Tour of Knowledge

Purpose

Students analyze concepts, assessment questions, stimuli/visuals, or text passages aligned to important concepts through a group rotation activity.

Materials

• Tour of Knowledge stations (7-8 different posters)
• Markers (same color for each group member)

Instructions

1. Organize students into groups of 3-4.
2. Assign each group a specific color and give each group member a marker in their assigned color (to help groups keep track of which station they’ve already visited).
3. Put 7-8 posters around the room representing various concepts, assessment questions, stimuli/visuals, or text passages.
4. Give groups 3-4 minutes at each station to discuss the prompt and record what they know. Each student should add at least one idea, word, fact/detail, visual, connection, etc.
5. At the signal, groups rotate to the next Tour of Knowledge poster, analyzing the information presented and adding new ideas.
   • Have students add a check mark beside the information they agree with.
   • Have students write a question mark beside any ideas they think may be incorrect.
   • Have students add new ideas, sketches, facts, words, or connections.
6. Observe students’ thinking and clarify/verify as appropriate.

Classroom Management

• Role-play or model how to advance to the next poster in an organized way using a musical signal.
• Ensure that every student writes at least one idea or comment on each poster by asking them to write their initials by their idea.

Differentiation

• Promote access by providing a word/idea bank, allowing the use of notes, or providing a summary of each concept.
• Promote access by allowing a supportive peer to read any associated text.
• Provide response support by allowing students to dictate responses to a scribe.

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 one test question might have many different stimuli.
  • Evaluate which stimuli or prompt was the most difficult and work with a peer to learn it better.
• Encourage students to use lead4ward’s Thinking Stems (English/Spanish) to frame their responses, if needed.