Mingle, Pair, Share

Students mingle around the room silently as music plays in the background. When the music stops, each student finds a partner closest to them (no running across the room to find your best friend) and puts their hand together with their partner’s in a high five. When all students have found a partner, the teacher poses a question and allows for "think time." For example, "Give three examples of an insect" or "Name five prime numbers." On the teacher’s go, one partner shares, and the other listens. Then, partners switch roles. After both partners have had a chance to speak (the teacher will have to monitor this based on the depth of the question), the music starts again, and students mingle. When the music stops, students find a new partner, and the teacher poses a new question. This should be repeated for each question.

Distance Learning Option(s):

• If meeting online as a class, students can find three partners in the chat and share their answers to the questions. Before moving on to the next partnership, the teacher should randomly call on a few students to share what their partner said.
• If students are working independently, have them post their ideas, for each of the three questions, onto a platform using an image of their written thinking or a video or audio recording. Then, they should listen to or read one other student's ideas for each question and respond to that answer.

SEL Skills: Working memory, organization, inhibitions and impulse control, flexibility, collaboration, communication, attention, self-regulation, perspective taking, cultural dexterity

Cultural Behaviors: Sociocentric, cooperative, dynamic attention span, musicality

_____

^{†(Adapted from: Hollie, Sharroky. Strategies for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning. Huntington Beach: Shell Educational Publishing, Inc., 2015. Print.)}