The First Breakout of the Year! ⚙️

Students working on their Emoji Puzzles and Ordering Pokemon Cards

I can't deny it, I love breakouts activities. It allows me to structure challenges where students have to show their knowledge and use it to solve problems. Also, it's an engaging, fun way to review concepts, build collaboration skills and promote resilience. Since this was our first experience, I was eager to see how this class will interact.

The objective was to review Topic 1 concepts, Place Value. The first challenge was to use decimals and fractions number lines to decipher an Emoji code. (TEKS 4.2H) The second stage involved ordering Pokemon cards by power using expanded notation. (TEKS 4.2B, 4.2C) Students entered their answers in a conditional formatted Google form that unlocked the next challenge. The third activity was the Last Man Out, where students used fractions and decimal models to decide which card didn't belong. (TEKS 4.2G, 4.2E)

Students worked in mixed ability groups, they found geometric shapes under their chairs to discover their teams. Overall, the teams worked nicely with minor distractions and interruptions. However, some groups struggled to find the clues or rushed without tracking their work, this led to some slowdowns. Students were engaged throughout the activity, and they showed their knowledge. A couple of teams needed more assistance when interacting with the computer, and some organization tips. Not all the teams were able to finish the three stages, so next time I will try to organize the activities so some teams can start with the easier problems and move on from there.