Guess The Topic Mingle

Activity

Community building activities, Ongoing engagement, Warm up activities

Guess The Topic Mingle

Heather Kretschmer

This is a fun activity to introduce a new topic which will also work well as a warm-up activity.

Tech needed: Video conferencing, Breakout rooms

Synchronous

Accessibility: Auditory, Text-based

Duration: 5-30 mins

Student preparation: None

Educator preparation: Moderate

ACTIVITY PURPOSE

This activity is a twist on the children’s game 20 Questions for kids, in which a player reads clues one by one while the other players try to guess the person, place, or thing. This version is ideal for introducing a new topic in an educational setting. The instructor distributes the clues among the students who then interact with one another to exchange information and guess what the topic might be.

USEFUL FOR

Having students connect pieces of information to figure out what a topic is.
Whetting students’ appetite for new contents.
Strengthening the bonds between students.

PREPARATION

Think of an important object, place, event, or person connected to a topic you have not yet covered. You can also choose the topic itself. What you choose should be something/someone your students have already heard about.
Prepare approximately 20 statements about the object/place/event/person/topic. The statements must be true and vague so that students can’t guess with only a few clues. The clues can be a mix of information students may already know and information they’re less likely to know. Use the “I” form when describing the object/place/event/person/topic. For example, “I require special equipment.”
For in-person classes, print out one copy of the 20 statements and cut the statements into strips so that each student receives one . In online synchronous courses, send each student one statement in a private message before class.

INSTRUCTIONS

The following instructions are for an online class, however, this activity can also be done in class.
Tell students that each of them received one clue about a new topic (or something related to the new topic). Explain that the aim of the activity is for them to work together to figure out what it is.
Tell students you will send them to breakout rooms so that they can verbally share their clues and speculate together what the object/place/event/person/topic might be. To guide students, give them a starting point. For example, if students are to guess an object, type in the chat “I am an object. What am I?”
Send students to breakout rooms in small groups for about five minutes for a first exchange of ideas.
For a second round of exchange, reshuffle students so they are in new small groups in breakout rooms. Give them five minutes.
Bring everyone back to the main room. Ask students to type in their guesses into the chat. If nobody has guessed it yet, send students back to breakout rooms in new groups for a third round. If you have fewer than 10 students, give each student a new statement before sending them to their new group.
Bring students back into the main room to see if they have now guessed it. If not, give the whole class new clues one by one until they figure it out.
Students’ curiosity is hopefully piqued about the new topic, so wrap the activity up by segueing into something interesting about the topic.

DURATION

Around 15 minutes.

ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES

In a synchronous online setting, encourage students to chill and chat in their breakout rooms after they have finished exchanging information and guessing.
In an on-site course, ask students to stand up and mingle as they exchange information. They should exchange information and guess with as many classmates as possible. Note: getting students to move is a brain-friendly way of doing this activity.