Fan and pick is an activity that supports students in question asking. I modified this idea from Martina Bex to work for the ASL classroom. It is a Kagan cooperative learning structure. It works well with activities we do in the language classroom. It is the perfect activity to use after a video viewing or a story told in class. Fan and pick uses multiple modalities. But what I love about it is it offers support for question-asking, a skill students struggle with.
How it works
Fan and pick works with groups of three. If it is not possible to place students in groups of three, pairs work better than groups of four. Each partner is either an A, B, or a C. Each partner is assigned one person to ask a question to. The other group members will record the question and the response.
Preparing for Fan and Pick
The first time you do this activity with students may be tricky. It is complicated to explain because there is a lot happening at one time. However, the setup is not that complicated. Depending on what material you are working with (a story, a newsletter, the Daily moth, etc.) you will need to write out 12 questions about the content. I like to use 12 questions because it feels like good pacing. Each group member asks and answers 3 questions each. It is not too overwhelming for students and it doesn’t end up taking hours to finish the task. You could write more or fewer questions just make sure each group member has an equal amount. Make sure you number your questions so students know which one to document (see how we can squeeze some number practice in there too!).
Each group of three will need its own set of questions. Print the 12 questions on heavy cardstock so the students can’t see through. Shuffle the cards so they are not in order. Fan out the 12 questions, face down, in front of the group. Person A will pick a card and ask the question to person C. Person C will answer the question. Partners A and B will document the question and response. Person C does not need to do this for their own responses. Continue this format with each person (see below for ordering).
Student roles
Student roles are set and should follow this order:
- A asks questions to C
- B asks questions to A
- C asks questions to B
Each person will ask a question to their assigned partner (round one) then rotation continues until all the questions have been asked. I play until all groups have asked the 12 questions. I have an independent work assignment ready after since groups will finish at different times.
How else can you use fan and pick?
Fan and pick can also be used with general questions on any topic.
- getting to know you
- start of the school year ice breaker
- trivia
- famous deaf person (facts)
- parameters of a sign
- students’ likes/dislikes
I hope you enjoy this activity in your classroom!
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