting games exist, such as the one found at ESL Monkeys. In this one, students will sit in a circle. Have them count to 10 clockwise and start at one again until everyone has gone once. Then, have them count to 10 counterclockwise. Finally, students can count off in any order around the room, but if two students say the same number at the same time, they have to start over. This game will help them overcome their initial shyness by working in groups. It also makes few demands of their limited English, since it requires the uttering of only one word.
Students in mixed ESL and native English-speaking classes can break through to each through message boards, according to the study "Message Boards." Invite students to draw pictures about some recent event in their lives such as a new pet, a celebration, or a trip. Maintain a section of whiteboard, chalkboard or bulletin board devoted to this purpose. During assembly/circle time, point out these messages and invite the creators to narrate the story illustrated by their pictures. Modeling the use of these message boards will facilitate their use by students.
In "Policy and Strategies for ESL Pedagogy in Multilingual Classrooms," the authors describe an activity designed to acquaint students from diverse cultural backgrounds with each other.
On the first day of class, ask students to sit in a circle and introduce themselves and say what they like to do in their free time. After each introduction, the whole class can repeat what the student just said, but transposed into third-person singular:
Student 1: My name is Ivan and I like to watch TV.
Whole Class: His name is Ivan and he likes to watch TV.
Get more out of this activity by inviting students to act out their free time activity while they say it. Provide model sentences and age-appropriate examples of activities.
In a variation on the "Message Boards" model, invite students to create a series of pictures that tell the story of their life. Display these pictures throughout the classroom and invite students to guide the class through their picture stories. When everyone has had a turn, invite the class to sit in a circle and identify parallels and similarities among the stories and the pictures. This will build cohesion among students as they discover their shared experiences.