I find that students really respond well to true stories. Often I use personal stories to break the ice with students. A friend G recently posted this and I love it. It is an animated feature from story corps. It includes 6 short true stories. Some are tear jerkers. some and funny and some are just quirky. They all warm the heart. They are interesting and would make a great hook or early finisher activity.
Oh and here is my new tea cup I recently purchased on a weekend trip to Belgrade, Serbia. 
tea and teaching 