Fist to Five
Subject
- Advisory
- Civics & Citizenship
- English & Language Arts
- History
- Social Studies
Grade
6–12Language
English — USPublished
Updated
Access all resources for free now.
Your free Facing History account gives you access to all of this Activity’s content and materials in Google Drive.
Get everything you need including content from this page.
About This Activity
This routine helps students assess and communicate how they are feeling. You can use this routine to check in on their emotional well-being or for something fun, like their opinion about a recent social media campaign, television series, movie, or music release.
Steps for Implementation
Fist to Five
Seat the class in a circle and pose a question, perhaps choosing from the list below. Have students respond by holding up a fist or 1–5 fingers. The fist indicates the low end of the scale, and five represents the high end. Use their responses to spark small-group discussions or a class discussion, focusing on strategies to move everyone closer to the high end of the scale. Possible questions include:
- Fist to five, how are you feeling today?
- Fist to five, how was your time management this week?
- Fist to five, how ready are you to start our first activity?
- Fist to five, how well do you understand the instructions for the next activity?
Variations
Remote Learning
Start class by posing a question to the group, which you can say aloud, write in the chat, or share on your screen. If possible, encourage students to turn on their cameras for this activity, even if they are not in the picture and you just see their hands when they hold up their fingers. If students’ cameras are off, they can write the number of fingers they are holding up in the chat. Explain that you will be asking some questions, and they should respond by holding up a fist or 1–5 fingers to the camera. The fist indicates the low end of the scale, and five represents the high end. Use their responses to spark a class discussion, focusing on strategies to move everyone closer to the high end of the scale, or have students come up with strategies in breakout groups and record them on a collaborative document. Possible questions include:
- Fist to five, how are you feeling today?
- Fist to five, how is your Wi-Fi connection today?
- Fist to five, what’s your interest level for our current project/book/your independent reading?
- Fist to five, how well are you able to access class videos at home?
- Fist to five, what’s your motivation level today?
Get this activity in Google Drive!
Log in to your Facing History account to access all activity content & materials. If you don't have an account, Sign up today (it's fast, easy, and free!).
A Free Account allows you to:
- Access and save all content, such as lesson plans and activities, within Google Drive.
- Create custom, personalized collections to share with teachers and students.
- Instant access to over 200+ on-demand and in-person professional development events and workshops
You might also be interested in…
Three Good Things
Slow Down with The Slowdown
Take a Stand
Appreciation, Apology, Aha
Closing Challenge
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Our Names and Our Place in the World
Making Meaning of Community
Mood Meter
Emoji Emotions
Unlimited Access to Learning. More Added Every Month.
Facing History & Ourselves is designed for educators who want to help students explore identity, think critically, grow emotionally, act ethically, and participate in civic life. It’s hard work, so we’ve developed some go-to professional learning opportunities to help you along the way.
Exploring ELA Text Selection with Julia Torres
On-Demand
Working for Justice, Equity and Civic Agency in Our Schools: A Conversation with Clint Smith
On-Demand
Centering Student Voices to Build Community and Agency
On-Demand
