#2618. TriBond

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Tue Aug 20 11:43:37 PDT 2002 by Kathy Olson (frankb@patchproducts.com).
Million Minute Family Challenge
Patch Products, Beloit, WI
Materials Required: TriBond game cards (use cards for TriBond Jr. for younger ages), Timer
Concepts Taught: Drawing Conclusions, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Solving, Reasoning, Listening

TriBond® Activity #1

Begin the activity by calling three students to the front of the class. (Choose these students carefully. They must all have something in common. For example they might all be wearing shoes that tie, or hair that is very curly, or have brothers named Bob, etc.) Have the rest of the class think carefully about what these three have in common. Rather than guessing the commonality, students need to select another student they think could join the three. When a student is named, you simply say yes or no. If the answer is yes, the new student may join the original three. To help keep track of the selections, on the board write the names of the students suggested who could not join the group, or have these students form another group at the side of the classroom. After a few guesses, ask the students if they know the "rule" that determines who may join the original three. If someone gives a correct answer, have the standing students sit and begin again with three other students and a different commonality. Try to include as many students as possible but don't wear out the game.
Write the word "elephant" (or another word of your choosing) on the chalkboard or chart paper. Ask the students what characteristics or related topics does this word bring to mind. Students might suggest concepts such as large, animal, trunk, tusks, African, Indian, zoo, etc. Explain that you will be giving each student a slip of paper with a special word on it. First they are to think about the word on the card and consider what traits this word might have. They will be given about one minute to use as thinking time. When you give a specific signal, the students are to move around the room looking for other students who have words that would have something in common with the one on their card. When they have formed a group of three, the students need to sit together until the others have also joined a group. (If the number of students is not divisible by 3, you could write the extra words on the board, and the students with similar words would meet there. If you do not use all of the words, be sure to leave out sets of 3 that go together.) Encourage the students to help each other so that all can find success with this activity.
When all groups are formed, go around the groups and have the students explain how their words go together.
Complete this activity with a Family Fun Activity Sheet. Students can complete this sheet with other family members and bring it back to school for the next class.

Master list of words for the of word cards for Activity #1
fawn
gosling
kitten
four quarters
ten dimes
twenty nickels
Challenger
Apollo
Mir
potato chips
The ocean
pickles
scorpion
rattlesnake
black widow
stop
spider
yield
one-way
butternut
acorn
zucchini
Richard Petty
A.J. Foyt
Cale Yarborough
lynx
ocelot
jaguar
gold
silver
bronze

TriBond® at Home
A Family Fun Worksheet!

With your family work together to decide what each
of the sets of three words have in common.

1. Italy, Switzerland, Spain _____________________

2. George, George W., Barbara ____________________

3. mallets, wickets, balls _______________________

4. crown, root, enamel ___________________________

5. white, blue, humpback _________________________

6. clipper, sloop, Catamaran _____________________

7. tennis tournament, beauty pageant, trial __________________________________________________

8. Dewey, quiet, research ________________________

9. check, royalty, bishop ________________________

10. bicycle tires, toothpaste factory, chemistry lab ______________________________________________

Now, work together to make up two TriBonds to share with the class.

1. _________________, __________________, ___________________

___________________________________

2. _________________, __________________, ___________________

____________________________________

TriBond® Activity #2

Review the Family Fun Activity sheet and see how everyone did. Next, take time for students to share at least one of the new TriBonds they created with their family. You could do a few now, and then collect the others to use as class sponge activities for future classes.
Organize your class into teams of 3 or 4. Provide each team with a response sheet and have the teams select a role for each person. Teams will need a reader, a writer, and a sender. The fourth team member could be the encourager. The reader will read the three words on the TriBond card, the writer will write down the team's answer, the encourager will make sure that everyone is participating, and the sender will take the card to the next team when time has ended.
Use the cards on the master sheet or from one of the TriBond games. (If you use the game cards you will need to determine a category for focus. For example with the Jr. game cards, the teams may always use the #2 set of words. With the Best of TriBond the teams might just focus on the academics words.
The writer will also need to write the number of the TriBond card on the response sheet.) Set a time limit for each set of words. I would suggest 2 to 3 minutes. Setting a timer for this will be helpful. Give each team a card.
They will use the allotted time to decide what the three words or phrases have in common. The decided answer is written on the response sheet. This needs to be done very quietly so the groups will not hear each others' ideas. At the end of the time, the sender takes the card to the next group, and another sender will bring their group a new set of clues. Continue this activity until all groups have had all of the cards being used.
Now is the time to share answers and talk about the strategies each team used to help them determine an answer to each set of clues. Discussing strategies and ideas will help students develop problemsolving skills for future activities. It is important to take time for this process.

TriBond® Student Response Sheet

Be sure to write your team's answer on the correct line. Each card has a number.

1. ______________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________

6. ______________________________________________

7. ______________________________________________

8. ______________________________________________

9. ______________________________________________

10. _____________________________________________

Team Members:
Reader _______________ Writer ______________

Sender _______________ Encourager ___________

Cards for Activity #2 Game:

1.
A jump rope
A door knob
A steering wheel

2.
ebony
jet
raven

3.
A calculator
A remote control
A shirt

4.
pal
amigo
buddy

5.
Dayton
Columbus
Cincinnati

6.
A volleyball
A tennis ball
Dinner in a restaurant

7.
basil
nutmeg
fennel

8.
Eastern
Central
Pacific

9.
A sharp pencil
The top of a witch's hat
A knife

10.
A skyscraper
Dr. Seuss
J.K. Rowling

Answers for Worksheets included in this lesson plan:

Word combinations and answers for Activity #1:
fawn, gosling, kitten - baby animals
four quarters, ten dimes, twenty nickels - ways to make $1.00
Apollo, Challenger, Mir - names of space programs
potato chips, The ocean, pickles - things that are salty
scorpion, rattlesnake, black widow spider - poisonous things
stop, yield, one-way - road signs
butternut, acorn, zucchini - kinds of squash
Richard Petty, A. J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough - race car drivers
lynx, ocelot, jaguar - kinds of wild cats
gold, silver, bronze - kinds of Olympic medals

Family Fun Sheet - Activity #1:
1. Countries in Europe
2. The Bushes
3. Things used in a croquet game
4. Parts of a tooth
5. Types of whales
6. Types of sailing ships
7. Things with a judge
8. Library words
9. Chess terms
10. Things with a tube

Team game for Activity #2:
1. Things you turn
2. Shades of black
3. Things with a button
4. Names for friends
5. Cities in Ohio
6. Things that are served
7. Types of herbs or seasonings
8. Time zones
9. Things with a point
10. They all have stories