Our job is to teach the students we have. Not the ones we would like to have. Not the ones we used to have. Those we have right now. All of them. –Dr. Kevin Maxwell


Hannah is enjoying her education class.  She was assigned to observe in a special needs classroom.  Most of the students in the class are autistic.  She plays puzzles, games, and other activities with these terrific kids.  This is a great experience for her and is giving her insight into how great these kids are.  Each day is something new and never a dull moment.  I think it is great that A&M has the students going to observe in classrooms their freshman year.  I was a junior before I went into a classroom.  Thank goodness I loved it! 

As I observe in classes I look for student engagement.  I hope teachers will think about how to engage all their students when planning lessons.

I was reminded of an activity that engages everyone the other day when I was at a workshop.  It was used as an icebreaker.  I'm sure you've played it too.  It is the game where you have about nine or more squares on a sheet.  Each square has a different question that asks you to find someone who... An example would be to find someone who has blue eyes. The person with blue eyes signs that square. You continue playing until all the questions in the squares have been answered by a different person. Each time a person answers a question they sign that square.

Well, the same idea can be used in the class room.  It could be used in many different subjects and for many different purposes.  In reading, after reading the story, have the students go around and find someone who...  For example, one square would ask to find someone who can answer how the character changed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story and prove it with text evidence.  The person who can answer it correctly signs the square and both move on to have another question answered.  Prior to finding someone to sign the square, you may want to have the students answer the questions individually or in a group. They could answer them on another paper or the questions could be discussed as a class before playing Find Someone Who...

Another way it could be used is for vocabulary review.  Find Someone Who knows the meaning of  (word) and can put it in their own words.  Find Someone who can use (word) in a sentence that is at least 7 words long.  Find Someone who can use context clues to find the meaning of (word) in this  sentence and explain what the clues s/he used.  

In Math, Find Someone who has a different way to solve 145 + 78.  Find Someone Who can tell me what comes next in the pattern. **##***###****####....

This activity is also good for your ELL students or struggling students.  The students can see how others answered the questions.  They may want to make adjustments to their answers.

When the activity is over be sure to come back as a class and summarize the learning.

If you have other ideas for using this activity, be sure and comment so others can benefit from your knowledge.

As always, happy teaching!