Would You Rather? is both a classic ice breaker game and a powerful educational activity.  I find that many teachers are aware of Would You Rather?, but have not considered how it can be used academically. 

The rules are simple.  The teacher offers 2 different choices and each student must indicate their preferred option.  Students may not answer “both” or “neither”; they must fully commit to one of the two choices. 

In a live classroom setting, students would stand in the middle of the room and listen to the teacher’s question.  They would then move to a corner of the room that corresponds with their choice.  Virtual instruction does not allow us to play this way so we must be creative.

Sure, students could respond on the chat feature or in a poll, but I am proposing an option that is far more engaging.  This game has the potential to actively engage your entire class. Here are 4 simple steps to play in your virtual class:

Step 1: Create a PowerPoint or Google slide with an interesting topic.

Step 2: Start a Zoom meeting and share your screen.

Step 3: Ask students to use annotation tools to place their name on the slide that they chose.

Step 4: Ask a few students to unmute their microphones and explain their answers.

It is literally that easy to engage your entire class in a fun game of virtual Would You Rather?  A quick Google search will uncover hundreds of great questions to use with your students.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Silly Questions

Would you rather:

• share a bed with a skunk or a porcupine?
• eat every meal with your hands or with chopsticks?
• listen only to bagpipe music for the rest of your life or eat only fruit for the rest of your life?
• have purple hair or purple teeth?
• swim in a pool of orange juice or a pool of milk chocolate?

Getting to Know You Questions

Would you rather:

• learn a new skill by reading about it or by watching a video about it?
• take a written test or complete a group project?
• be the smartest person in school or the most popular person in school?
• attend school in person or learn virtually?
• eat school cafeteria food for the rest of your life or work at a school for the rest of your life?

English Questions

Would you rather:

• read fiction or non-fiction?
• be a comma or an exclamation mark?
• write a famous novel or write a popular screenplay?
• speak only in metaphors or speak only in rhymes?
• be a character in Harry Potter or a character in Treasure Island?

Math Questions

Would you rather:

• have a pound of M&Ms or 12 oz. of M&Ms?
• receive a nickel every day or receive $1.50 every month of your life?
• have 6 baskets of 8 apples or 4 baskets of 10 apples?

Science Questions

Would you rather:

• live in the desert or on the tundra?
• have a house near salt water or fresh water?
• be an oceanographer or an astronaut?
• live where earthquakes are common or live where hurricanes are common?

Social Studies Questions

Would you rather:

• visit ancient Egypt or ancient Greece?
• be the mayor of a small town or the governor of a state?
• spend a week on the equator or in the arctic?
• meet Eleanor Roosevelt or Harriet Tubman?
• live in medieval Europe or colonial North America?

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