Two Truths and a Lie Template

I created this Two Truths and a Lie Template after falling in love with using the Two Truths and a Lie strategy to get students practicing applying math concepts in my class.  Once you have a stack of printed two truths and a lie templates, this becomes an easy, no-prep activity that you can pull off at a moment’s notice.

How does Two Truths and a Lie work?

Two truths and a lie is a classic ice breaker. State three statements about yourself. 2 must be true. 1 must be a lie. Your audience must figure out which statement is false. 

For example, I might share the following three statements:

1. I once fed almonds to a kangaroo.
2. I have never eaten steak.
3. I go to the circus every single year.

Two of those statements are true. One is a lie. So, which one is it?

Any guesses?

If you guessed that number three was the lie, you were correct.

Using Two Truths and a Lie for Practicing Concepts in the Classroom

To make two truths and a lie into a classroom learning activity instead of a fun icebreaker, I have my students write three statements about our current topic of study. Two of them need to be true. One of them needs to be false. I have used this in both math and science classes. I think it could be used in almost any subject, though. 

In the past, I’ve just had students write their statements on dry erase boards and share them with the class. This year, I decided to have students create a page for their interactive notebooks.

Here’s the two truths and a lie template I came up with for my students to glue in their interactive notebooks. You can totally use this activity without notebooks as well.

I intentionally my template generic so I can reuse it throughout the year for various topics.

I used it for the first time when my Algebra 1 students were reviewing the definitions of absolute value, opposite, reciprocal, and opposite reciprocal. I instructed my students to fill the boxes for A, B, and C with two truths and a lie. I told them to leave the bottom of the page blank for now.

After students wrote their two truths and a lie, I invited students to place their paper under our document camera for the class to see. The class then had to figure out which statement was the lie. Some students really liked getting to show their statements off to the class. Others refused. I just let those who wanted to do it volunteer.

It turns out it’s really hard to take pictures of using a document camera!

We had to turn the lights out in the room for students to be able to see the pencil markings come up on the document camera.

Once everyone who wanted a turn had a chance to share their statements with the class, I had my students complete the bottom of the paper. They had to specify which statement was a lie and WHY the statement was a lie.