Showdown is a structure to use with students in teams to help ensure equal participation in discussions. Students are given a question to discuss and each time a student shares it costs them a chip. Students continue to share until all chips have been placed in the middle of the team.

This strategy is especially helpful with shy students, lower achievers, and ELL students since it helps increase their communication skills and self-confidence.

- Student discussion questions

- Chips of some sort (all the same color OR a different color for each student) (cut-up squares of colored construction paper works well, too!)

And a slightly different approach...