This is a great and challenging activity for upper elementary students and even middle school students as well. I give each student a blank grid as pictured above. I also give each student (group of 2) a completed grid, each having a different version. I put a barrier between them like a board game box. They are then given the task of giving each other specific and clear instructions so that their partner's picture will match their completed picture in the end. This activity can be an auditory skill/listening activity by simply adding the acoustic hoop. This is a great activity for working on left/right/center and top/middle/bottom. The details of the finished grids requires very specific language, using words like outline, wavy, diagonal/horizontal/vertical, as well as size and location words. Preposition choice is also very important.
Because this activity can be quite challenging, it is also a great opportunity to work on both communication breakdown and communication repair. I like to model and prompt students to ask follow-up and clarifying questions. At the conclusion of the activity, I have the students compare their papers to the goal papers. We talk about the mistakes and why they might have occurred. Perhaps they misunderstood the direction. Perhaps the direction didn't have all the information they needed.
For students with fine motor challenges or perfectionistic tendencies, I provide heart-shaped tracers made from oaktag or something durable.
No comments:
Post a Comment