Back to School - Team Game - Social Skills - 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade

The What Am I game is an excellent team game to play during the first week of school. However, it can be played anytime during the school year. What Am I can be played just for fun in a class period, but it is best to play the game over a period of a few days. The game provides many opportunities to teach social skills, discuss expectations, and develop teamwork within the classroom.

Summary of the game:

• The goal is for teams to figure out a mystery item the teacher is describing using as few clues as possible.
• All mystery items are common things.
• Students can play up to 18 rounds. An ideal game is 5 to 8 rounds.
• Teams are given clues.
• Each clue builds upon the previous clue/s.
• The first clue is a very general statement. It only gives a little information about the mystery item, and it can be many things.
• There are 5 clues for each mystery item.
• Scoring: If a team guesses the mystery item on the first clue, they receive 1 point. If a team guesses the mystery item on the second clue, they receive 2 points, and so on. At the end of the game, teams add up their scores from each round. The team with the lowest score wins.

Key Factors:

• Students must think outside the box. The mystery item will not be the most obvious answer.
• Students must work as a team to be successful at the game.
• All team members must have a say.
• Team members must figure out a way how to agree on an answer for each round.
• Teams must also figure out the best way to communicate without other teams hearing their ideas.

Included in the product:

• 19 mystery items with answer keys (Use one mystery item for an example.) The mystery items can be done in any order. 
• An example of the game
• A list of social skills to discuss with your class prior to the game. (optional)
• An 8.5 x 11 poster of social skills to display for the game. (optional - comes in color and black/white)
• Recording sheets for each round
• Rules for scoring

**Suggestion for the teacher: Try to solve the mystery items yourself before you look at the answer keys. Read one clue at a time and make a guess. Select your favorite mystery items to use with your class.

Here are 2 examples: Answers are at the bottom of the page. Spaces are between the clues, so you do not see all the clues at once. 

MYSTERY ITEM

CLUE 1: I am white.

CLUE 2: I am sticky.

At this point, many students will say glue, but that is incorrect.

CLUE 3: I can float.

CLUE 4: You can eat me.

CLUE 5: Many times, people put me in hot chocolate.

MYSTERY ITEM

CLUE 1: I can go fast or slow.

CLUE 2: I have wheels.

At this point, many students will say a car, bus, or motorcycle, but they are incorrect.

CLUE 3: I do not need my wheels to move all the time.

CLUE 4: I can hold a lot of people.

CLUE 5: You never see me on the roads.

MYSTERY ITEM

CLUE 1: I am very small in size.

CLUE 2: Once you close me, it is hard to open me.

(Purchase my product to see the rest.)

ANSWER: Marshmallows

ANSWER: An airplane

TERMS OF USE: By purchasing this product, you have permission to copy for single classroom use only. You may copy this resource for your classroom and your students, but you MAY NOT copy and distribute it to others.

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