Playing 20 Questions via Google Docs

Today I am bringing you an idea of using technology easily as a lesson. My firsties ADORE it! I originally saw the idea here and knew that I could easily pull it off. The only thing you need access to is a projector and a gmail account. 

I started by throwing the idea out on Twitter. I love doing this. I always get a response. If you are new to Twitter, think about using a hashtag to get more people to look at your tweet. I use #1stchat. There are SO many different ones! I have made some beyond amazing connections through social media. If you are wanting to make connections and are not successful, let me know. I know several teachers who would love to connect!

I found a few willing teachers and the idea went from there. We found a time to play that was convenient for both classes and I sent them a Google Doc that they were able to edit. I taught my students about Google Docs and the fact that you can work on a document at the same time as someone else in a different location. We talked about how you knew who was typing by the cursor. We also decided on a few animals to choose. The teachers I connected with and I decided on having our classes guess animals. It worked best for us – but there are so many other possibilities. We wanted to make sure we kept it simple though. For example – we thought about choosing penguin instead of Rockhopper Penguin.

To begin the game I have had both classes tell a bit about themselves. Then, you decide who is going to go first and start guessing! Usually you play by asking yes/no questions. My class and I always end up giving a few hints though because ultimately the goal is for the other class to guess. There are so many different academics going on while playing. To name a few you are working on writing sentences, reading what the other class is writing, categorizing, questioning skills, animal knowledge, and so much more!