When teaching Food Chain vocabulary terms, the Connect Two strategy is an excellent way to get kids thinking! Traditionally, teachers ask for a sentence and definition for 10 new words, so there are no connections kids have to make and no critical thinking. With the Connect Two strategy, students are challenged to make connections. They’re using the words on an analytical level, and making connections to them before they encounter them in the new reading (or movie, in our case). This works well for vocabulary surrounding the food chains as the chains themselves are all about connections. If the Connect Two activity is done in pairs, learners have the bonus of thinking it through and communicating their ideas to each other.

In order to do a Connect Two with new food chain vocabulary words, use the model “_____and _____ are connected because ______.” Students connect any two words in any way that makes sense to them. This activity is good for differentiating instruction, since students can contribute sentences on any level while thinking analytically about the words.

Source: Bev Fine, BrainPOP