FCS Lesson Plan: Hexagonal Thinking for Kitchen Utensils

Picture this:

Your students are learning vocab, but you’ve realized each brings a wide variety of background knowledge. You’re trying to find ways to help everyone learn, yet still, be fun and engaging. And now, you’ve found out you’ll be evaluated on this vocabulary day.

I am a firm believer that learning happens in levels. You must build the foundation before you can build the walls, even if the foundation lines up with evaluation day. Here’s one way you can still teach vocabulary and work at the foundation level, but increase engagement and learning with higher-order thinking skills

Solution: Hexagonal Thinking! Hexagonal Thinking works in a few different parts and can be adjusted as needed for your class time, where you are in the unit, and if you plan for this activity to last more than a day.

How it works:

Choose 20-30 vocab words for the unit and write one word on each hexagon. (I’d also recommend having these hexagons cut out ahead of time). I prefer students to work in table groups, but you could have students work alone, in pairs, or in small groups.

Students then sort the hexagons making connections between the words. One center hexagon can only have 6 connections- a hexagon has 6 sides. Each connecting hexagon can have connections- similar to a molecule in chemistry.

Hexagonal Thinking

There are two types of hexagonal thinking sorts- Closed and Open

Closed sorts have predetermined teacher-made categories.

Open sorts have no right or wrong answers as long as the students can justify their thinking. My favorite part about hexagonal thinking- no right or wrong answers with this style of storting! The former elementary and junior high English teacher in me also loves this because it requires students to justify their thinking.

After sorting, students can complete a reflection explaining how the hexagons were sorted and why it is important or helpful for that particular unit.

If you’re interested in trying it in your classroom, here is a hexagonal thinking resource about basic kitchen utensils.

You can also find Kitchen Basics Hexagonal Thinking and several more hexagonal thinking FACS topics in my Taco Bout FACS TPT store.

Have you tried hexagonal thinking in your classroom? Let me know in the comments how it worked.