Valentine's Day Soft Music | Critical Thinking Text Puzzle 5A | Digital Literacy
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Description
Here's a Fun Valentine's Day (Soft Music) Text Message Puzzle for Middle School students! How quickly can your class figure out who is texting?
Spoiler: This is a conversation between two parents who miscommunicate over "romantic date" vs "family date night"
CONTENT WARNING: This Critical Thinking Puzzle may prompt discussions on healthy relationships, understanding romantic settings, and managing differing expectations.
- While these are important conversations, they may not be what you're looking for in a critical thinking resource right now.
- Teachers are encouraged to consider their student population and parent communication requirements and discuss with their school administration if unsure.
- This critical thinking puzzle about Valentine's Day and healthy relationships could lead to a larger conversation about assertive, aggressive, passive, and passive-aggressive messages. For more information, check out this 6Cs Communication unit.
Here's part of the text message conversation:
- Can’t wait for our date tonight!
- Got the perfect surprise for you! Something sweet. You’ll love it!
- Ooooh! Picking up something extra now. Soft music or candles? Can't decide what would set the mood better❤️
- Soft music...
Who is speaking? What is going on? How do you know that?
NOTE: Text Puzzle 5A focuses on the theme of "setting the mood" with choices like soft music or candles. However, there is an alternative version, Text Puzzle 5B, which includes a reference to red or white wine, offering a different context for the same scenario. Text Puzzle 5B is designed for discussions around alcohol, consent, and healthy relationships, making it suitable for more mature classroom settings. If you're interested in exploring Text Puzzle 5B with the red wine reference, please reach out to Mike@educircles.org for more information.
In this fun Critical Thinking Puzzle, students are shown one text message at a time.
- Each slide in this critical thinking puzzle reveals another text message.
- Eventually, students have enough clues to solve the critical thinking puzzle!
- There's also a foldable printable version so if you're doing small groups or independent literacy centers, students can unfold one clue at a time!
INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1: Open the slideshow lesson. (When you download this PDF resource, there will be a link to the Google Slideshow.)
STEP 2: Print the PDF file. It has the worksheets. It also has a detailed 21 page answer / discussion guide to help you guide student conversations.
TEACHING IDEAS:
- Option 1. Whole class instruction: Students copy down clues from the slideshow onto the first worksheet. The act of copying down information might help them pay attention to subtle clues.
- Option 2. Some students may have trouble seeing the board or copying down the clues. There is a version of the worksheet with the text messages. There is also a large version of the phone mock-up.
- Option 3. Independent Literacy Center: Use the foldable version of the handout. Fold each clue on the dotted line. Students at the literacy center unfold the handout one clue at a time. They record answers on their own worksheet.
Why use this Critical Thinking Puzzle / Activity?
- This Critical Thinking puzzle uses text messages to hook your Middle School students.
- But, you actually need to use a lot of reading comprehension strategies to solve this critical thinking puzzle.
- Students have to predict, infer, and make connections to figure out who is talking and what is happening.
- They document their learning by filling out a graphic organizer and answering the comprehension reflection questions.
- Yay, assessment and evaluation opportunities. Sometimes students try harder if things are "for marks." Plus, you need evidence of learning for report cards, so it's win:win!
Perfect for a fun English Language Arts class to explore Critical Thinking or Reading Comprehension Strategies.
- Use this critical thinking puzzle as part of a digital literacy lesson on text messaging.
- A fun critical thinking activity to explore reading comprehension strategies (It Says, I Say, And So and Somebody Wanted But So)
- This is not your average critical thinking puzzle - it's a way to build transferable life skills
Jan 17, 2024 update: OH NO, YOU JUST MISSED OUT!
THIS CRITICAL THINKING PUZZLE WAS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!
- I like to publish my resources for free (or heavily discounted) at the beginning as a thank you to my followers.
- Teachers who got this resource for free also got the paid upgrade for free as well. (I just updated this resource to include the answer key.)
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Questions about this Critical Thinking Text Puzzle #3? Ask in the TPT Q&A section or email Mike@educircles.org
