Working Together

Collaboration is always done in my class. Not only is it great for students to verbally share and express themselves it also helps to strengthen their listening skills. Listening to each other is where the best learning can come from. 

In class, we have been working on our theme tree thinking maps, which help organize their thoughts. Today was the day that we shared some of our findings. As the students were sharing their stories they began to realize that many of their stories shared the same theme. This type of sharing always allows students to notice patterns and hear new ideas. 

The collaboration component comes in when we take our conversations to a new level. The students created double-bubble thinking maps with their partners. Sharing possible themes that both their books might share. As they were sharing I walked around and heard groups sharing examples from their books that support their thinking. Both students in their pair had to be accountable for what they brought to the discussion.