Sharing / Show and Tell

As a substitute for six years, frequently in Kindergarten and First grade, I have seen my share of Sharing and Show-and-Tell activities. Back in the old days (when I was a kid) it seems like it was always referred to as Show-and-Tell. Now it is most often called Sharing. Whatever it’s called it’s still the same thing: students bring something in to share with their classmates.

Generally, there are two basic formats for sharing. One has the student bringing up his or her “treasure” and telling about it. The other involves a “Secret Share”. Also, sometimes the item is supposed to start with a certain letter or sound, or be a certain color, depending on what is being learned that week.

Typically, in the first format, the student goes out to her backpack, gets her item, and comes up to the front of the room. She then either sits in the teacher’s chair or stands in front of the room. Sometimes there is a standard introduction: “Hi. My name is ________ and I brought something to share.” Then she proceeds to tell about her item as she holds it up. Often she tells why “it is special to me”. Then most classrooms allow 2 or 3 comments or questions from the other students. “Are there any comments or questions?” she asks.

Her audience then has a chance to respond. I would say that 90% of the time there are repeat questions or questions that were obviously answered in the presentation. Only occasionally are there questions that coax out more relevant information from the sharer... and these usually occur in first grade. The most common things the audience will say are:

1. “I like it.”
2. “Is it special to you?” which always elicits a response of “Yes”, and
3. “Where did you get it?”

In the Secret Share format, the student goes out to his backpack, gets his item, and comes to the front. Sometimes the item is in a paper bag. Other times the student hides the item under his jacket, in his pocket, or rolled up in his shirt. Still other times he tries to hide it behind his back, struggling to walk while trying to prevent curious eyes from seeing what it is.

“Hi. My name is _____________ and I brought something to share.” Then he gives up to three clues. For example, “It starts with the letter ‘S’, it’s yellow, and my mom gave it to me.” Guesses on what it is are then made by as many as 3 students. It is surprising how often the first person guesses correctly, but there are two reasons for this. It is difficult to hide the item from prying eyes as the little guy walks to the front of the classroom and tries to climb into the teacher’s chair. And for most 5 and 6 year olds, it is nearly impossible to keep a secret! That, combined that with the propensity of them to call on one of their friends, who already knows what it is, and you can end up with very few guesses being made.

At the other end of the guessing game is an equally likely sequence of events. After the student gives his clues, the audience raises their hands to make guesses. The guesses can be logical and reasoned, taking into account all the clues, and still not get it. The guesses can also be completely off base, having nothing to do with the clues, either because the students weren’t listening, don’t remember them, or are unable to keep them all straight. One other reason the guesses might turn out to be completely off target is the real possibility that one of the clues has nothing to do with what’s being shared!

As with any activity, behavior has to be supervised and regulated. Since the kids are usually sitting on the floor during sharing, I am repeatedly telling them to sit up and not lie down. With your neighbor constantly in danger of being more interesting than the person in front of the class, keeping your attention on the speaker can also be a challenge.

And then there’s the speaker. Most students are excited when it’s his or her turn and are experienced enough from doing it every week that they just run through their turn and sit down. As with everything else in the classroom, students can be unpredictable when you are the substitute. Some students, no matter how much you coax them, speak inaudibly. Other students are shy about speaking in front of their classmates. I’ve sat up there next to them as support. Some are so shy that I have even had the kid whisper the clues or description to me and I’ve done the talking for them! I see that as a better option than the kid not sharing at all. Although I probably won’t be there, I imagine that with a little more experience the student will be able to do it on her own.

There are also speakers who simply freeze up and forget what they’re going to say. Some don’t really make any sense. Some fail to show the item until they sit down after they are done. Some speakers, who seem to think they are the next great comedian, get silly beyond belief. Some simply love to be in the limelight and go on and on and on just so they can stay up in front of the class. And finally there is the speaker who let’s the power go to his head! Being in charge of the class can be intoxicating and they will take every opportunity to shush people and enforce the rules while they are speaking and taking questions!