Activities for the Psychology Classroom: Personality Puzzles

 I have received a complimentary product to review from Oriental Trading Company.

 The opinions here are 100% mine!

This a series of posts with ideas for the psychology classroom.  I received a box of products from Oriental Trading Company for this series of posts.  Each post will showcase an item from Oriental Trading Company and a lesson that applies that item to the psychology classroom.

This first product and activity could easily be adapted to any classroom for the start of the year.  I really don't like spending the first day of school reading a syllabus and going over rules; it is boring and insults the intelligence of my students (I save this for later in the week and break it up into chunks).  My classes start the year with a hands on activity that gets students moving and helps me get to know them.

The first product I am using is Blank Dry Erase Puzzles.  These puzzles come in a package of 24 for $6.70.  I chose to not use these as dry erase, but I gave my students permanent markers to illustrate on them.  I would highly recommend this item for any teacher doing a bulletin board about his or her students.

I pair these puzzle pieces with the personality unit for psychology.  This can be paired as an introductory or review project.  I personally (no pun intended) use it as introductory to the unit and begin on the first day of school in September.  I call the assignment the Personality Puzzle.  You can grab a copy on the assignment at rubric on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

The assignment version I use has students label each part of the piece that sticks out with a different interpretation of their own personality.  This way students are being introduced (or reviewing) the major approaches to personality while telling me a little about themselves.

I even make my own.  Mine is done for this coming school year, so I am ready to share on the first day and model the assignment for my students.  In addition to the written part I ask them to add an illustration for each approach as it relates to their own personality.

When everyone is done, we hot glue them into a big puzzle on the wall in my room.  They are made to fit together nicely.  I also had no problems with them staying up on the cinder block walls, which is important if you have ever had a class with these walls.

My one tip is to have 1/2 your students write hot dog style and the other 1/2 write hamburger style.  I did not do this and 1/2 my students' pieces ended up sideways.  I will definitely be using this tip myself in the fall.

Stay tuned for more great ways to use Oriental Trading Company products in the classroom.

How could you use these great puzzle pieces in your classroom?

“This review is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or  experience with the product listed above. I was provided the sample free of charge by the  company or PR agency and I provided my honest opinion. No other type of compensation  was received for this review.”