A fun interactive learning game for elementary students

Police Sketch is an activity every student enjoys. This activity brings out the language in the form of words, sentences, questions while they describe and explain the picture they have.

As a result, a new artwork is born by listening and imagining things that the partner describes.

The classroom is a place where the super minds of our amazing students generates endless number of ideas every second. Some are awesome, out of the box and others are mind blowing!

So what happens in the classroom?

Well,I was extremely lucky to have encountered many such ideas through different mediums.

Actually, I met these “Ideas” when I facilitated language through art. Colors, forms, shapes play some magic on the creative minds. Students indulge into the process and enjoy the exploration of the endless possibilities of language and art.

Creative writing is a form of art, a skill that helps the writer, lay the creative thoughts and imagination in form of words.

Art and language merged seamlessly every time in our classroom and gave birth to art pieces, creating an experience they always remember.

Why Interactive Learning?

Many times during my initial teaching sessions, I felt this question simmering within “How well did they learn today?”

In fact, I remember, when I asked a question to my Grade 4 student,

“Did you understand what we learnt today?”

He replied, “Yes, Miss, we learned that we don’t laugh and get distracted during language.”

In response to that reply, feeling shocked, I questioned back, “Why?”

He replied, “English grammar is also like Science, filled with definitions to remember, if I don’t understand it I will not score.”
This student pushed me towards the thought of interactive learning. Usually, we stick to the curriculum and textbooks.

All the teacher does is reading a chapter from a language book, asks questions, discusses answers, and BINGO! The language is learnt.

Police sketch is one activity I came across during a workshop I took up to learn “Interactive Language”.

I knew children wanted to be a part of learning, whereas most of the time then, they were apart from learning.

One of the active learning activity I often play with my students across primary grades is POLICE SKETCH

This activity helps students practice parts of speech: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Preposition and Conjunctions. It helps them to visualize things and pen it down.

It makes them understand what a reader feels when he/she reads words from the book. There are times when meaning of words and perception differs, with the tone and prepositions we use to describe it.

Prerequisite basic language skills with the knowledge of “how things can be described?”

Let the fun begin!

Here is a list of the things needed for this activity:

• Color pens/soft pastels/ water colors etc.…
• Blank drawing sheets
• Some colorful printed illustrations with characters, things and setting that can be described.

Instructions can be really simple, by demonstrating students on how to describe the pictures.

Two students sitting back to back, with one child holding the provided picture and the other with drawing materials. The pictures should not be revealed to their partners.

This can be a whole class activity in pairs. The students are given time limit during the activity, depending on language and art skills they possess.
During the given time limit one student describes the picture slowly using nouns, verbs, adjectives and preposition in complete sentences, and the other student gives shape to the description he/she hears.

Outcome

The outcome depends on how the picture was described by the partner. The colors, the character’s expressions, things around the character and actions happening in the picture are to be considered.

The student who is listening perceives it according to what he understands and visualizes, then puts it on the paper.

Accuracy can be measured in terms of placement of objects and colors, size, expressions or setting. The same is done again by exchanging the duties with a different picture unseen by the partner.

At the end of the game, students discuss with the class and share experience and feedback on what went right and how can they do it better next time.

The focus is on the language they use while describing the illustration.

“What is the right way to describe?”

When they discuss the outcome with an open mindset, and difference in opinion, and a perspective perceived differently, definitely brings about smiles and laughter!

The results leave the students with many surprising moments filled with joy and cheerfulness. They get equipped with a better understanding and appropriate ways to forward their imagination or what they see.
Hope your students enjoy the activity. Happy Teaching!

Credits Photo: © Pixabay