Snowball Fight
K-12
Big Idea
Using video in class is a great way to engage students and bring learning to life, but can sometimes be a passive learning experience. In order to get the most out of watching a video, it is important to engage students with a strategy that encourages them to think, reflect, and share what they have learned. This strategy provides a kinaesthetic opportunity to put an instructional spin on a 'paper snowball fight' as students share what they learn with each other.
Directions
Materials:
video segment, paper, pen/pencil
- Explain to students that as they watch the video they will need to think about an interesting fact that illustrates understanding of the concept.
- After the video has ended each student writes one fact they believe helps understand the concept.
- Ask students to crumple the piece of paper into a ball and on the count of three, everyone throws his or her paper snowball in the air.
- Have each student find a snowball, open it up, and read the supporting fact.
- Students should add another statement with additional evidence supporting its importance... or argue with or object to the fact, by adding additional supporting evidence.
- Repeat the snowball several times while allowing students opportunity to report significant learning from the segment.
- Have students share what is on their snowball with the whole group.
When to Use
This fun and motivating activity provides a great way for students to remember key topics and concepts from material they've learned. Wrap up the activity by asking students to share what is written on their snowballs in small groups.
A 1-Minute Teaching Tip: The Snowball Fight
Strategy Variations
- Have students take photos of the snowball statements and use them to reflect on what they've learned in a blog post.
- Have students write questions about the content and have other students reply with answers.