Below you will find Language Arts activities that can be used to promote student collaboration between both students of the same grade level and/or different grade levels within elementary school.
- Games: There are many different language arts games that can promote students collaboration among grade levels. Some include hot wad, word wheel, sentence hunt, time wrap, etc. www.weareteachers.com/5-active-learning-games-that-teach-language-arts-skills/
- Flipgrid: A tech tool that allows students to express themselves and amplify their voices. Teachers create grids with topics of discussion and students respond with recorded videos to talk about, reflect, and share (Mulvahill, 2016). This is perfect for students of all grade levels because it doesn't require them to write or read anything. The teacher can simply share the topic(s) and students can record themselves sharing their reply. This could be done is groups consisting of a grade one students to a grade six students. It would promote community as they all learn to respect one another's opinion! info.flipgrid.com/
- Save the Last Word: For this activity, the teacher puts different art work, writing, poetry, etc. around the classroom. Students circulate and find work that "speaks to them". Once they have found their piece, they write about it or to modify the activity, students can draw how it makes them feel. Then students get together in small groups. They present their piece and discuss it with their group mates. What do you think it means? Why is it important? After working together to understand the piece, the person who chose the piece will have the last word by explaining why they chose it. This activity promotes students working together to find understanding as well as respect for the opinion of one another.
- Edmodo: This is a kid-safe platform where kids can share content, have a dialogue, and even get parents involved. Teachers can send messages, share material, and make learning accessible anywhere. This platform allows students to raise their confidence, find their voice, and experience what it means to be a digital citizen. It also strengthens the collaboration between parents, teachers, and students. Parents can get updates, stay in contact with teachers, and support learning at home. It is perfect for creating a collaborative learning environment. new.edmodo.com/?go2url=%2Fhome
- Zoom: A story-telling activity that can easily be modified to suit the needs of a variety of students. It gets kids'creative juices flowing and allows them to not only tap into their own imaginations but create an original story together. Here's how it works.Form students into a circle and give each a unique picture of a person, place, or thing ( or whatever goes along with your curriculum). The first student begins a story that incorporates whatever happens to be on their assigned photo. The next student continue the story, incorporating their photo, and so on. Younger students may need some more coaching around appropriate language, topics, and so on (Mulvahill, 2016). However, this can be easily modified for all elementary grade levels. It encourages students to work together to problem solve and create a story that is comprehensive.
- Fishbowl: A teaching strategy that lets students practice being both speaker and listener in a discussion. The students would form two circles, an inside circle and an outside circle. The students on the inside circle would begin the conversation by responding to the teacher-provided prompt. These students will ask questions, express opinions, and share information, while the students on the outside will listen carefully to the ideas of the inside person. Then roles reverse. This activity models what a good discussion looks like and guarantees that no one is left out. (Mulvahill, 2016).
- Project-Based Activities: Students can work collaboratively in groups to complete step-by-step projects of any type. This requires students to synergize in order to come up with the best solutions. An example of this could be creating an advertisement. Students could have the choice to complete a poster or create a video to advertise their product. They would have to work with their peers to brainstorm, plan, create, edit, and present.
Resources Used:
- Bittman, E. (2017, August 8). 5 Active Learning Games That Teach Language Arts Skills. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/5-active-learning-games-that-teach-language-arts-skills/
- Mulvahill, E. (2019, May 1). 8 Fun Ways to Help Your Students Collaborate in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/8-fun-ways-to-help-your-students-collaborate-in-the-classroom/