The snow is a comin'! Why not have a snowball fight?
Nov. 15, 2011
That's right, why not have a snowball fight in your classroom. I have them all the time! I have found that the DI strategy "snowballing" is a great way for kids to brainstorm in a safe way. With this strategy, my students write down one idea at a time, related to our topic, crumple up the paper and together we toss the paper balls to others in the room. The students then add another point to the page and repeat. I find this strategy is great for doing group/class brainstorming as it forces everyone to write a point down and yet provides the safety net of participating without the stress of being wrong. After we have tossed the paper around for a bit, I then ask the students to either write what is on their paper on the board or I ask them to read their points to me and I write them out for them. Either way, we end up with a great list and discussion along the way. What you do with the brainstormed list at this point, depends on your lesson.
Obviously, rules need to be established prior to the learning, and all paper needs to end up in the recycling bin at the end of the session. (I actually find my room cleaner than before we started). A quote from my grade 9 applied student: " Are we going to snowball today? I love snowballing! ". If tossing paper around a classroom is what it takes to get a student engaged in creating a note with me or for inspiring discussion, then I am all for it! This is a super easy strategy to try! As a tip, I sometimes get involved too in order to spur on deeper thinking of the topic....and it's fun to throw paper balls around. :)