Creating connection through a circular puzzle
Secondary teachers should try this--great for all
For those teaching in the United States, this is a short week. Most schools are not in session on Thursday and Friday, and many are off on Wednesday.
I have a question for you…especially for secondary teachers. Do the students in all of your classes know the names of every other student in the class? I find that often, secondary students don’t know the names of their classmates except those that they sit next to or that are their friends. Why is that? Why does it matter?
Building communities of connection is one of the most essential building blocks of learning. It lowers the affective filter when students in the class know each other. No matter the subject, it’s worth it to pause and take time to have your students learn their classmates’ names and something about them. You can even give prizes to students who can name everyone in the class. Here’s a short activity to start that process.
Classroom Gratitude Puzzle Circle
Steps:
1. Create a physical circle:
Arrange chairs in a circle or use tape to create a circle on the floor.
Place paper and pens/markers in the center.
Cut out a large circle of butcher paper. Then, cut it into smaller pieces so that there is one piece of paper for each student in the circle.
2. Introduction:
Share the purpose of the activity – to express gratitude, create connections between students in the class, and help everyone feel more comfortable.
3. Instructions:
Hand each student a piece of the puzzle. Ask them to write down something they are grateful for and the name they like to be called. It could be a person, a situation, a characteristic, or an item.
Encourage them to be specific and personal in their expressions of gratitude. Provide a few examples, such as:
I am grateful for my mom because she listens to me.
I’m grateful for tamales because they remind me of my abuela.
4. Writing down personal gratitudes:
Once everyone has written down their gratitude and name on the paper, ask the students to stand in the circle.
Explain that they will take turns sharing what they wrote on their puzzle piece.
5. Sharing the Gratitude:
The first person shares their gratitude and then puts their puzzle piece in the center of the circle on a large table or floor.
The second person thanks the person before them by name and then shares their gratitude. They place their puzzle piece in the center of the circle.
Continue until every student
has shared their gratitude.
Ask students to connect the pieces of the puzzle into one circle.
Hang up the circle in the classroom.
Have you tried an activity like this? Do all of the students know their classmates’ names in your classes? How do you create community?
