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Step 1
Give your students a brief April Fools’ Day “pop quiz,” but with a twist. On the top of the page, indicate that students should read everything before responding. Then, include strange instructions and questions. At the bottom of the page, after the fake quiz questions, let them in on the secret and tell them not to write anything on the paper -- and not to tell their classmates until they figure it out for themselves.
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Step 2
Talk about April Fools’ Day vocabulary. Prank, trick, fool, joke, hoax, gag and other useful words to describe April Fools’ Day may be unfamiliar to your students; introduce these new words on the board or through a worksheet.
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Step 3
Scramble pranks. Think of an April Fools’ Day prank (or find one online) and divide it into easy-to-follow steps. Scramble the steps and ask your students to figure out the correct order.
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Step 4
Alternatively, find the end result of an April Fools’ Day prank and ask your students to write down the necessary steps to get there.
Example: Your father turns on the shower and the water comes out blue! How did this prank happen? First, unscrew the shower nozzle. Next, add food coloring. Then, put the shower nozzle back. Finally, wait for Dad to turn on the water. April Fool’s! -
Step 5
Print out descriptions of various April Fools’ Day pranks, and have students summarize them in pairs, then present them to the rest of the class. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is famous for its pranks, or “hacks,” which are both impressive and harmless, and these can be great examples to show your class. Google also has yearly Gmail April Fools Day pranks, and these are also fun to share with students.
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Step 6
Have students write their own April Fools’ Day Prank. They should include who is being tricked, where the prank occurs, when it is happening, and any necessary materials and steps to make the trick work.
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Step 7
Using the April Fools’ Day pranks previously discussed, have students vote on the best prank.
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Step 8
Debate the value of April Fool’s Day pranks and tricks. Have one group take the position that pranks are harmless fun and are entertaining, and have the other argue that pranks are cruel and inappropriate.
Comments
elyria said
on 3/19/2009 Great ideas for fun holiday and I liked additional resources! 5*