Catch and Release

Purpose

Students toss a paper ball around their small group to analyze an assessment question through the lenses of process – content – process.

Materials

• Assessment question (provided or projected)
• Green and blue paper balls
• Music

Instructions

1. Organize students into groups of 4-5 and present the class with an assessment question that has visual stimuli.
2. Provide each group with 1 blue (process) paper ball and 1 green (content) paper ball.
3. Round 1: Students pass the blue paper ball around the circle like a “hot potato” as music plays. When the music stops:
   • Catch: Student holding the blue paper ball explains what the question is about (process) then releases (tosses) the ball to another student.
   • Release: New student explains one way to start (process) answering the question. Group agrees or adds new ideas.
4. Round 2: Students throw and catch the green paper ball across the circle. When the music stops:
   • Catch: Student holding the green paper ball describes 2-3 important words in the question and why they are important (content) then releases the ball to another student.
   • Release: New student explains the importance of the visual stimulus (content). (If this visual could talk, it would tell me _____.”)
5. Round 3: Students pass the blue paper ball around the circle and throw and catch the green paper ball across the circle at the same time. When the music stops:
   • Catch: Students holding the green paper ball and the blue paper ball collaborate to find the correct answer and justify why it’s the best. Group either agrees or respectfully challenges.
   • Release: Release paper balls to two new students who collaborate to find the distractor (tricky incorrect answer) and explain the mistake represented in this response. Group agrees or respectfully challenges.

Classroom Management

• Model appropriate and inappropriate ball tossing to clarify behavior expectations.
• Rehearse the strategy with a simple, fun question before using it with academic content.
• Remind students there will be no harm or humiliation for incorrect answers because correcting mistakes is a sign of intelligence!

Differentiation

• Promote access by allowing students to preview the question or use notes/journals.
• Promote access by providing the correct answer for students to justify.
• Provide response support by allowing the ball holder to “phone a friend” to collaborate on a response.

Think It Up!

• Have students think more deeply about the concept by responding to a Think It Up prompt as an exit ticket or journal entry:
  • Predict how this concept might be assessed in another way.
  • How does this question connect to another question or concept?
• Encourage students to use lead4ward’s Thinking Stems (English/Spanish) to frame their responses, if needed.