Birds were chirping out the window, the sun was shining, and the students were itching to get outside for the first Spring-like weather instead of finishing book group discussions.
The breakout room discussion that I happened to be in was going, but not bursting or booming. I discretely chatted them all…. “If ______ could have any ice cream flavor in the world, what flavor do you think she would choose? Why do you think this?” [Yes, sunny spring weather always has me thinking about ice cream.]
Each student thought, and thought, and thought. They revised their initial flavors – adding different toppings here and there based on what they knew about the character in our Book Group Book. Chats were pouring in and students began unmuting themselves to share their thoughts. They reacted to their classmates ideas and said more, and more, and more. Bursts of discussions. Booms of discussions.
Without prompting, students eagerly searched through the text wanting to find evidence that supported their ice cream flavor of choice for M.
One student said that M would prefer dark chocolate because she’s bold. Some students that she would chose something that resembled a molten chocolate lava cake because there are layers of personality beyond what anyone can see on the outside. One student said that she would have lemon sorbet because sometimes M can be stubborn like a lemon. This student also happens to be lactose intolerant and said that with sorbet, she would be able to enjoy it with M, too. One student said that she would have plan vanilla or a “Pupaccino” because she would be enjoying it with her dog. A student said that she would have “alphabet soup swirl ice cream” because words swirl around M’s mind. Another student build off of that and said that she would have “fortune cookie” ice cream because M has important messages to share with the world, in kind of a “secret” way.
Throughout the discussion they all leaned into the screen, wanting to hear their classmates’ creations of flavors and explanations for their eclectic ingredients. This will be a go-to question with book groups going forward.
Allie Writes 
What a simple, effective way to engage your students! I am going to have to remember this strategy. Thanks for sharing.
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Flavors of conversation. I love this! What a great way to both get the creative juices flowing AND to encourage kids’ sense of uniqueness and self-expression. =)
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Necessity is the mother of invention! Sometimes the best ideas come out of challenging situations. Love this idea, Allie! And I also love how you wove in the interactions with the knowledge you have of those kids. They’re lucky.
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