Science:
- Students can pretend they are a famous scientist and explain a particular finding or experiment from that persons perspective.
- Students can be a certain chemical in a compound and explain, from the chemical’s viewpoint, what happens when mixed with other chemicals. This one will really stretch the mind of the students and probably the teacher.
- Have a student write from the perspective of an earthquake, a tornado, or a tsunami. This may sound silly, but it will show the teacher whether or not the student understands a concept.
Math: This one might seem like a stretch to some, but there are students in the math classroom that will benefit greatly from this kind of activity.
- Have students be a number in a math problem and tell what happens to them through wall posts. Their friends can be the other parts of the problem.
- Students could be a geometric shape and explain what functions that shape serves.
Social Studies:
- Students could act as historical figures. This activity has great potential. Students could be a civil war general, a ruler in ancient China, or slave on a ship crossing the Atlantic ocean.
- Students could be a country and explain what the people within the country are doing.
- This one will test the student mind for sure. Have them be a rock on a hill overlooking a valley. Explain what is happening there as it is settled by the people. Maybe a rock along the Oregon trail, or on the coast near Cape Horn.
Language Arts:
- Students can write from the perspective of characters in a story.
- The RAFT concept can be used here to have great potential in the English classroom. Instead of being a character in a story, maybe the students can write from the perspective of a fly on the wall, or a chair in the room, or the family cat.
- Students could be a comma and show how it is used in the comma’s own words. Again, this is a mind bender.
I’ll admit, some of these ideas are a little on the crazy side, but that is what makes them so fun. I guarantee that students will take an idea and totally run with it using a fake Facebook app. They will be engaged in what they are learning and eager to share their knowledge with others. This is one of those activities that will not only be fun, but also be one of the best learning opportunities for particular students.
As always, I am open for more ideas. I would love to hear how you have used fake Facebook apps in the classroom. Leave your ideas for the rest of us in the comments.
