Instructional Playbook

Four Corners

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Overview Four Corners is an interactive, cooperative learning strategy that can be used at any level to promote active engagement, build expressive capacity and accountability, and build cohesion and community amongst students. Instructional Purpose To activate students’ background knowledge or review of content to discuss in a low floor/high ceiling opportunity for students using movement and collaboration. Materials/Set-Up Prepare questions or statements for students to consider that spark curiosity about topic or content. Make posters or slides to direct students to the 4 corners of your classroom with categories or possible responses to the statements or questions. Instructional Routine Read a statement aloud and have the students make a choice either in their head or written depending on grade level appropriateness After think time direct students to go to the corner that matches their response Students then engage in a group discussion justifying why they chose their corner. Each group will need to identify a spokesperson who will summarize their group’s position for the rest of the groups. Allow each group to share and engage in a debate with each other, ensuring that before a group shares their next point, they summarize the point of the group that preceded them.

Access by Language Proficiency Level Entering (1) Emerging (2)

Developing (3)

Expanding (4)

Convey the steps of the activity through gestures or prompting. If students are in the silent period they can passively participate by following a partner

Students can describe ideas or concepts using short phrases or sentences. State steps in a process or procedure.

Students can describe familiar issues and events, processes and procedures with some details. Give opinions with reasons in a few short sentences.

Encourage students to use details or examples and provide opinions supported with detailed evidence.

Sentence Stem Examples

I chose ___________

I chose ________ because (short phrase)

I chose____ because (provides a few details).

I chose ______ (provides details with examples).