Literature Dice
When my students read stories, novels, or plays, I often let them break into groups and use the "Question Dice" that I've made. I purchased small wooden cubes, about a half-inch square (later, I found blank dice in a teacher store and bought some of these). Using ultrafine permanent Sharpie markers (red and black), I wrote the following words on the "dice" Die #1 (I used black marker):
How
Who
Why
What
Which
Where / When (both words)
Die #2 (I used red marker):
Can
Will
Is
Might
Would
Do
Students roll the dice and create questions about their reading. I usually have them make up 10 questions, but they cannot have more than two that begin with the same two words (for example, "What is" could only be used twice in their set of 10 questions). They also make an "answer sheet." Groups then trade questions, and after these are answered, they check their responses against the answer sheet.
Finally, I ask each group to contribute the 2 questions (which they had to answer) that they thought were the best. They write these on the overhead, and we discuss them as a class.
The question dice will allow students to create questions of comprehension, prediction, and analysis. They work in the middle of a literary work just as well as they work at the end.
Two words of caution--when making the dice, underline the words as you print them so students know which way to read them ("is" can be misread as "si", and then kids start asking what that means). Also, let the marker dry thoroughly, especially if you use real blank dice. I never knew that these markers could smear and ended up with painted hands the first time I made them! (My husband also sanded the blank dice lightly which seemed to help the marker ink to adhere.)
On the wooden cubes, this isn't such a problem.
Email: kglee@webtv.net
