Think/Pair/Share

A Collaboration Activity

This is not super complicated, but it can be used a LOT in all sorts of scenarios. 

Sharing Answers/Responses

This is a great way to share original material like topic sentences or to show a process for solving an equation. Maybe this is how you open class to go over homework as you walk around and monitor/help (see Rally Coach for more details here)

A Good Brain Break

If you sense that you've lost your students and you've been talking for a while, use this to break things up a bit. If you spend 30 minutes or more talking, that's probably too much for you (and too much for them). This strategy gives students a chance to re-engage and use their voices. Teach for a few minutes, and then Think/Pair/Share to review what you just covered.

I use this all the time to review/check for understanding to break up a lecture: 

• • Take 30 seconds and recap to your partner what we just discussed

  • Take 30 seconds to tell your partner the difference between ____ and ____ 

  • Last time person A started, this time person B will start.

When time is up on the switch partners:

• Ask Partner B to tell Partner A what Partner A might have missed 

• OR if Partner A got everything, Partner B summarize what Partner A said in your own words

THEN - ask for class contributions

• Now that you have discussed - who wants to share out?

• Or, just start calling on people: What did you and ____ come up with?

Make sure there is accountability

• How will you determine who is an A and who is a B?

  • Longest hair? Closest Birthday? Largest shoe? 

• How long does each partner have to talk before it's the next person's turn?

  • 30 seconds? 1 minute?

What does good listening LOOK like (you may need to model this) 

• • Eye contact

  • Not talking over your partner (interrupting)

  • Focus on what your partner is saying

Support: Sentence Stems/Sentence Frames

If your students struggle with this type of activity, provide some sentence stems/frames for your question. Make them simple fill-in-the-blank examples depending on their linguistic skills.

Also, model good listening in the sentence frame, give the responding partner a chance to recap what they heard: 

• I heard that you think _____, I [agree/disagree] because ___________