Last time I wrote about using four corners for vocabulary use reinforcement. Did you get a chance to check it out?
Today, I’m going to write about another type of vocabulary game that I love to use with students, hexagonal thinking!
You begin with a stack of hexagon-shaped pieces of paper. I used ones for module one that I made. You can find those here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4th-Grade-Wit-and-Wisdom-Module-1-Hexagonal-ThinkingVocabulary-Tier-2-Vocab-11915477?st=8aac457e6d5d9984fea545faf7838222
You can also create these by hand but it will take a little more prep.
Next, I explained the directions. Students are to place all cards face up. Next, they work together to decide where to place each hexagon on a piece of paper. Which hexagons should be connected together? Why? Which one should be in the center? Which ones would you group together? Which should be separated? I gave them a few guiding questions like this, and then I set them loose to play.
I also gave my students sentence frames to help guide the discussion.
As it’s early in the year, I wasn’t sure that we were ready for hexagonal thinking. I was convinced that students would just give me blank stares.
I couldn’t have been more wrong! They jumped right into the activity and did just what I had asked them to do. They played around with different ideas; they grouped similar things, then opposite things, etc. They didn’t ask me for the “right” answer and instead collaborated.
The students came up with great ideas.
I gave them blank hexagons (pink). I was impressed with what they came up with!
At the end of class, I asked each group to choose and share one grouping choice they made and to explain their thinking. I used this sentence frame:
We grouped ____________, ____________, and ____________ together because ____________. Additionally our thinking was that ____________.
I utilized this in my small group and hope to use this next week when we begin coteaching.
A great reminder from doing this activity is that physical manipulatives can be so helpful in getting students to collaborate and think abstractly. The act of moving the hexagons across the desk activated their brains in a new way and made learning fun. This was a great game to add onto Wit and Wisdom’s already robust module 1, a Great Heart! Get the game here
I hope you enjoy!
Ell Teacher Bliss 