What Do You Think Of....

I like the introductory activity that goes something like this:

What do you think of when I say...penguin?!

Or what do you think of when I say...Greece?

Whatever the topic is for that day, you use the word instead and write their answers on the board, overhead, Smart Board, etc...

It gets your students thinking about the topic and you can assess them on what they already know and what connections they have already with the topic.  Not bad, eh?  Easy, fun, AND useful! :)