Inside-outside circle game

When it is time to change partners students in each line dance left or right and students at the end of the row dance to the opposite end of their row. Students are assigned a particular topic to share about rather than being asked to respond to a question. Print This Tool. PK-K should provide oral responses only, which do not require the use of this template. Have the students ask their partners the question on their cards.

As an option, have the students swap cards before rotating. For elementary, answers can either be left off of the cards, or they can be printed on the back. My Notes If you register with our site, you can create your personal notes for each tool. Register Now or Sign In!

How to Use 1. Split the Class Decide which half of the students will form the inside circle and which half will form the outside circle. Question Put a question or statement on the board. Share Ask students in the inside circle to share their response with the classmate facing them in the outside circle. Rotate On your signal, have the outside circle move one step to the left or right and discuss the same question with the new partner.

Circumlocution Circle To learn new vocabulary, students are given a word that they have to describe to their circle partners. Timed Circles To add interest and variety, vary the amount of time with each partner. For example, students may spend one minute with Partner 1, 3 minutes with Partner 2 and 2 minutes with Partner 3 Conga Line Conga Line is very similar to Desk Circle exceept that instead of sitting in desks facing each other in two rows, students are standing in two rows.

Students are given a task to complete that requires them to interact in the language. They are sent to breakout rooms and given a specific amount of time to interact to complete the task. Students are then randomly grouped again and engage in the same task with a different partner. For accountability: Have random students report out between rounds.

Alternatively, create a google doc or graphic organizer and have students record appropriate information from each of their partners. Students might then use that information to create a written or spoken follow-up task. Especially with younger learners, it may be helpful to assign students to the inside or outside of the circle, or even assign students to a particular spot in each circle by having colored markers, numbers, or tape on the floor before having students move into position.

Only have either the inside or outside circle move when changing partners to avoid having too many moving parts. Ideally, the role of the teacher in this activity is one of a facilitator that circulates to listen to student interactions, provide support and feedback when necessary or appropriate, etc.

The teacher may choose to participate in the activity when there is an odd number of students, but this is best done after students have done this activity a few times and are familiar with the routine. Be sure to limit the time of the interaction based on the proficiency level of the students, using shorter durations for novice level language users. The teacher may ask the students raise their hands when they are done with the task so the teacher knows when to signal the students to move to their next partner.

For novice level students, the teacher may provide questions that students can practice answering in complete sentences. For intermediate level students, the teacher may give only a topic and allow students to generate their own questions to discuss with their partners.

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