These strategies engage students in cooperative learning with their peers and differentiate for their personal educational needs.
Strategy One: Choose and Chat
In choose and chat, students engage with their peers to defend their answer choices and they enjoy the movement associated with it.
To play choose and chat:
To play choose and chat:
- Ask students a question or give students a short prompt.
- Students will select their answers in the form of ABCD, thumbs up/down/to the side, etc.
- As the teacher plays music, the students will walk around with their response prepared.
- When the music stops, the students will create groups of 2-4 and discuss and defend their answers.
- The teacher will listen and monitor for misunderstandings.
Strategy Two: I think, I know
The strategy of "I think, I know" keeps students moving and helps them develop their vocabulary understanding. This game can be especially helpful for special education and LEP students.
To play "I think, I know":
To play "I think, I know":
- On an inflatable ball divided into sections, write key vocabulary words students need for a unit of study.
- Explain to students that as they catch the ball, the word that they are going to give a definition or examples for is the one their right thumb lands on.
- Students must answer by starting off with either “I think”, if they are less sure of the meaning, or “I know”, if they are certain of the meaning. Emphasize that stating “I don’t know” is not an option.
- Play the game multiple times throughout the unit of study. As students become more comfortable with the vocabulary, you should notice more usage of “I know” and students giving examples and longer, more accurate explanations.
Write one word per section using a sharpie.
Strategy Three: Think and Throw
Think and throw keeps students engaged through the movement and collaboration this activity encourages.
To play think and throw:
To play think and throw:
- Give students 1-2 minutes to respond, anonymously, to a writing prompt regarding the current topic on a piece of blank paper.
- Have students crumple up their response into a paper ball, and give students a little bit of time to have a “paper ball war” in the classroom to get students active and moving.
- At the end of the game, each student must have a paper ball they can open, read, and evaluate for ideas and accuracy.
- For further engagement, allow students to pair up with a partner and they can work together to evaluate each other’s papers.
Strategy Four: Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-Tac-Toe is a game many students may be familiar with. In this version of Tic-Tac-Toe, students are more engaged because they are getting the opportunity to select which instructional activities they will participate in. This motivates students to complete their chosen activities and differentiates for their preferences and learning styles.
To play Tic-Tac-Toe:
To play Tic-Tac-Toe:
- Create a learning menu of nine choices. The choices should vary in learning style, but all choices should require the same level of thinking. This way, learning activities will be more about individual preference and not difficulty of the activity.
- Give the Tic-Tac-Toe game to students and explain that they are to select at least three of the nine choices. To make it more like the game of Tic- Tac-Toe, you can have students select their choices to make three-in-a-row on their menu board.
Additional Resources
The following link has several examples of Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards:
www.alexiscullerton.com/uploads/2/4/7/2/24729748/choice_boards_packet.pdf
The following link has more information about different kinds of choice boards, including Tic-Tac-Toe:
www.smore.com/z12ay-tic-tac-toe-choice-boards-menus
The following link has several examples of Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards:
www.alexiscullerton.com/uploads/2/4/7/2/24729748/choice_boards_packet.pdf
The following link has more information about different kinds of choice boards, including Tic-Tac-Toe:
www.smore.com/z12ay-tic-tac-toe-choice-boards-menus