Graffiti Placemat
This is a great way to access prior knowledge or to check for understanding during or at the end of a lesson. Graffiti placemats help to facilitate brainstorming. Students work individually as well as in groups and must come to a consensus on common ideas.
Directions for students:
~Differentiated Instructional Strategies for the Block Schedule, Gayle H. Gregory, Lynne E. Herndon
This is a great way to access prior knowledge or to check for understanding during or at the end of a lesson. Graffiti placemats help to facilitate brainstorming. Students work individually as well as in groups and must come to a consensus on common ideas.
Directions for students:
- Give the students a question, statement, or issue to which they will respond.
- Each student takes a different-colored marker and writes for a short time (maybe 90 seconds)
- The graffiti may be used in a number of ways. Here are two examples:
- The teacher may call time and ask students to categorize or review the responses, looking for common ideas or themes.
- Students can share their thoughts and write a summary statement in the center box.
- Each group reads, discusses, and summarizes, and presents its ideas. Here are some examples:
- A math problem could be put on the overhead at the beginning of class, and each student would solve the problem in their group.
- Students might brainstorm everything they know about a particular topic (ex. Canada, ecosystems, Iraq). The group could come up with a “big” question related to the topic in the center box. These questions could become part of the essential/personal questions in the unit.
~Differentiated Instructional Strategies for the Block Schedule, Gayle H. Gregory, Lynne E. Herndon