O.G. Mistake

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Ah... practice structures.

I'm of the mind that there is nothing more boring and dreadful than giving students a kuta worksheet and asking them to finish it (not that I haven't done that before in a time crunch). By adding some type of game, scavenger hunt, or structured student interaction on top, I can improve engagement and the amount of feedback students are given. But I'm bored of all my current practice structures.

And, like all of my ideas, I thought of a new way to spice up a worksheet as I was falling asleep last night, thus keeping me up.

Anyway: here it goes: I'm calling it O.G. Mistake, but I'm more than open to a better name for it.


Here's how it works:

  1. Make a worksheet with numerical (or algebraic expressions) as answers, and hang up posters around the room with the question # on the front written really big, and the answer written on the back, as well as what number goes in the blank for the next problem (more on that in a bit).
  2. White out one coefficient on each problem so that students can't do the problem without getting that number first.
  3. Have students work in pairs, starting with whatever problem matches their table number. (Walk around to the tables and tell the pairs what number goes in the blank to get them started).
  4. Students solve their problem, and then walk to that # poster to check their answer. If they got it correct, they get 1 point. If they got it wrong, they can get 2 points if their mistake is original. They fill out the OG Mistake form with their incorrect answer and the work they did to get it, and they highlight their mistake, and write 1-2 sentences explaining why it was incorrect, and tape it to the back of the poster. They then redo it correctly and move on to the next question.
Why I Like this Structure:
  • Students are forced to use it. They can't just ignore the fact that posters are hung up and work through the whole worksheet, because they can't solve the next question until they know what goes in the blank.
  • Since they are doubly rewarded for making an original mistake, the back of the posters should fill up with all kinds of mistakes. Students can receive immediate and individualized feedback on their mistake-- it's like a catalog of all the possible errors, with explanations.
  • Students are forced to reflect on their mistakes and provide feedback to future students who make that mistake.
  • Students have to walk around the room and get out of their seats!
  • Students work in pairs, but the student who is prone to mistakes and misunderstandings is no longer a liability but an asset.

If none of this made sense, here's my document I typed up this morning to use next week!

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