Like the pledge of allegiance or bells between classes, attendance is part of the school routine. So why settle for humdrum “here’s”?
Especially in a world of remote learning, this start-of-class activity can be used to have fun and set a positive tone; a tool for teachers to build community with their students, whether they’re learning in person or remotely
From a funny Zoom poll question to an opinion students can register, asking attendance questions is a quick, easy way to energize the entire class.
Benefits of Attendance Questions
As mentioned, questions to start the day can result in team-building, finding out how students are feeling about a high school assignment, or simply help with mixing things up with something like a quick a middle school class discussion.
How to Maximize Positive Impact
Ideally, these questions should be short, sweet, and low-stakes; no one likes feeling put on the spot with a pop quiz right at the start of class. One word answers, multiple choice, “would you rather” style questions, or number ratings on a 1-5 scale are ideal. The key is to keep it simple, keep it honest, and to use the information for something constructive.
Depending on the question, it might also be a good idea to make responses anonymous (at least as far as the class is concerned).
Platforms like Poll Everywhere and Kahoot! offer a range of different formats and visibility options. Of course, as a teacher it can be valuable to know students’ answers like these; it depends on the question.
Some of these questions are adaptable for specific content areas (ex: which of these historical figures would you most like to meet? Would you rather be able to change the laws of gravity or momentum? Which of these fictional characters would you follow on social media?)
Once you select a question or perhaps create a consistent routine for your class, students should know what’s expected of them; it’s also best to let students know the amount of time associated with each question.
The Ultimate Attendance Questions List
With that, here are 38 awesome questions to ask students to kick things off at the start of a lesson.
Opinion/Multiple Choice
1. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? (Answer ideas: flight, telekinesis, teleportation, reading minds)
2. If you could ride any mythical creature to school, which would you pick? (Answer ideas: dragon, unicorn, a sphinx)
3. Where would you want your dream house to be? (Answer ideas: on the beach, in a city, near the mountains)
4. Which one item would you take with you to a deserted island (Answer ideas: your favorite book, video game, movie)
5. Which movie currently in theaters are you most excited to watch? (Answers vary)
6. Which song would you want to walk out to on a baseball field before a game? (Answers vary)
7. Which chip flavor doesn’t exist but should? (Answer ideas: birthday cake, soy sauce, enchilada)
8. Which special occasion would you rather happen more than once a year? (Answer ideas: Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday)
9. Which activity would you like to do first today? (Answers vary)
10. If you could have any superhero as your best friend, which would you choose? (Answers vary)
11. Which activity have we done this year that played to your strengths the most? (Answers vary)
12. Which country would you be most excited to visit (Answers vary)
13. If you could trade places with any famous person for a day, who would you choose? (Answers vary)
14. Which of these fictional characters would you most like to trade places with? (Answers vary)
15. Which planet in our solar system would you most like to visit? (Answers vary)
16. What’s something (a project, activity, topic) you’d like to do more of this week/quarter? (Answers vary)
Would You Rather Questions
17. Would you rather eat only chocolate or only vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life?
18. Would you rather have front row seats to see your favorite sports team or your favorite band?
19. Would you rather it be spring or fall year-round?
20. Would you rather be able to become invisible or fly?
21. Would you rather be able to talk to and understand animals or speak and understand any human language?
22. Would you rather give up cheese or chocolate forever?
23. Would you rather go to Hogwarts or Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters?
24. Would you rather be the lead singer or lead guitarist in a new hit band?
25. Would you rather spectate the Winter Olympics or the Summer Olympics?
26. Would you rather be super strong or be able to see like a hawk?
27. Would you rather time travel to the past or the future?
28. Would you rather travel everywhere in a spaceship or on a dragon?
29. Would you rather fight 1 horse-sized duck or 50 duck-sized horses?
30. Would you rather have a book, movie, or song created based on your life?
31. Would you rather eat only breakfast food for all 3 meals or never eat breakfast food ever again?
32. Would you rather have a luxury boat or a luxury car?
33. Would you rather live at Disney World or Universal Studios?
Number Rating Questions
34. What’s your energy level today?
35. How much are you looking forward to the weekend?
36. How clear are the instructions for this assignment?
37. How’s remote/in person learning treating you this week?
38. How challenging was last night’s homework?
Break the Attendance Mold!
Especially after the school year kids have had, it’s time to reinvigorate learning with a little fun and extra emphasis on connecting with others. It’s amazing how even small changes can make a difference in reenergizing students and making them feel like they’re valued as part of a learning community.
To help make this happen, we’ve got resources designed to get kids and teens thinking, talking, and engaging like these 57 Open Ended-Questions to Ask Kids and Teens, DIY Summer Activities , and Everyday Ways to Make Math Fun!