Although you may not think of playing Scrabble as an act of writing, when you play the game, you are engaged in the process of composing words. Scrabble not only benefits your writing by building your word power, it also cultivates critical thinking and creative problem solving.
On future Fridays, keep your journal at hand to make note of any details of the game that you may want to address on Monday. You will collaborate again with your Friday group for a short post-game debriefing.
Questions to address in your debriefing include these:
- Did you learn any new words from your teammate or from your opponent? If so, what were they?
- What plays involved analyzing multiple options? Did your team opt not to make the highest-scoring play possible in order to either (1) block your opponent, or (2) keep letters that might be enable you to score more points later?
- Where did creative problem-solving figure in the game? If your team had a rack of all consonants or vowels (or almost all consonants or vowels), how were you able to advance the game by playing only one or two letters?
- What was the largest number of words formed in a single play and what were they?
You will have the opportunity to draw on the notes that you write during Scrabble games and debriefings when you compose your midterm reflection for the course.
Next Up
For next Wednesday, January 19, read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and write in your journal a one-paragraph summary followed by a one-paragraph response. You do not need to print a copy of King’s essay. I will distribute copies for us to examine in class.
Jane Lucas 