Soup, Salad, or Sandwich Game - Critical Thinking Team Building Debate Activity

In this unique and thought-provoking debate game, students tackle one surprisingly tricky question: Can every food be classified as a soup, salad, or sandwich? Before the debate begins, the included presentation introduces the classification challenge, gets students thinking about what actually defines a soup, salad, or sandwich, and establishes expectations for respectful discussion and disagreement. Then, it’s time to debate! Students work collaboratively to classify 15 foods, including hot dogs, cereal, sushi, ravioli, and ice cream, discussing their ideas and reaching a team consensus for each one. Teams must explain and defend their choices with clear reasoning before developing a final classification system that is logical and consistent.

This is included in a full-year program:
→ The ELA Games Program

Included in This Soup, Salad, or Sandwich? Debate Game:

➡️ Soup, Salad or Sandwich? Debate Game Teacher Instructions: A detailed teacher guide provides everything you need to successfully run the activity in your classroom. It includes clear step-by-step instructions, an overview of how the activity works, guidance for leading students through each stage of the debate, and details for completing the lesson from start to finish.

➡️ Soup, Salad or Sandwich? Debate Game Presentation Slides: Use the 25-slide PowerPoint presentation to guide the Soup, Salad, or Sandwich debate from start to finish. The presentation introduces the classification problem, gets students thinking about what defines each food category, and establishes expectations for speaking and listening, discussion, and respectful disagreement. Also included are all 15 food challenges and a final reflection that asks teams to consider how their thinking changed and explain why their finalized classification system works.

➡️ Soup, Salad or Sandwich? Student Classification Graphic Organizer: As they debate each food, students use the included graphic organizer to record whether their team classifies it as a soup, salad, or sandwich. After classifying all 15 foods, teams explain the reasoning behind each category and use their decisions to develop and defend a final classification system that is logical and consistent.

➡️ Soup, Salad & Sandwich Team Signs: Each team receives three colorful printable signs to hold up when sharing their decision with the class. Teams must reach a consensus before choosing a sign and be prepared to explain and defend their classification during the class debate.

If you like this fun team building game, you’ll love this resource:
→ A Year of English Bell Ringers

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