NSRF: Scrambled Sentences
This protocol was developed in the field by educators affiliated with National School Reform Faculty (NSRF). Since 1994, the National School Reform Faculty has created and refined more than 200 protocols and activities to use in Critical Friends Group® communities, classrooms, meetings, and beyond. Each one is designed to help you arrive at a specific desired outcome, efficiently and effectively. If you know the name of the protocol or activity you wish to use, you may find it below. The list is long but worth a look.
I chose and altered the protocol below because I thought it would work well with synchronous and asynchronous learning. Take advantage of the breakout rooms available in a Zoom Meeting!
1. Divide larger group into five groups.
2. Have each group choose one person as the judge/observer. This person’s role is to make sure that all participants adhere to the rules and to record what they observe during the activity.
3. Each break out group will receive the link to the Jamboard containing individual words that they will have to form into five meaningful sentences.
4. Give the following instructions: “Working in small groups, I would like you to put together some meaningful sentences. This is not as easy as it sounds. I am giving you the link to a Jamboard that contains five boards. On each board are individual words. Please do not open the link until I tell you to begin. Distributed among the five of you are the words to make five meaningful sentences. Each one of you needs to assemble one sentence. HINT: The first word of each sentence has been capitalized. The task is not complete until each person in the group has formed a different meaningful sentence. You may share your words with other members of the group, but no member may speak. You may not ask for words from any other member; you must wait for that member to give it to you. You must observe the following rules while putting together your sentences and the judge/observers have the job of strictly enforcing these rules:
• Each of you must construct a meaningful sentence directly in front of yourself on your Jamboard.
• You may not ask for a word from another person. This means no talking, gesturing, motioning, or signaling in any other way to get a word card from any other member of your group. The only way you can get a word from another person is for that person to give it to you.
• You may pass any of your word cards to any other group member at any time. You do not need to wait for a “turn”.
• No member is to talk at any time. The only person who may talk is the judge/observer, who can only interrupt only to stop a violation of the rules. The observer may not make suggestions to the players.
5. Clarify any questions?
To prepare the materials, I created a Jamboard. Click here to see the contents.
Have FUN!
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