This or That Questions for Middle School | Icebreakers, Brain Breaks & Classroom Community

Looking for a quick, no-prep way to get middle school students talking, moving, and connecting? This This or That classroom game includes 40 fun, visually engaging choice slides plus 6 bonus game and template slides that can be used for icebreakers, brain breaks, morning meetings, advisory, classroom community building, early finishers, Fun Friday, and back-to-school activities.

Each slide gives students two simple choices, such as Books or Movies, Math or Science, Early Bird or Night Owl, or Explore Space or Explore the Ocean. Students make a choice, then respond by raising a hand, pointing, moving to one side of the room, voting, or discussing their answer with a partner.

Because the questions are short and low-pressure, this activity works especially well with Grades 5–8. Students can participate immediately without having to give long personal answers or speak in front of the entire class.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

46 slides total

40 This or That Question Slides

Questions are organized into five fun categories:

Everyday Favorites

• Sweet or Salty
• Pizza or Tacos
• Ice Cream or Cookies
• Pancakes or Waffles
• Summer or Winter
• Sunrise or Sunset
• Dogs or Cats
• Beach or Mountains

Entertainment & Technology

• Books or Movies
• Movies or TV Shows
• Music or Podcasts
• Video Games or Board Games
• Texting or Calling
• YouTube or Streaming Shows
• Headphones or Speakers
• Photos or Videos

School Life

• Math or Science
• Reading or Writing
• Art or Music
• Individual Work or Group Work
• Paper or Digital
• Projects or Tests
• Morning Classes or Afternoon Classes
• Sit in Front or Sit in Back

Lifestyle & Personality

• Early Bird or Night Owl
• Plan Ahead or Be Spontaneous
• Talk or Listen
• Stay Home or Go Out
• Try Something New or Stick With Favorites
• Lead the Group or Join the Team
• Busy Day or Relaxing Day
• Big Group or Small Group

Fun & Imagination

• Fly or Be Invisible
• Explore Space or Explore the Ocean
• Live in a Treehouse or Live on a Boat
• Talk to Animals or Speak Every Language
• Super Speed or Super Strength
• Travel to the Past or Travel to the Future
• Robot Helper or Flying Car
• Unlimited Snacks or Unlimited Free Time

6 Bonus Slides

Also included:

• How to Play
• Move to a Side game directions
• Turn & Talk discussion slide
• Class Vote slide
• 2 blank This or That templates for creating additional questions

EASY WAYS TO PLAY

This resource can be used in several different ways depending on your class.

Raise Your Hand
Students vote for their preferred choice from their seats.

Move to a Side
Assign one side of the classroom to each answer. Students physically move to show their choice.

Turn & Talk
Students choose an answer and explain their reasoning to a partner using a simple sentence frame such as:

“I choose ___ because ___.”

Class Vote
Count the class responses and see which choice wins.

Point Left or Right
Use the activity as an ultra-quick brain break without students leaving their seats.

PERFECT FOR

Use these slides throughout the school year for:

• Back to school
• First week of school
• Middle school icebreakers
• Getting-to-know-you activities
• Classroom community building
• Morning meeting
• Advisory
• Homeroom
• Brain breaks
• Partner discussions
• Speaking practice
• SEL warm-ups
• Attendance questions
• Early finisher activities
• Fun Friday
• End-of-class fillers
• New semester activities
• Substitute teacher activities

WHY TEACHERS WILL LOVE IT

No complicated setup.
Simply project a slide and let students choose.

Low-pressure participation.
Students can participate without having to share personal information or give long answers in front of the class.

Gets students talking naturally.
The questions make it easy to extend the activity into partner or small-group discussion.

Encourages movement.
Turn the slides into an instant classroom movement activity by having students move to different sides of the room.

Works beyond back to school.
These questions are designed to be useful all year long as brain breaks, community builders, advisory activities, or quick classroom games.

Middle school friendly.
The topics and visual style are playful without feeling too young for older students.

Highly visual and projector friendly.
Large text, simple illustrations, bright colors, and clean layouts make each question easy to see from across the classroom.

RESOURCE STYLE

The slides feature:

• Bright white backgrounds
• Large, bold text
• High-contrast colors
• Simple hand-drawn illustrations
• Clean, uncluttered layouts
• Middle-school-friendly visuals
• Easy-to-read two-choice format

Students can understand each question almost instantly, making the activity ideal for quick transitions and short classroom breaks.

GREAT FOR GRADES

Recommended for:

Grades 5–8

It can also work well with upper elementary or early high school students depending on your classroom.

MAKE CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS EASY

Not every classroom community activity needs a long worksheet or complicated game. Sometimes a simple question like “Beach or Mountains?” is enough to start a conversation.

Use these This or That slides whenever your class needs a quick way to move, talk, laugh, share opinions, and learn something new about one another.