| Body | This Activity of the Week was developed by Lindsay Marean and Julie Sykes for a high school Swahili class. On the second day of class, we wanted students to gain a sense of group cohesion and belonging, and we wanted them to use the target language in the process.
Outcome: Students interact with each other to discover something each pair of students has in common. Each student will share a similarity with the whole class.
Resources: Similarities worksheet, large ball of yarn
Procedure:
- Explain that students will be finding something that they have in common with every other student in the class. As a whole class, come up with and write on a board several different things that students might say to describe themselves and that (1) they can say in the target language, and (2) they are likely to have in common with someone else. For example, "I have two sisters," "I am from Washington," or "I like to eat pizza."
- Distribute the similarities worksheet to students. Each student will write five things about themselves that fit the criteria above.
- Students will circulate around the room and talk with each other student in the room. On the worksheet, they will write the other student's name and what they have in common. Similarities may be from the list of five things the student has made, or they may need to suggest some other possibilities to each other.
- When everyone has completed (or nearly completed) the worksheet, have the class stand in a large circle. They should take their worksheets with them to refer to in needed.
- Start by saying what you have in common with one student, and then toss the ball of yarn to that student, holding on to one end. That student, in turn, will select another student in the circle, say what they have in common, and then toss the ball of yarn to them, holding on to their section of the yarn. By the end of the activity a web of yarn will have formed, connecting all of the students.
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