the ASK: I wondered how else I could get students in pairs without numbering them off. (I also wondered how to get my sleepy 7:45 am students up and moving a bit more.)
the TRY: I created a “deck” of famous pairs and then randomly distributed them among the class and students then walked around to find the other half of their pair and discover their learning partner for the day.
the LEARN: It takes a few extra minutes to have them walk around and figure out who their other half is, but at least they had to start getting their brains warmed up. Now I’m thinking about other decks…the metaphor & it’s meaning deck, the vocabulary word and its synonym or antonym deck, etc…
I like this idea a lot, Sarah! I love to get the kids out of their comfort zones a bit and working with people they wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards. This idea helps to give this a fun beginning.
Thank you!
It would also be fun to have students choose court cards from a deck of cards to pair perspectives with partners or small group for the lesson or project.
Diamonds: Diamonds are like the stars in the sky; untouchable, mysterious and occulted by those ideas that cannot be touched or even confirmed. Where does spirituality and metaphysical ideas come into the work? Diamonds are chosen by those who are interested in the loftiest, most other-wordly ideas presented in a work.
Spades: We use the spade to dig in the dirt; the spade symbolizes the earthly elements of a story or idea. The money, the property, the status. Students who want to get at “The Great Gatsby” from the perspective of money and status would choose the spade and be paired with other people with an interest in the same perspective.
Clubs: These are the weapons of the deck. The interplay of power, tension and those wars seen and simmering below the surface. Choose the clubs to follow the thread of action and intrigue that runs through the work.
Hearts: Hearts represent the emotion of the thing. These are for the students who are interested in the agony Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale endure in their briefly requited love affair.
I love this idea! So many possibilities…