Title – Jujube Introductions

By – Pamela

Primary Subject – Other

Grade Level – Any level

Introduction:

This idea is most useful with bashful students on their first day(s) of school. It’s quite a simple concept and not only jujubes may be used. Many students have allergies and/or sensitivities to certain food items these days, so even a colored eraser or pencil could be used in place of the sugary treats!

Procedure:

The teacher either hands out or asks students to select three jujubes, but they must be different colors. Once everyone has some colored treats in front of them, a chart paper (or a transparency) is revealed detailing a question that each color represents. It’s at the teacher’s discretion to decide what questions are appropriate to have students answer in a “getting-to-know your classmates” activity on the first day of school. For example, a yellow jujube might require a student to answer the question, “What is your favorite hobby?” The green ones might be used to answer the question, “How many people or pets are in your family?” At any rate, these questions provide prompts for students to share things about themselves that they wouldn’t otherwise have thought to share. Also, no one student is able to monopolize sharing time.

Conclusion:

This activity works equally well in group discussions in other subject areas where teachers feel there is a lack of participation. It’s just important to consider what questions students will be answering ahead of time; they can work independently, in pairs or even in small groups.


Who knew that providing such a small incentive could lead to big results?! It works really well!

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Pamela

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