Inspire Team

It's in the Details

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#transforming systems
30 +

Goal

This activity aims to cultivate learners' ability to construct descriptive sentences, emphasizing the importance of clear communication. Through this activity, learners will experience firsthand the impact of descriptive language on conveying information accurately and begin to understand how that relates to giving/receiving feedback effectively.

See “Technological Considerations” for virtual adaptation of this activity. 

Materials

    Instructions

    In person groups:

    1. Formation of Groups:

      1. Gather learners and have them sit in a circle.

      2. Each participant is given a piece of light coloured construction paper and a pen.

    2. Drawing Phase:

      1. Instruct learners to fold their construction paper into three sections.

      2. Allocate 3 to 5 minutes for each participant to draw something in the middle section. Their drawing should be of someone, doing something, somewhere.

      3. Encourage creativity but emphasize that the most important thing is for the drawings to be clear, not necessarily a work of art.

      4. Once completed, learners should fold their drawings and pass the paper to the person next to them, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

    3. Descriptive Sentence:

      1. Instruct learners to open the paper they received and describe the drawing in the first folded section using only one sentence.

      2. Emphasize the importance of precision in their descriptive sentences.

      3. Have learners fold the last section over the descriptive sentence and pass the paper to the next person.

    4. Drawing Based on Description:

      1. Instruct learners to unfold only the first part of the paper they received, and draw on the third section based on the descriptive sentence.

      2. Encourage them to interpret the sentence as accurately as possible.

      3. learners should cover their drawings and pass the paper to the next person.

    5. Reveal:

      1. Have learners open all sections of the paper and reveal the original drawing, the descriptive sentence and the second drawing.

      2. Compare the final drawing (3rd part) with the original drawing (1st part).

      3. Option: Identify the learner with the drawing most similar to the original as the winner.

    6. Debrief

      1. Lead a debrief using the questions below as a guide. 

    Background

    Preparation

    • Ensure each participant has a piece of construction paper and a pen.

      • Most important is that the learners cannot see the drawing through the folded paper.

    • Arrange seating in a circle to facilitate the passing of papers.

    • Have a timer to regulate drawing and description phases.

    Technology Considerations

    The Website Gartic Phone can be used to facilitate a virtual equivalent of this activity.

    • From the home page, choose your character and nickname, then select Start.

    • Choose Custom Settings.

    • In the Taskflow drop down menu, select “Drawing, Writing”.

    • In the Turns drop down menu, select “3 turns”.

    • On the left side, select the number of player spots needed based on the side of your group.

    • Choose Invite and share the link with learners.


    Learners will have the opportunity to draw their someone, somewhere, doing something. Once everyone is done, they’ll receive someone else’s drawing and need to provide a description of that drawing, before it’s passed on to another person to draw. The results will be shared with the group at the end.

    Prior to conducting this activity virtually, consider trialing the website and ensuring the settings are adequate. This option may not work if there are internet connectivity issues

    Additional Context

    • Learners may find it challenging to convey details accurately through descriptive sentences, highlighting the importance of effective communication skills.

    • Reinforce the connection between descriptive language, successful collaboration and offering feedback and guidance.

    • Descriptive: Providing detailed information or characteristics about something, someone, or a situation in order to create a clear and vivid mental image for the other person.


    Tips for Localization

    Offer learners suggestions for drawings that may reflect familiar events, activities or customs.

    Debrief Questions

    • What challenges did you face when describing the drawing in a single sentence?

    • What was your experience in trying to recreate the drawing based on a single descriptive sentence?

      • What made it easy?

      • What made it hard?

    • How does this activity relate to real-world situations where clear communication is crucial?

    • How can you apply the lessons learned from this activity to improve your ability to give effective feedback?

    • Why is being descriptive important when giving feedback?



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