Multiple Intelligence Section Downloads:

Five Multiple Intelligence Learning Activities

Activity Name: Koosh Ball

Purposes:

1. Provides a controlled environment for sharing.

2. Lends itself to Learning Styles of Native students. It occupies and diverts fear and shyness of the students, fostering a willingness to verbally share their thoughts.

3. Honors the verbal/linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and kinesthetic intelligences.

4. Reinforces verbal language skills, critical thinking, and group learning.

Materials Needed:

1. Koosh Ball

Directions:

Outline the rules: Only the person with the Koosh ball may talk. Student must raise a hand in order to receive the Koosh ball.

Explain the process: Teacher will pass Koosh ball to a student who raises a hand. Student shares thought(s), or asks a question. When the student has completed sharing thought(s), he/she passes the Koosh ball to the next student who has a hand raised. Repeat the process until all students have had an opportunity to share their thoughts. Teacher acts as the facilitator, encouraging students to share their thoughts, and leads the dialogue into the direction that best meets the teacher’s objectives.

Activity Name: Mind Mapping

Purposes:

1. Assessment for Teacher: After this activity, the teacher will have a comprehensive understanding of what concepts need to be covered within the lesson/activity and what the students already comprehend about the subject matter;

Assessment for Students: Allows students to see how much knowledge they and their classmates possess in a given subject area. After this activity, students will recognize their level of understanding and where they need to focus more for the particular activity.

3. Honors the verbal/linguistic and kinesthetic intelligences.

Materials Needed:

1. Koosh Ball

2. Chart paper, white board, or chalkboard, markers (optional)

Directions:

Outline the rules: Only the person with the Koosh ball may talk. Student must raise a hand in order to receive the Koosh ball. The classroom teacher should be the recorder.

Prior to activity, teacher should write the topic area in the center of the chart paper, and use some shape to encircle the title. When students begin offering words and/or concepts, teacher should record answers around the main topic area. (Example: The topic could be Pottery. Students may suggest the following: clay, dirt, shape, etc…)

Pass the Koosh ball among students and have them share something they know or understand about the topic area; or this activity could be used as a question/answer session. Remember, teacher should be recording student responses on the recording device.

When one student has completed sharing thought(s), he/she passes the Koosh ball to the next student who has a hand raised. Repeat the process until all students have had an opportunity to provide input. Post the list in an area where students can observe it. Use the information as a reviewing tool and an assessment at the end of the lesson/activity.

Very Important Suggestion: It is ideal to incorporate Native terms for this activity
Activity Name: I Understand/ I Want to Understand

(Koosh Ball and Mind Mapping Activity)

Purposes:

1. Assessment for Teacher: After this activity, the teacher will have a comprehensive understanding of what areas need to be re-taught or taught in more depth;

Assessment for Students: After this activity, students will recognize their level of understanding and where they need to focus more.

2. Transition: This activity helps students to transition from one lesson/activity to another. It focuses attention on the topic.

3. Honors the linguistic, visual, and kinesthetic intelligences.

4. Reinforces Native language and group learning.

Materials Needed:

1. Koosh Ball

2. Chart paper, white board, or chalkboard, markers

Directions:

Outline the rules: Only the person with the Koosh ball may talk. Student must raise a hand in order to receive the Koosh ball.

Explain the process: Divide the chart paper into two columns, and label one side “I Understand” and the other side, “I Want to Understand”. The classroom teacher should be the recorder. Passing the Koosh ball among students, have them share something they learned, and note it in the column “I Understand”. (Remember, the child must be holding the Koosh ball.) Then have the student share something he/she didn’t quite understand, but would like to learn, and note it in the column “I Want to Understand”. When the student has completed sharing his/her thought(s), the Koosh ball is passed to the next student who has a hand raised. Repeat the process until all students have had an opportunity to share their thoughts. Post the list in an area where students can observe it. Use the information as a reviewing tool at the end of the lesson/activity.

Very Important Suggestion: It is ideal to use Native terms for this activity

Activity Name: TRIAD Game

Purposes:

1. Assessment for Teacher (Alternative Assessment Tool): After this activity, the teacher will have a comprehensive understanding of what areas need to be re-taught or taught in more depth;

Assessment for Students: During and after this activity, students will recognize their level of understanding and where they need to focus more.

2. Promotes collaborative working (small group), and a reinforcement of curricular context.

3. Honors the linguistic, spatial, and kinesthetic intelligences.

4. Note: A great tool to incorporate and reinforce Native language and group learning.

Materials Needed:

1. Students

2. List of terms (concepts) on which you would like to assess students.

Directions:

Outline the rules: The class makes a large circle of students. (If weather permits, this activity works best outside.) During the game there should be no shouting or loud talking.

Prior to beginning the game, the group must determine how each term or concept will be displayed. Students can volunteer their ideas or the teacher can pre-select actions. To help develop ownership, it is recommended that the students take the lead in determining the actions for each term/concept.

Next, teacher should explain the following: Teacher will begin first round by closing his/her eyes, spinning around and extending arm (pointing finger) outward. Teacher stops and shouts out a term or concept from the activity (ex: for states of matter, shout out “gas”). The student being pointed at has to work with the person on each side to demonstrate the term or concept (three students work together). The last person of the three students to begin the action, is the ‘winner’ and takes the place of the person in the middle. The process is repeated.

Activity Name: Storytelling

Purpose(s):

1. To bridge Native science and Western science concepts.

2. Transition: This activity helps students to transition from one lesson/activity to another. It focuses attention on the topic using culturally appropriate pedagogy/methodologies.

3. Honors the linguistic, spiritual, intra/interpersonal, emotional, and kinesthetic intelligences. The optional activities add visual and musical approaches.

4. Reinforces Native language, and group learning.

Materials Needed:

1. Koosh Ball

2. Chart paper, white board, or chalkboard, markers

Directions:

Outline the rules: All must use their imaginations, becoming a part of the story.

Explain the process: Using storytelling can help students discover a new way of seeing science and validate their community-based science. Announce that you have a great story that goes along with this activity and ask students if they would like to hear it. Remind students that if you are to share the story, they have to promise you a few things: 1. to be good listeners; 2. to use their imaginations; 3. to see if they can locate special terms in the story.

Teacher proceeds with story. It is recommended that the teacher use excitement, enthusiasm, and walk around the room.

Ideas: Use props and Native music (flute or anything under 60 beats per minute). Native language use is strongly encouraged. A mind mapping activity can be incorporated to bring out the Native terms/Native science. A text version of the story can also be offered to students for follow-up activities (teacher should bold/italicize important terms).