Instructional Resources

Round Robin

Beginner

Less than 5 minutes

Quick processing style with multiple variations to get every student to answer processing questions. 

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Social-Emotional 

10 Word Summary

Beginner

Less than 5 minutes

Quick summarizing activity to make sure students are walking away with a common understanding of what a more complex topic involves.

Can be used to: 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

Roundtable Consensus

Intermediate

5-10 minutes, 10-20 minutes

Students take turns generating written responses, and solving problems.

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Social-Emotional

Fan-N-Pick

Beginner

5-10 minutes, 10-20 minutes

Quick discussions that focus on what evidence proves an answer.

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Assess (Summative), 

• Social-Emotional

Convince Me That

Beginner

5-10 minutes, 10-20 minutes

Quick discussions that focus on what evidence proves an answer.

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Assess (Summative), 

• Social-Emotional

Centerpiece

Intermediate 

5-10 minutes

This activity is used to brainstorm multiple ideas for the same question. 

Can be used to: 

• Learn 

• Process

• Assess (Formatively)

• Social-Emotional 

The Fast and the Curious 

Beginner

5-10 minutes

Incredibly fun memorization activity that gets the whole class involved.

Can be used to: 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Social-Emotional

Connections

Beginner

5-10 minutes, 5-10 minutes

Encourage students to explore the concept you are teaching in pop culture!

Can be used to: 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Assess (Summative),

• Social-Emotional

Iron Chef

Beginner

10-20 minutes

This is a quick jigsaw strategy that mimics the Iron Chef show. 

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Social-Emotional

Hexagonal Thinking

Intermediate

20-30 minutes, 30+ minutes

Prompts students to make meaningful connections between concepts

Can be used to: 

• Learn, 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative), 

• Assess (Summative), 

• Social-Emotional 

Score This

Advanced

30+ Minutes

Students score other students' work and then analyze patterns. 

Can be used to: 

• Process, 

• Assess (Formative)

• Assess (Summative)

Ultimate Tic Tac Toe

Beginner 

<10 Minutes

Social-Emotional or Brainbreak that engages students to think critically by playing tic-tac-toe across 9 boards. 

Can be used to: 

• Social-Emotional