Teachers are always looking for
activities that meet specific curriculum requirements, integrate two or
more subjects, can
be differentiated, promote
higher-level thinking, and hey – it’s great if they’re fun, too! My awesome
student teacher introduced me to Bloom Balls.
A Bloom
Ball
is a project
where students complete
activities that
take them
through all
the levels
of Bloom's Taxonomy,
from
knowledge to synthesis.
Bloom Balls can be used in any subject area and work beautifully with a rubric.
The basic unit of the Bloom Ball is a pentagon inside a circle. Each Bloom Ball will need 12 of these. The content activities go inside the pentagon. When cut out, the circle creates little tabs that are folded up and stapled or glued.
The basic unit of the Bloom Ball is a pentagon inside a circle. Each Bloom Ball will need 12 of these. The content activities go inside the pentagon. When cut out, the circle creates little tabs that are folded up and stapled or glued.
They are great independent work and promote collaboration if students work in pairs or small groups – and certainly when putting them together! Bloom Balls incorporate art with your subject matter. They make an attractive splash when completed and displayed.
You’ll need to have twelve activities or tasks for students to complete, one for each pentagon. They can cover any subject:
-Very simple tasks for younger children might be to draw or cut/glue a directed picture with a sentence.
-A science task might be to define and diagram terms and concepts for a Forces and Motion unit.
-For a novel study, students can answer questions, make summaries, draw conclusions, and illustrate their perception of a class novel.
-Imagine how attractive biographies would be when transferred to a Bloom Ball.
You’ll need to have twelve activities or tasks for students to complete, one for each pentagon. They can cover any subject:
-Very simple tasks for younger children might be to draw or cut/glue a directed picture with a sentence.
-A science task might be to define and diagram terms and concepts for a Forces and Motion unit.
-For a novel study, students can answer questions, make summaries, draw conclusions, and illustrate their perception of a class novel.
-Imagine how attractive biographies would be when transferred to a Bloom Ball.
I strongly recommend that you make this an in-class project instead of at-home. Teacher guidance is needed especially for the first project.
How To Prepare
1. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, map out the 12 tasks you want students to complete. Include a healthy mix, focusing on what your students can successfully
accomplish, what they enjoy, and where you want them to end up. The goal is for students to perform at the higher levels of the
taxonomy, but choose what's best for your students.
2. Develop a schedule for the completion of the entire project, then show students how to pace it out. We often completed one pentagon per day, focusing on our prior learning.
3. Make 12 copies of the pentagon per person. Every student will make their own but they'll help each other.
4. Provide a rubric to help lead students through the project. It will help them learn the most, create a solid product, and earn a better grade.
5. Form your groups. We put students in pairs for the best balance.
6. Encourage students to jot down ideas on scratch paper. Doing a rough draft on another paper is a good idea before transferring onto expensive copies. Interesting note: The tabs that will be glued/stapled are also excellent places for little “extras”. My students enjoyed adding an extra word or definition, a tiny sketch, or just coloring the tabs.
7. As students complete their pentagons, make sure they put their names on each sheet, outside the circle. Have them keep the sheets together, uncut, until time to put them together. Have students compare their work to the rubric and make necessary adjustments.
8. When all pentagons are complete, it’s time to construct your Bloom Ball.
2. Develop a schedule for the completion of the entire project, then show students how to pace it out. We often completed one pentagon per day, focusing on our prior learning.
3. Make 12 copies of the pentagon per person. Every student will make their own but they'll help each other.
4. Provide a rubric to help lead students through the project. It will help them learn the most, create a solid product, and earn a better grade.
5. Form your groups. We put students in pairs for the best balance.
6. Encourage students to jot down ideas on scratch paper. Doing a rough draft on another paper is a good idea before transferring onto expensive copies. Interesting note: The tabs that will be glued/stapled are also excellent places for little “extras”. My students enjoyed adding an extra word or definition, a tiny sketch, or just coloring the tabs.
7. As students complete their pentagons, make sure they put their names on each sheet, outside the circle. Have them keep the sheets together, uncut, until time to put them together. Have students compare their work to the rubric and make necessary adjustments.
8. When all pentagons are complete, it’s time to construct your Bloom Ball.
How To Construct
A. Instruct students to carefully cut out
each circle. They should write their names on the back of each circle.
B. Have students fold each of the flaps UP.
It is important that they go slowly and carefully here, making sharp creases.
They should have 12 shapes, like little “mini-trays”, that look like this:
C. When you have all twelve circles cut,
creased, and folded, separate them into two stacks. The order generally does
not matter – we’re making a sphere – but you can decide that.
D. Each group of six circles will make half
of the sphere. Take one circle and place it down on the table, picture side up.
This is the center. Lay the remaining five circles around this center. You’ll
see that the tabs of the five outer circles match the tabs of the center
circle. I told my students, “The guy in the center is high-fiving five
friends.” Carefully staple these tabs together.
E. Now, the outer five guys are going to
high-five each other. Staple these tabs together. You now have a bowl-shape, or
half circle, or hemi-sphere. If you can wear it on your head, you're on the right track!
F. Follow the same procedure for the other
six circles.
G. When you have both bowls complete, you’ll
see where the tabs of each one meet. Staple these together. You’re done!
Challenge yourself to do this project with your class. I'd love to know how it works for you!
