Story Cubes

Explain that students will work in pairs or small groups for 10 minutes to create and share story cubes. Distribute a Story Cube Template handout to each pair or group of students, and explain to students how they will spend the 10 minutes: During the first 3 minutes, each group will sketch images or words that relate to the unit theme on their cube faces. They’ll spend the next 5 minutes cutting, folding, and constructing their cubes. In the final 2 minutes, groups will roll their cubes with neighboring teams. When a face lands up, students will share a microstory (lasting no more than 30 seconds) by first describing what’s on their cube face, then connecting it to the unit concept, and finally explaining why they included that particular element on their cube.