Triangle, Circle, Square

Learning Targets

Students will:

Reflect on a lesson
Write or share:
- Three important points learned
- One detail that was confusing
- One especially interesting detail that they agree with

Connection:

Encourage families to engage in this activity verbally using their home language after engaging in a new experience, or watching a TV show or movie.
Reading aloud or storytelling increases a child’s comprehension, fluency and vocabulary development, regardless of the language used. Students can cut the three sections of the activity and use each as a bookmark. Once they’re done listening to the story, family members can ask them to respond to the prompt on the bookmark.

Before Activity:

After facilitating a lesson, including content and language objectives, prepare the graphic organizer for students to demonstrate and reflect on their learning.
If needed, customize the organizer to address learning specifically from your lesson.

During Activity:

Synchronous setting:

Provide the graphic organizer to students including setting up a time and place for meeting to discuss their learning.
In an online setting, students contribute their thoughts by writing in a common graphic organizer.
Lead a discussion about each of the three areas, and encourage students to verbally share for each area.
Extend the conversation by challenging students to discuss their learning with a friend or family member.

Asynchronous Setting

Share the graphic organizer with students including the expectations for the activity.
Share anchor charts or notes that students can use to review their learning and complete the organizer.
Provide options for students to reflect on their learning in the graphic organizer. For example, they can use an app such as Flipgrid or Padlet, write an email, or write offline on paper.
Students can share their responses with the teacher via email, text, a phone call, or a photo of the document. They may also share their responses with a friend or family member.

Provide an example of a completed organizer to show students what the expectation is for this activity.

Students are able to write about what was important, interesting, or confusing about a lesson or unit.

ELs may struggle with the figurative language in the organizer. Be sure to explain the “triangle points” as ideas, details; the “circle,” as something going around in our minds, and the “squares with us” as something we agree with. Customize the organizer to provide the most success for your students.

Provide students with sentence stems and a word bank, along with customized notes for them to use in completing the organizer.

Students can be provided with targeted vocabulary to use in their responses in the organizer.