I’d like to add two jobs to the three already connected to the Word Chunk Team activity – the Heads Together Checker (HTC).
The first is for a kid who doesn’t participate well in his group and needs to be taken out of it. She stands next to me with the other two hires on that activity and tells me if the group that got awarded the question indeed did put their heads together and solved the problem as a team and didn’t have one kid answer alone, which is the only flaw I can find in this excellent activity for days when the kids need a break.
The other is the Spanish Approver (SA) and would only work if your students speak Spanish better than English. This is a kid who basically takes your place in approving answers that are offered by the groups. Like, I ask the question, for example “Three girls don’t run” and then the WCT Controler 1* does her thing and then the WCT Controller 2** does her thing and then The HTC signs off on if it was indeed a group answer, and then, if the kids are Latino, I step aside because I don’t really know Spanish very well and the SA listens to the answers and approves or disapproves. Then the WTC Scorer puts the points on the board as described on the description of this game on the resources page (see “workshop handouts”).
*Word Chunk Team Controller 1 (this is the most left out kid in class who couldn’t even get into a group. He gets to pick – which team raised their hand first – see resources/workshop handouts for Work Chunk Team details.)
**Word Chunk Team Controller 2 (another kid in need of feeling needed – this one judges synchronicity of group signed responses.)
(I know it’s complicated. I’ll makea video when I find some time. Really, this game kicks ass and I don’t even have to do anything but sit there on a stool and space out while they run the thing. All I have to do is ask the question. I mean, I can really zone out on this one. They run it.)