The Roll Question: A Natural, Powerful Way to Discover Your Students’ Assets
Instead of having your students say, “present,” here’s how to let every one of them feel present: Ask a daily attendance question—what I call the roll question.
California Teacher Performance Expectation 1.1: Apply knowledge of students, including their prior experiences, interests, and social-emotional learning needs, as well as their funds of knowledge and cultural, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds, to engage them in learning.
It’s 1.1 for a reason! What could be more important than knowing your kids? How can you teach them if you can’t meet them where they are because you don’t know where they are?
So don’t do a traditional roll call. And try to avoid the quick attendance check—silently noting whose seat is empty. Think of attendance as a time to learn about your students. Give each a chance to share their lives—and don’t be reluctant to share yours with them. Answer the roll question yourself, too.”
What should you ask? Start with favorites.
What’s your favorite…
book or book series?
song? (It might end up on the classroom playlist!)
school subject?
YouTube channel?
thing to collect?
animal?
video game?
musical instrument?
sport?
shirt? (Wear it tomorrow!)
Then go deeper.
Who are the people and pets you live with?
What does someone in your family like to do for fun?
What did a grown-up in your life want to be when they were your age?
What’s something you want to get better at this year?
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
What’s something that’s hard for you?
You get the idea. So, based on what you want to learn about your kids, come up with your own roll questions.
Besides learning about your students, asking roll questions has two bonus benefits:
Empathy. For obvious reasons, you can use roll questions to help you teach it to your class.
Listening skills. Later in the day, week, month, or year, for extra points on a test, ask, “Who has a puppy named Kihei?” Or, “What did Jessica’s mother want to be when she grew up?”
Or, if points aren’t enough of an incentive for your group, find another way to reward your best listeners.
