Bumper Stumpers

In the '80s there was a game show called "Bumper Stumpers" that my sister and I loved to watch. It was the inspiration for this lesson, which ends with a round of the game. Drawing inspiration from Mike Wilkin's 1987 "Preamble" I taught this lesson my very first year of teaching and have it on heavy rotation almost every year. It's one of those, when you DON'T teach it, the kids complain because their older brother or sister got to do it. It's been successful grades 5-12 so far. The identity component and excitement about driving make it a very strong 7th and 8th grade lesson, but I could see where it might have been a good "sub lesson" or sketchbook prompt at the high school level.

One of my favorite things about this lesson is the easy way it lends itself to the social studies curriculum. Students who are nearing driving age love to imagine the vanity plate they might get. We talk a little about the registration process and how it has to be unique. In years when there is more time, I like to ask them to incorporate a theme (like the wildlife foundation) as their background.