Hot Potato

Mode of Instruction: Teamwork           Purpose: Collaboration

Objective: To support productive struggle in learning multiple step procedures, teams grapple with mathematical problems and explain their thinking. Teacher monitors through circulation and purposeful questioning.

Students practice concepts before mastery or review multiple step problems. Teams receive one sheet of paper. Each team member is provided a different colored writing utensil. Team Member (1) records the first step of the strategy, and rotates the paper to Team Member (2). Team Member (2) corrects mistakes, explains the step aloud, and records the second step. The rotation continues until the problem is completed. Teacher decides if each team member signs the paper agreeing to everything that was written down.


  • Team uses one sheet of paper to solve a problem or practice a procedure.

  • Each team member uses a different colored writing utensil.

  • Team member (1) records the first step of the strategy.

  • The paper rotates to the next team member to correct mistakes and explain and write the next step.

  • Continue the rotation until the problem is completed.

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