Materials
Gather these before class.
- Pre-made hexagon cards (15-20 per group)
- Large paper or workspace
- Markers for drawing connection lines
- Blank hexagons for adding ideas
Ready-to-use classroom activity
Hexagonal Thinking
Students arrange hexagon-shaped cards containing concepts, quotes, or ideas to show connections, explaining why touching hexagons relate to each other.
Grade range
6th Grade – 12th Grade
Works across
ScienceEnglishHistory
Activity style
CollaborativeVisualAnalytical
Classroom walkthrough
See it in practice
One concrete example you can borrow, adapt, or teach as written.
Example lesson context
Analyzing Themes in Literature (English - 9th Grade)
Preparation
What to have ready before students begin.
Create hexagon cards with key concepts, character names, quotes, symbols, and themes from the text. Include some that connect obviously and some that require deeper thinking. Cut hexagons from cardstock.
Run the activity
A classroom-ready sequence from launch to follow-up.
1
Distribute hexagon sets to groups of 3-4 students. Each hexagon has a concept related to 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'
2
Explain: 'Hexagons that touch must be connected. You must be able to explain the connection.'
3
Start with one hexagon in the center (e.g., 'Innocence').
4
Take turns adding hexagons. When you place one, explain the connection to its neighbors.
5
Example: 'I'm placing Scout next to Innocence because she represents childhood innocence that gets challenged.'
6
All connections must be justified. Group can challenge weak connections.
7
Continue until all hexagons are placed or group decides some don't fit.
8
Use blank hexagons to add concepts the group thinks are missing.
9
When complete, trace the most important connections with marker and write brief explanations.
10
Gallery walk: Groups explain their arrangements to visitors.
Differentiate
Adjust the activity without losing its core purpose.
Pre-connect some hexagons for struggling groups. Include definition hints on back of cards for ELLs. Challenge advanced students by including hexagons from other texts to find cross-textual connections.
Look for learning
Use these signals to assess understanding.
Photograph final arrangements. Evaluate explanation quality for connections. Look for non-obvious connections that show deep thinking. Compare different groups' arrangements.