Cooperative Learning Activity – Two Truths and a Lie

Are you looking for an easy to implement cooperative learning activity that will engage your students? Look no further than the age-old game of two truths and a lie. This activity can be used in any content area or as a community builder.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking you know exactly what the game two truths and a lie is all about. Have you thought about using it in the classroom though?

Materials for Two Truths and a Lie

 

All you need for this activity is paper and a writing utensil. I prefer to use index cards or sticky notes because that is all the room you need, but scrap paper works great too!

How to Play Two Truths and a Lie

• A topic is given.
  Each player writes down two true statements about the topic and one lie.
• Players pair up and partner A reads their three statements to partner B.
• Partner B uses their reasoning skills to decide which statement is a lie.
• Partner A praises a correct guess or coaches an incorrect guess.
• Partners trade roles and repeat the process.
• Partners thank one another and find a new partner to repeat the process.

Tips for Success

Model the process multiple times. This will include how to greet a partner, how to praise or coach a partner, how to thank a partner, and how to wait patiently for a new partner if there is not one immediately available. Explicitly teaching the social skills involved in this activity will help your students every day as well as during the activity itself.

Give students a lot of examples of how to write truths and a believable lie. This can be especially tricky for students because their lies often venture into the extreme. Tell your students that they want any one of their statements to be believable to try and trick their partner. Another thing to model for students is putting their lie in a random location, not always first or last.

Examples:

Hobbies
1. I have read over 40 books in the last year.
2. I have seen 10 movies in the last month. (LIE)
3.  I race cars as a hobby.

Colonization of Texas
1. Jane Long is considered the “Mother of Texas.”
2. An empresario was given permission by the government to bring people to settle land.
3. Stephen F. Austin brought the Old 200 to Texas. (LIE)

For more engaging cooperative learning activities check out this post.