With your board full of ideas from “Idea Dump Day,” it’s time to start narrowing down the list. I keep things lively with a method that keeps everyone on their toes.
- Round 1: Top 10 Vote
Each student gets a notecard and writes down their top 10 favorite ideas from the board. When they’re done, I announce the twist—any idea that didn’t make it onto a student’s list gets crossed off the board right then and there! This “cut-throat elimination” moment brings new energy, as students get excited to see the list shrink. - Round 2: Refine the Favorites
With the remaining ideas, students write a fresh list of their top 10, knowing they need to keep voting for ideas they feel strongly about. This phase cuts the list down even further. If we still have too many, I’ll reduce their votes to 5 choices. Typically, we’re down to about 15-20 ideas by the end. - Round 3: Mini Presentations
Now it’s time for students to make the case for their favorites. Each student selects their top 3 themes and creates an ad or Google Slide presentation covering key details: potential plot, puzzle ideas, decorations, and any other fun elements they’d include. They can choose to present themselves or have me present on their behalf. After each presentation, we talk only about what we like about the idea. Anything that doesn’t get a presentation is crossed off. - Round 4: Final Presentations and Vote
Now students pick just one theme to present in the final round. I group similar themes together, so we can really dive into each concept and compare different takes on the same idea. After all presentations, we hold a blind vote. By now, a clear favorite usually emerges, but if needed, we discuss the pros and cons and then vote again.
This process keeps students involved and invested while bringing us closer to a final theme everyone’s excited about.
*Spoiler alert! My class ended up with a Philly Sports theme this year. This was one of the slides that helped seal the deal. All the information started to get the group talking about different ideas they could put in the room. I will continue to talk about this room as we complete it this year.
