This is a great way to enable the class to see connections between things. All you need is a ball of string and labels of the things you are trying to visualise connections between.
1. Ask the pupils to stand in a circle with the labels on.
2. Read out a passage and each time a connection is heard, ask the pupils to link these labels together with string. You could also ask pupils to justify the links instead.
3. Continue until you have built up a visual picture of the links.
4. Discuss the “picture” and what it means/ask for the strongest links/reasons why they are there etc/what the string represents?
Drama/English: Use this to visualise the links between characters in a play/story. At the end you could ask: which is the most important character/why? Which is the strongest link? Etc
Maths: You could use this for mental arithmetic to see how you could move from one number to another in the circle.
Languages: You could have a range of verbs/adjectives/nouns etc in the circle and link these and ask pupils to create different sentences with these words in.
Science: You could use this to look for connections between different parts of the body eg which vein/artery connects these two parts together etc.
History: use the string to show different relationships between causal factors etc
The last teaching tip of this half term comes from Hannah Dodd- Thank you!