Making the Most of Show and Tell

 

My students' favorite first grade experience is, by far, Show and Tell!  Last year in Kindergarten, we had show and tell every Friday.  But to be honest, Show and Tell got to be a bit of a joke!  The kids brought the same thing week after week!  Or, they forgot their show and tell item and just grabbed something random from their car in the school parking lot!  Or they cried because they forgot theirs and I had to fish something random from my desk to appease them.

I knew something HAD to change this year (I looped up with them!).  So here is the new and improved show and tell in our room:

 We only have show and tell one Friday per month, so it's a REALLY special BIG deal!  With a smaller class, everyone can share on the same Friday.  If you have a bigger class or limited time, you may need to assign 4-5 kids to show and tell each Friday throughout the month.  Do what works for your class!

 Students must choose something special or unique.  Don't bring the teddy bear you brought last month...or the Happy Meal toy you found in the floorboard of your car.  Students are instructed to bring something unique--like the teddy bear they sewed with their grandmother:

 Or the lizard skin they found at the reptile farm:

Or even the lock from your dad's storage building:

Have students give 3 clues or facts about their show and tell item.  Students can complete a form ahead of time to write their three clues down.  You may even send the clue page home the night before show and tell for students to work on formulating good clues.  Examples of good clues might be:

1.  I made this with my grandmother.

2.  My dad keeps tools safe with this.

3.  I found this at a reptile farm.

Sharing clues builds anticipation about the item and gets the whole class focused on the upcoming sharer.

Set aside enough time for students to fully explore the items.

I love to have students take around their show and tell item and let other students look at it up close, touch it, and ask questions about it.  The kids love being in the spotlight and having something worthwhile to share with their classmates.  One student this week brought in a bird nest that had been built in the flowerpot on her deck.  She also brought in stunning pictures of the baby birds who had lived in the nest!  The learning opportunity for my students was MAGICAL!

Make show and tell an extension of your classroom learning.  One little boy brought in huge paper bills today, and the students were so excited that he brought enough for each of them! The kids "felt like a million bucks!" *pun intended*

We extended the learning when the children asked if the money was real.  I was able to take out a real ten dollar bill and have students compare and contrast the real money with the play money.

Consider making some show and tell days theme days.  How about pet day where parents can bring a students' pet to share with the class?  Today my tiniest first grader brought the tiniest pet--her long-haired Chihuahua Rocky!

 No matter how insignificant a child's show and tell item seems, MAKE THEM FEEL SPECIAL! Whether it's a rock from the back yard, or rock from the moon, every child needs to be made to feel like a ROCK STAR when it comes to show and tell!

Want to make Show and Tell extra fabulous in your classroom? Check out my newest packet on TPT: