Looking for ways to get your students involved and engaged with learning from the first few minutes of the school day? Try using attendance questions in the special ed classroom to pique their interest!
Learn more about what attendance questions are and how they can be used effectively in the classroom to keep your students engaged.
What are Attendance Questions?
In basic terms, attendance questions are questions that teachers ask at the beginning of the day. They are typically posed during attendance or the morning routine so that they become an anticipated part of the school day.
The questions can either be open-ended or give students a choice of options. Both are effective and have their place in the special ed classroom depending on the skill levels and needs of your students. It is even fun to mix them up every once in a while to keep students engaged.
Why Use Attendance Questions?
The beauty of asking a question instead of just requiring a student to respond “Here” when taking attendance is that it gives you an opportunity to get to know your students.
Each question posed gives you a bit more insight into their likes, dislikes, preferences, dreams, and desires. Think of them as mini-interview questions that students are eager to answer each day!
Attendance Question Formats
Most teachers use attendance questions just as a verbal response opportunity. The questions are not tied to writing assignments or other requirements – they are simply to be used as an opportunity to build classroom community.
Depending on your students’ needs, you may opt to print the questions out and post them on the board or project them onto your SmartBoard for students to see. It all depends on what works best for your students.
This year-long set of digital attendance questions makes it easy for students to respond to the daily question on a tablet! It’s a great way to integrate technology into the beginning of the school day.
Examples of Attendance Questions
Still not sure if attendance questions would be a good option for your classroom? Try some of these “This or That” examples below and see how your students respond to them. You may be surprised by their level of interest and engagement!
- Starbucks or Dunkin’?
- McDonald’s or Wendy’s?
- Book or movie?
- Beach or mountains?
- Winter or summer?
- Spring or fall?
- Soccer or football?
- Baseball or hockey?
- Dogs or cats?
- Horror movie or comedy?
Attendance questions are a fun and easy way to get your students talking and invested in the school day from the very beginning. Give them a try and see how they respond!
If you already use questions with your students, what are their favorite ones? Share with us! We’d love to know which ones your students can’t get enough of!
