Cops and robbers - What do you know about the way plants grow?

In an interactive classroom activity titled 'Cops and robbers', pupils are encouraged to engage with their knowledge of plant growth in a dynamic and collaborative way. Initially, students have two minutes to jot down everything they remember about how plants grow in the 'Own recalled knowledge' column of their table. This quick recall phase is designed to activate prior learning and personal understanding of the subject matter.

Following this, the 'robbers' phase commences, where pupils are given 60 seconds to 'steal' information from their peers. During this time, they can view and borrow ideas from up to three other students' columns, adding this 'stolen knowledge' to the right side of their own table. This part of the activity not only promotes sharing of information but also encourages students to evaluate and select useful contributions from others. Each plausible statement recorded is awarded two points, incentivizing quality over quantity. The entire activity is allocated 15 minutes, blending individual recall with peer learning to enhance understanding of plant growth and the functions of different plant parts.