Goodtalk
Goodtalk

Questions for High School Students

High school means new classes, new people and a kind of pressure most students feel at some point. These cards are about the school day, the community and the future, without anyone having to compare grades or share something private in front of the class.

Good for: Homeroom, advisory periods, mentor groups, orientation programs and friends who want to talk about more than homework.

Play 70 cards

Tips for playing

  • In class or advisory, stick to the light and medium cards, and leave the deep ones for friends who choose them.
  • It's always okay to pass or hand the card on.
  • If something starts to feel like too much, talk to your school counselor, a teacher you trust or another adult you feel safe with.

Depth: lightLight questions

Easy to start with. Good for warming up.

  1. Which class surprised you most when you started, in a good or a bad way?
  2. What's the best thing that's happened in our class this year?
  3. What do you do when you need to switch off from school completely?
  4. What did you think when you walked into class on the first day?
  5. If you got to decide, what new subject would you invent?
  6. Which class period made the whole room laugh, and what happened?
  7. If our class were a band, what kind of music would we play?
  8. Which school tradition are you looking forward to most?
  9. Where's the best place at school to hang out between classes?
  10. Which corner of the school would you make cozier if you were allowed?
  11. If you could pick any field trip, where would you go?
  12. What have you learned this year that you've passed on to someone else?
  13. What topic could you give a presentation on without any prep?
  14. What's your best trick for remembering something for a test?
  15. If you were the teacher for a day, what would you do differently?
  16. What's the nerdiest thing you're into?
  17. Which song would work as our class song?
  18. What do you like to do on the weekend when it's totally up to you?
  19. Which movie or show have you seen lately that everyone else should watch?
  20. What would you do with a whole school day and no schedule?
  21. What's the best thing about the school or program you're in?
  22. What do you miss about middle school, and what are you glad to be done with?
  23. Which school dance, game or event has been the best so far?
  24. What can you do that most people in our class probably don't know about?
  25. If you got to choose, what should a school-wide theme week be about?
  26. Which app or habit helps you most with keeping track of school?
  27. What's the best advice you've gotten from an older student?
  28. What new class rule would make the school day better?
  29. What's the first thing you do when the school day is over?
  30. Where would you most like to go on a class trip, and why?
  31. What made you happy this week, big or small?
  32. Which class would you like more time in, and why?
  33. What do you think adults don't get about being in high school today?
  34. If you could start a club at school, what would it be?
  35. Which place in the world would you like to learn more about in school?

Depth: mediumA bit more personal

For when the conversation is flowing.

  1. When do you learn the most: when it's fun, when it's hard, or when someone believes in you?
  2. What would you say to a new student who's afraid of not making friends?
  3. When is good enough actually good enough for you?
  4. What do you know about yourself now that you didn't know when you started?
  5. What makes a class a place where you can be yourself?
  6. What helps you when a lot of assignments are due at once?
  7. How do you fit in school, free time and sleep during a busy week?
  8. What can a teacher do that makes you feel seen?
  9. What does it take for a group project to work well for everyone in the group?
  10. What could we do in our class so nobody feels left out?
  11. When did you last learn something because you were curious, and not because it was homework?
  12. What have you changed your mind about since starting high school?
  13. How do you say no when you have too much on your plate?
  14. What kind of feedback helps you move forward the most?
  15. What have you learned from something that didn't go the way you expected?
  16. How do you feel about having to choose what to do after high school?
  17. Who outside of school has taught you something important?
  18. What made you feel at home in your class, or what could have helped?
  19. What do you do when your thoughts keep spinning at night and you just want to sleep?
  20. What quality in a friend matters most to you?
  21. What would you like to do in your first year after high school?
  22. What's the difference between learning something and getting a good grade for it?
  23. When did you last do something even though you were nervous?
  24. What can we do so nobody in our class feels like they have to be perfect?
  25. What do you practice in your free time that school never sees?
  26. What do you think is worth spending your teenage years on?
  27. How can you tell when you need a break?
  28. What would make the school day better for you without costing anything?

Depth: deepDeep questions

Take your time. These are the ones people remember.

  1. If you picked what to study next based on what makes you happy, not your grades, what would you choose?
  2. Which values would you like to be known for as you get older?
  3. What do you want to have done in ten years that can't be measured in money or grades?
  4. What would you do differently if you didn't care what other people think?
  5. What matters more to you: having lots of options or knowing what you want?
  6. If you could change one thing in the world, what cause would you fight for?
  7. When you look back many years from now, what do you hope high school taught you?

70 cards in this deck.