Are you looking for a way to differentiate instruction in your classroom? Are you looking for a way to present different prompts to students within the same lesson? Are you looking for a way to encourage students to look at topics and concepts from different perspectives? Are you looking for a way to push students to deeper levels of thinking? Cubing is a strategy that you might try to meet any or all of these goals.
The strategy is relatively simple. Create a cube or have students create a cube that has a different question, prompt, or command on each side. (Note that you could use a regular di or number cube and just assign a number to each question or prompt.) For a particular topic, ask the student to roll the cube and then craft his or her response based on what comes up on the cube.
The strategy allows for differentiation built on a certain degree of randomness. The strategy can be applied in a variety of different content areas and can be used in different ways. Rather than explaining the strategy to death, let me provide some examples to spark your creativity in using the strategy.
CONTENT AREA: Mathematics
TOPIC: Triangles
INSTRUCTIONS: Create a question (starting with question word that you roll) for your peers to answer about anything related to the topic of triangles.
SIX QUESTIONS: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Below are some examples of questions that students might come up with:
• WHO is known as the “Father of Geometry?”
• WHAT are the three types of triangles when categorized by angle measures?
• WHERE is the hypotenuse of a right triangle located?
• WHEN two sides of a triangle are congruent, the triangle is referred to as __________.
• WHY are triangles used to construct rigid structures?
• HOW can you show that the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees?
CONTENT AREA: English/Language Arts
TOPIC: Poetry Forms – Haiku and Tanka
INSTRUCTIONS: Based on what you have learned about haiku and tanka, roll the cube and follow the directions.
SIX PROMPTS: Describe… Compare… Contrast… Analyze… Evaluate… Imagine…
Below are the six directions provided to the students:
• DESCRIBE the basic structure of haiku and the basic structure of tanka.
• COMPARE the characteristics of haiku and tanka. What do the two forms of poetry have in common?
• CONTRAST the characteristics of haiku and tanka. What are the differences between the two forms of poetry?
• Suppose you are given the following haiku: “Spring / Water runs down stream. / Fish swimming with the current. / Life moving along.” ANALYZE the message presented in the poem. Why do you think the poem is entitled “Spring”?
• EVALUATE the pros and cons of using either haiku or tanka as a poetic form.
• Write a haiku on a topic of your choice. Trade your poem with someone else. IMAGINE (and write down) the next two lines if you were to transform the haiku into a tanka.
CONTENT AREA: Biology
TOPIC: Systems of the Human Body
INSTRUCTIONS: Randomly select one of the two cubes. Roll the chosen cube and develop a brief PowerPoint presentation that describes the characteristics of the system. (Note that a rubric or more directions should be provided to clarify the expectations for the presentation.)
SIX SYSTEMS: Circulatory; Digestive; Endocrine; Integumentary; Lymphatic; Muscular
SIX SYSTEMS: Nervous; Renal; Reproductive; Respiratory; Skeletal; Your Choice
CONTENT AREA: Physics
TOPIC: Newton’s Laws
INSTRUCTIONS: Roll the cube with the three laws to determine which law to focus on. For the identified law, roll the second cube and follow the directions.
THREE LAWS: 1st Law (written on 2 sides); 2nd Law (written on 2 sides); 3rd Law (written on 2 sides)
SIX PROMPTS: State… Describe… Apply… Analyze… Justify… Create…
Below are the six directions provided to the students:
• STATE the law.
• DESCRIBE the meaning of the law in your own words.
• Suppose that an ice skater is standing next to the boards on a skating rink (assume that the surface is friction free). The ice skater pushes off of the boards and moves in a straight line. APPLY the selected law to the scenario.
• Suppose that you are a passenger in a car. The driver suddenly hits the brakes and the car comes to a stop. Wisely, you were wearing your seatbelt and are safe. ANALYZE an aspect of the situation (e.g., the passenger’s motion, the function of the seatbelt, etc.) from the perspective of the selected law.
• JUSTIFY why the law is important.
• CREATE a demonstration that illustrates the law.
CONTENT AREA: Psychology
TOPIC: Psychological Perspectives
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the case study (provide students with a case study of your choice). Roll the cube and analyze the scenario according to the perspective that was rolled.
EIGHT PERSPECTIVES (use an eight-sided number cube): Behavioral; Psychoanalytic; Biopsychological; Humanistic; Cognitive; Socio-cultural; Health; Evolutionary
CONTENT AREA: Foreign Language (Spanish)
TOPIC: Conjugating Verbs
INSTRUCTIONS: You will be given a verb. Roll the cube. Conjugate the verb into the present tense form based on the performer of the verb shown on the cube. Use the conjugated verb to create a sentence.
SIX PERFORMERS: Yo… Tu… El/Ella/Usted… Nosotros/Nosotras… Vosotros/Vosotras… Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes…