
The lesson objective for the day was about the differences between narrative and essay writing, After a mini-lesson in which we generated a T-chart and analyzed samples, a quick formative assessment told us which students grasped the concept thoroughly and could engage in enrichment.
Students in the enrichment group were given a bag of Duplos (large Legos) and a water-based marker. A laminated direction sheet was included in the bag so that the activity could be self- directed. (The analogy prompt on the direction sheet can be changed to fit the lesson content.)
The directions provided students with the first part of the analogy:
narrative is to essay
and they had to complete the analogy on the duplos as they built a tower. I was impressed with their creativity and grasp of the concept! Students were engaged with higher level thinking skills and enjoying themselves.
Perhaps the best part is that this bag can be kept in the classroom and pulled out at any time we feel that some students need a challenge. All the teacher will need to do is provide the first part of the analogy. Examples might include sun:food web; vertex:angle; democracy:communism; adjective:nou