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Educator Resources
20 Ways to Build Community & Make Connections
| 1 | Have a favorite song or music video playing! Allow students to make requests or be the “Before Class DJ!” |
| 2 | Showcase a favorite quote! Give students the opportunity to respond to the quote in the chat. |
| 3 | Vibe Check: Ask the students to identify where they fall on the mood meter and get an energy level of your students. To learn more, visit here. |
| 4 | Caption That: The New Yorker: Show a cartoon and have students caption it. |
| 5 | MadLib this Tweet or #hasthag the Tweet. Find a Tweet, remove some words, and have students fill it in for fun. |
| 6 | Favorite Things: Take an inventory of students’ interests and likes. |
| 7 | National Geographic: Weird, but True! |
| 8 | 20 Questions: Guess Who/What? |
| 9 | Would You Rather? |
| 10 | Rebus Puzzle Challenge: Create your own puzzle or select one from this list. |
| 11 | This or That?: Ask students their preferences (hot dog or hamburger, Coke or Pepsi, winter or summer, etc.) |
| 12 | Google Quick Draw Challenge: Encourage students to complete the daily drawing challenge. |
| 13 | Family (Class) Feud: Get your students to guess the top answer! (ex. The most often eaten pie…) Get some ideas here. |
| 14 | History Mystery: Use History Channel’s “This Day in History” to welcome students to class. |
| 15 | Fact or Fiction: Challenge conventional wisdom! Get inspired with Discovery’s Mythbusters. |
| 16 | 30-second Mystery: See some sample mysteries to solve here. |
| 17 | In the Pictures: Spot It |
| 18 | Name That Tune |
| 19 | Thumbs Up If… |
| 20 | Where in the World is the Morton Mustang? (ex. Morty’s been busy travelling around the world, so he decided to stay in the United States this weekend. However, he still needed a little getaway. He ended up going to the five smallest states in total land area. What five states did Morty visit?) |
Mental Health Resources
- National Suicide Prevention LifelineCALL 800-273-8255. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.
- The Trevor ProjectFounded in 1998 by the creators of the award-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
- Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line trains volunteers to support people in crisis.
- R U There?A new counselling service harnesses the power of the text message. (New Yorker article)
- Born This Way FoundationLed by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2012 with the goal of creating a kinder and braver world. We seek to support the mental and emotional wellness of young people by putting their needs, ideas, and voices first.
The Music
- JUST FOR FUN QUIZ! Which Dear Evan Hansen Song Are You?Which song from Dear Evan Hansen is most similar to your personality?