Butterfield News
November 30, 2015 Issue 14 Volume 4
The Week in a Glance
Tuesday December 1st:
4th Grade Math Benchmark Testing
Wednesday December 2nd:
4th Grade Reading Benchmark Testing
Thursday December 3rd:
Principal Meeting @ 9:30
Friday December 4th:
UIL Academic Contest
Purple & Gold Day
PLEDGE CLASS
Cubing Provides Perspective by Barbara Blackburn
Cubing allows students to look at a topic or issue from six perspectives. At a basic level, the sides of the cube are labeled who, what, when, where, why, and how. Students would then write about or answer the questions for each side of the block. When I was teaching, I used more sophisticated prompts for writing. They required my students to move beyond a basic answer to more complex responses.
Cubing Prompts
Describe It (the topic or issue)
dCompare It
Associate It
Analyze It
Apply It
Argue For or Against It
One of the benefits of cubing is that you can use a variety of prompts, depending on your specific grade level and/or subject area. A caution, however; be sure your prompts are appropriate for the topic and encourage higher level thinking, rather than just being a cute worksheet.
Other Possible Cubing Prompts
Define It
Explain It
Locate It
Solve It
Illustrate It
Diagram It
Research It
Write a Sentence (or Paragraph) with It
A final way to use cubes is to write different assignments on each side of the cube. Students can "roll the cube" physically or electronically to determine their activity, or you can assign specific sides to them. It's a great option for differentiating instruction.