KINDNESS: The Notecard Activity

At the beginning of every new semester, I (Jessi) have my middle school students fill out a notecard about themselves. It is a simple questionnaire with some basic and quirky tidbits, and serves as an icebreaker of sorts. Little did I anticipate the tremendous impact this simple activity would have in my classroom. I do tell my students that I share this information with the class before they fill out their cards but they are so eager for me to share their cards once they learn how the game works. (It is like Guess-Who.) 
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Effective facilitation requires building a team that is positive and connected. When educators are developing a student-driven environment, it is vital that they facilitate team building just as a sports team coach builds and drives camaraderie. The notecard activity serves as a catalyst for student interaction and fosters genuine connections among peers. It becomes a foundation for building kindness by teaching students to have empathy and mindfulness. 

Notecards completed by middle school students.

Designing Questions
When crafting questions for students, start with the fundamentals such as birthdays and preferences. To spice things up, consider incorporating “would you rather” questions. Really there is no rule to designing the questions! 
Sample Questions: 

• Favorite Music Genre, Artist, or Band? 
• Go-to Movie Genre? 
• Ultimate Snack Choice?
• Favorite School Subject? 
• Preferred Season of the Year?

How to Play
Utilize any downtime or early clean-up moments in class to engage students with this game. Simply select a notecard and read out the answers without revealing the respondent’s identity. Encourage students to raise their hand to guess who provided the response. Once a card is read, mark it, and move on to the next one. This game serves as a motivating incentive for prompt clean-ups. 
Prizes or Not
Prizes for this game are optional. Students are rather happy to play and participate without any prizes! 
What’s next? 
Once all cards have been read, create a new series of questions for students to answer. The depth and complexity of questions increases for this round two! 


Sample Questions: 

• If you could have any job in the future, what would it be?
  
• If you had unlimited money to start a business, what would it be? 
  
• What is something people may not know about you? 
  
• What’s your favorite quality about yourself? 
  
• What three words would you use to describe yourself?

[re]Think how to build your community 

[re]Think building your community! Get the free notecard printable to the left! Keep a stack in your space for new students that join the class