Check out what’s in

Mrs. Brosseau’s Binder

Physics þ Astronomy þ Chemistry þ Biology
Credits & Copyright
© Michelle Brosseau, Mrs. Brosseau’s Binder
All rights reserved by author.
This product is to be used by the original purchaser only.
Copying for more than one teacher or classroom, or for an entire department, school, or school
system is prohibited unless additional licenses are purchased for each teacher.
This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view, uploaded to school or
district websites, distributed via email, or submitted to file sharing sites such as Dropbox or Google
Drive. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA).
Intended for single classroom and personal use only.

Want to share?
1. Have them buy you lunch or a coffee (or both!).
2. Go to “My Purchases” on TpT.
3. Find this resource.
4. Click “Purchase Additional Licenses”.
5. Purchase an additional license at a reduced cost for your co-worker.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each co-worker you share with.
7. Everybody wins! ☺

Sign up for my free email list

that contains teaching tips,
store updates, and
FREE resources!

Sign up Here!

Mrs. Brosseau’s Binder

 Teacher Instructions: Example Connections:
Materials:
▫ scissors ▫ instructions, hexagons, arrows for each group
▫ glue/tape ▫ large paper to glue/tape pieces comets
▫ pencils or pens for each student
CONNECTION Uranus &
2 versions of hexagonal thinking puzzles are included. Use All are located in the outer solar system. Neptune
what works best for your students.
Advanced Puzzle: 25 terms + 5 blank hexagons
This puzzle includes a step in which students write
Pluto
additional terms on the 5 blank hexagons and find
the connections
Intermediate Puzzle: 20 terms + 0 blank hexagons
Note: You can also create a basic puzzle by using the
intermediate puzzle and removing some terms. Example Prompts
Allow students to guide their own conversations, but if
Suggested use: needed, here are some sample prompts to get
1. Use the hexagonal thinking activity towards the end of students thinking more critically about the
the unit of study, or prior to the midterm or exam as connections they are making.
retrieval practice and test preparation.
2. Randomly assign students in groups of 3. “What is the connection between … and …?”
3. Distribute 3 pages to each group: student instructions,
hexagonal pieces, and arrows. In addition, provide
one large paper for students to glue or tape their “How might … connect with your current
hexagons and arrows to. arrangement?”
4. As students are making connections, circulate and
listen to their conversations. Let students converse with “Is there a stronger connection you can find to
one another and encourage them to use the example include … ?”
discussion starters on the instruction page.
5. To consolidate, have students present their final
arrangement, or, have students display their work and “Where is your weakest connection currently?”
have students circulate through each arrangement in
a gallery walk. “What connection do you disagree with?”
(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder
 Learning Goal: Example Connections:
Practice retrieval and critical thinking by making
connections between the terms.
comets
Instructions:
CONNECTION Uranus &
1. Cut out the hexagons.
2. Read the terms on the hexagons. All are located in the outer solar system. Neptune
3. Find a connection between two of the
hexagons and explain that connection to your Pluto
group members. To show that two terms are
connected, place those hexagons with sides
touching.
4. Continue finding new connections and
building on those connections, discussing the Example Discussion Starters
connections with your group. This will involve
organizing and re-organizing the hexagons. “This connects to… because…”
Some hexagons may only have one
connection, while others may have up to six “I agree with… because…”
connections.
5. Write in relevant terms on the blank hexagons “What evidence do you have for this claim?”
to make additional connections.
6. When the group agrees with the arrangement, “Please clarify the connection between…”
glue or tape the pieces to a paper, and
explain the connections by writing on the “Tell me about the relationship between…”
arrows or directly on the paper.
“I disagree with this idea… because…”
Note:
There is no one correct arrangement of the “We have reached an agreement that…”
hexagons. Hexagons may be arranged into
multiple groups. “In addition to your point, I noticed…”
(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder
 heart brain stomach bones kidneys

spinal
lungs veins arteries tendons
cord

large small
liver muscles ligaments
intestine intestine

gas
capillaries trachea esophagus bladder
exchange

lymph peripheral
hormones thymus spleen
nodes nerves

(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder

 CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION
Cut along the lines to create arrows,
CONNECTION on which you will explain the
connection between terms.

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder

 Learning Goal: Example Connections:
Practice retrieval and critical thinking by making
connections between the terms.
comets
Instructions:
CONNECTION Uranus &
1. Cut out the hexagons.
2. Read the terms on the hexagons. All are located in the outer solar system. Neptune
3. Find a connection between two of the
hexagons and explain that connection to your Pluto
group members. To show that two terms are
connected, place those hexagons with sides
touching.
4. Continue finding new connections and
building on those connections, discussing the Example Discussion Starters
connections with your group. This will involve
organizing and re-organizing the hexagons. “This connects to… because…”
Some hexagons may only have one
connection, while others may have up to six “I agree with… because…”
connections.
5. When the group agrees with the arrangement, “What evidence do you have for this claim?”
glue or tape the pieces to a paper, and
explain the connections by writing on the “Please clarify the connection between…”
arrows or directly on the paper.
“Tell me about the relationship between…”
Note:
There is no one correct arrangement of the “I disagree with this idea… because…”
hexagons. Hexagons may be arranged into
multiple groups. “We have reached an agreement that…”

“In addition to your point, I noticed…”

(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder
 heart brain stomach bones kidneys

spinal
lungs veins arteries tendons
cord

large small
liver muscles ligaments
intestine intestine

gas
capillaries trachea esophagus bladder
exchange

(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder

 CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION
Cut along the lines to create arrows,
CONNECTION on which you will explain the
connection between terms.

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

CONNECTION

(c) Mrs Brosseau's Binder