Building Background Activity

As a class, engage in the familiar childhood game “Telephone.” To play the game, students stand in a line, and the first person in the line whispers a sentence to the person next to him or her. That student then repeats the process until the last child in the line has heard the message. The last person states the message aloud. Usually, the initial message is different from the final message, as it changes as it is passed down the line. Ask your students to brainstorm reasons why this might occur. Record students’ ideas on a board. Talk about how sometimes things change as different people retell a story or an event, and how this can lead to a rumor. Discuss how rumors can sometimes be hurtful or misleading to others.