Broken Circles - Planning For Solar Daytime 1!

Yesterday, I mentioned that I had lately read Elizabeth Cohen's Designing Group Work: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom (affiliate link to 2nd Edition / 3rd Edition).

 

I absolutely loved this book, in addition to I remember it's 1 of the most practical, applicable didactics books I've ever read.  I know this is going to hold out a majority I reference over in addition to over in addition to over every bit I attempt to engage my students inward productive grouping operate this year.  

Here was the weblog comment that led me to purchase the book:

Having at nowadays read the book, I completely concur!  

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few years ago, I made these classroom/group operate norms posters to hang upward inward my classroom.  

I estimate I idea that hanging posters upward on the wall would magically convince my students that this was how they should operate together.  They would indicate to 1 of the posters every 1 time inward a spell in addition to brand a comment, but other than that they didn't actually exercise much to modify the civilisation of my classroom.  

Now that I've read Cohen's Designing Groupwork, I realize that norms are something that must hold out taught in addition to skillful in addition to reinforced in addition to reinforced in addition to reinforced if yous desire your classroom to hold out characterized past times them.  Thankfully, the majority provides concrete activities yous tin exercise amongst your students to illustrate the importance of these norms.  

This year, nosotros volition hold out starting schoolhouse on a Mon instead of our normal Thursday.  In the past, we've ever started on a Th which meant nosotros could exercise fun, getting-to-know-you activities the outset 2 days of school.  Then, we'd conduct maintain a weekend to recuperate in addition to hold out able to hitting the solid set down running on Monday.  Because our students' schedules modify in addition to then much inward the outset couplet of days of school, I don't desire to boundary directly into content.  So, my electrical flow computer program is to pass the outset calendar week of schoolhouse teaching my students how to operate inward a group.  We'll operate through a serial of activities suggested past times Cohen to build/reinforce norms.  Cohen claims that fourth dimension spent reinforcing norms is fourth dimension well-spent because it allows futurity groupwork to cash inward one's chips on much to a greater extent than efficiently.  

The outset activeness that actually caught my oculus inward Designing Groupwork was Broken Circles.  

Cohen notes that Broken Circles was developed past times Nancy in addition to Ted Graves.  And, this activeness is based on an activeness known every bit Broken Squares that was invented past times Dr. Alex Bavelas.  

Students are placed inward groups of 3-6.  Each pupil is given an envelope that contains 2-3 puzzle pieces.  The objective of the activeness is for students to seat their pieces together inward such a means that each pupil has a consummate circle.  

There are some real specific rules that must hold out followed, though.  

1.  No talking.  I remember this volition hold out the hardest dominion for my students to follow. 

2.  No indicate or manus signals may hold out used at whatsoever time.  This volition likewise hold out real tricky for my students.  As presently every bit they realize they can't talk, this volition hold out the side past times side matter they desire to do. 

3.  Each thespian must seat together his or her ain circle.  No 1 may exhibit some other thespian how to seat together his or her circle or exercise it for him or her.  

4.  Students may non conduct maintain pieces from some other student.  However, they may give 1 or to a greater extent than of their pieces to some other student.  They may non seat the slice inward some other person's puzzle.  Instead, they must manus it to the other mortal or lay it downwards on their desk.  

Here's a line of piece of job menu I typed upward to laminate in addition to give to each group: 

  So, what exercise the pieces facial expression like?  

The majority came amongst an icon of how to brand the puzzle past times cutting upward pieces of menu board.  I straight off turned to google amongst the hopes that someone had made the puzzle into a pdf I could only impress out.  I idea I had lucked out when I flora this Word Document on Stanford's website. I printed out the pieces to play to a greater extent than or less amongst them, but the angles were non accurately drawn.  Three pieces that were supposed to stand upward for together in addition to brand a perfect circle only didn't.  [NOTE: This file does conduct maintain the total text description of the activeness every bit flora inward Cohen's majority inward illustration yous desire to read close the activeness inward to a greater extent than authoritative detail!]

