Find the Fib

This simple, but highly engaging activity ultimately challenges students to think about the myriad, but disparate ideas associated with a single topic by sprinkling together true and false statements and challenging them to distinguish between the two. Find the Fib is a generic teaching tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. It makes a great review strategy. Variations of Find the Fib include Three Truths and a Lie and Odd One Out. Each of these requires students to develop the task for their peers. These approaches give students the opportunity to be clever and creative with the incentive to trick their teammates. To avoid guessing, always require students to explain the reasons why they believe a particular statement to be a fib.

Implementation

1. Carefully review the idea, situation, concept, event, or condition that you want students to consider.<?xml:namespace prefix =" o" ns =" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"" />

2. Decide if Find the Fib will be led by the teacher or created by the students.

3. Select the particular type of Find the Fib format that is most appropriate for the topic. For example, you could use a timeline, set of pictures on cards, graph, or sequence of events to structure the task.

4. Compile a list of statements, cluster of images, or set of artifacts, etc., that frame the topic.

5. Select an engaging method for displaying the above information to the class.

Classroom Management

1. Review the class rules for Find the Fib.<?xml:namespace prefix =" o" ns =" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"" />

2. If working in small teams, assign different roles and have students reach consensus about their choice before offering up their answer. Leave open the opportunity for “minority opinions.”

3. Be sure that at the end of Find the Fib, students leave with an understanding of the correct information.

4. Suggested Formative Assessment: How Do I Know What I Know