Communism Catch Phrase
What:
We are studying the rise of communist societies in Russia and China in the early and middle of the 20th centuries. Students start out class by making a claim/thesis comparing and contrasting the implementation of communism in each place, then do some mini research to support their claim.
Next, we played communism catch phrase! It is exactly what it sounds like. Students are split into three groups (with 4 people per group, I know, my classes are small). Each group gets the same list of 15 words related to the rise of communism in both places. They are:
Each group had one student be the clue giver, and the rest of the class had to guess what the term was based on the clues. They could not rhyme or give initials. Each student had :30 seconds (projected as a timer on the whiteboard) to get through as many terms as possible. Usually each student got through about 2-3 before they passed the stack. Each student should have a turn giving clues so we can get through all the words.
So What:
This was so successful! This prep school vibe is not conducive to many games or creative activities. This was a really different way to cover important material and it got students excited and competitive.
Now What:
We then had each group make a google doc to share with their group so they could have a list of terms and definitions of the key words. They split them up so each student defined 3-4 words in the shared google doc. We then had a short discussion about the appeals of communism in the 1940s. I think I want to encourage my colleagues, the lesson writers, to incorporate more activities like this so students stay engaged.
We are studying the rise of communist societies in Russia and China in the early and middle of the 20th centuries. Students start out class by making a claim/thesis comparing and contrasting the implementation of communism in each place, then do some mini research to support their claim.
Next, we played communism catch phrase! It is exactly what it sounds like. Students are split into three groups (with 4 people per group, I know, my classes are small). Each group gets the same list of 15 words related to the rise of communism in both places. They are:
- Guomindang
- Soviet Union
- Mao Zedong
- Zhenotdel
- Karl Marx
- Warsaw Pact
- Lenin
- Provisional government
- Chiang Kai-Shek
- Communism
- Stalin
- NATO
- Bolsheviks
- Kulak
- Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Each group had one student be the clue giver, and the rest of the class had to guess what the term was based on the clues. They could not rhyme or give initials. Each student had :30 seconds (projected as a timer on the whiteboard) to get through as many terms as possible. Usually each student got through about 2-3 before they passed the stack. Each student should have a turn giving clues so we can get through all the words.
So What:
This was so successful! This prep school vibe is not conducive to many games or creative activities. This was a really different way to cover important material and it got students excited and competitive.
Now What:
We then had each group make a google doc to share with their group so they could have a list of terms and definitions of the key words. They split them up so each student defined 3-4 words in the shared google doc. We then had a short discussion about the appeals of communism in the 1940s. I think I want to encourage my colleagues, the lesson writers, to incorporate more activities like this so students stay engaged.
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