Here's what the Stanford template looked like.  If yous facial expression closely at the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 wedges inward the outset 3 triangles, you'll run into the number I ran into.  

Shaun suggested that I could easily brand perfect circles using the marker measures from the template inward GeoGebra.  (Of course, he had to walk me through making them step-by-step.  GeoGebra in addition to I are solely casual acquaintances.)  This likewise helped solve some other problem.  The inward a higher house circles are designed for groups of vi students.  I wanted to hold out able to exercise this amongst my groups of iv in addition to peradventure a grouping of 5 or vi if necessary.  Making my ain templates would brand this much easier.  

The Stanford file had larger versions of the circles that printed 1 to a page.  I cutting out a version of these, but I decided that this seemed similar a waste product of newspaper to me.  For my version below, each group's circles volition impress on a unmarried page.  This makes me experience a lot to a greater extent than similar laminating them in addition to cutting them out!  

Here are the circle templates for a grouping of vi students.  All the pieces amongst the same alphabetic lineament acquire inward a unmarried envelope.  

To brand the activeness operate for a grouping of 5, the in conclusion circle is deleted.  And, the remaining F slice is redistributed to brand upward for the slice that was taken from the D envelope.  

I repeated the procedure for grouping sizes of iv in addition to 3.  

So, I withal haven't shared the purpose close this activeness that makes me the most excited to exercise it inward my classroom on the outset solar daytime of school: It's non every bit slowly every bit it looks!  

Of course, the no talking, no pointing, no touching other people's pieces rules volition acquire far tricky.  What makes it super-tricky is that the mortal amongst the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 envelope is going to gear upward the tone of the game in addition to they don't fifty-fifty know it.  

Take a 2nd to facial expression at the 3 Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 pieces above.  Notice anything?  If I did my GeoGebra-ing correctly, each of the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 wedges should mensurate 120 degrees.  What happens when yous conduct maintain 3 120 marker pieces?  Yup.  They brand a circle.  

Now, conduct maintain a facial expression at the pieces for the other letters.  They volition most definitely non brand a circle when seat together.  What I'm expecting to tumble out is this: the mortal amongst the "A" envelope volition acquire real excited in addition to seat their circle together.  The remainder of the students volition scrap in addition to scrap in addition to struggle.  The grouping volition non hold out able to brand whatsoever headway until the mortal amongst the circle made of A's decides to pay attending to what the other grouping members need.  Even though all of A's pieces volition brand a circle, this circle is non purpose of the in conclusion solution. 

To succeed inward this activity, students must pay attending to what their grouping members need.  This is non something my students are accustomed to, in addition to I'm hoping it volition hold out a powerful lesson for them.  

Here are the 2 norms that this activeness is meant to reinforce: 

1.  Pay attending to what other grouping member's need. 

2.  No 1 is done until everyone is done. 

After groups finish, I computer program to give them this reflection sheet.  Each mortal inward the grouping volition hold out responsible for filling out a dissimilar box on the sheet.  

Then, we'll wrap-up the activeness amongst a cast give-and-take close what nosotros learned close beingness effective grouping members.  

I'm super-excited to attempt this activeness on the outset day.  I'm non certain just how long it volition take, but I remember the activity + reflection time + discussion + other outset solar daytime of schoolhouse importantness similar taking whorl in addition to telling students what supplies they demand should create total the 50-minute cast period.  

Of course, I'll brand certain to conduct maintain a back-up activeness inward illustration nosotros wing through this waaaaaaaaaaaaay faster than I facial expression us to.  

Are yous every bit excited close this activeness every bit I am???  

I've uploaded the files I created here.  You'll demand to download these gratis fonts if yous computer program to edit the Publisher files; HVD Comic Serif Pro in addition to Open Sans.  If yous download the PDF files, the fonts volition hold out embedded, but the files volition non hold out able to hold out edited.  

If squares are to a greater extent than your thing, here's a link to a Broken Squares activity I found.  

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