Pass It On

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Collect and compare diverse peer perspectives on a shared prompt through silent parallel writing before verbal discussion.

Use it when: Use after a content presentation, discussion, or workshop segment to process key insights without verbal interruption.

Skip it when: Skip when participants are not comfortable reading or writing, or when the session urgently requires physical movement.

Group arrangement: Table groups of 3 to 6 participants seated together; odd totals split into tables of 3 to 5

Timing: UWT standard 16-minute plan matching CASEL six-box rotation and debrief

Materials and tools

• One blank sheet of paper (letter or A4) per participant
• One pen or pencil per participant
• A visible countdown timer

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating into tables or clusters of 3 to 6 participants with writing surfaces.
2. Distribute one sheet of blank paper and a writing pen to each seat.
3. Write the central prompt on a front board or display screen.

Say this to open

We will reflect on our work silently on paper. Make a grid of two rows and three columns on your sheet, giving six boxes. Put your name in Box 1 at the top left. Under your name, write one key idea or takeaway from our work so far. We will then pass the papers around your table so writers can read prior notes and add new ideas without repeating what is already there. At smaller tables, you may revisit a sheet, including your own; add a fresh idea when that happens.

How to run it

1. Fold, label, and write initial thought 3 minutes

   Speak the opening script. Have each person fold their paper once horizontally and vertically into thirds, like a letter, to create two rows and three columns (six boxes); drawing the six-box grid is also fine. Ask participants to write their name and one main insight in Box 1 (top left). Keep the room completely silent. Sound a chime when the 3 minutes end.

2. Silent passing rounds 8 minutes

   Pass sheets to the left. Read the received sheet and add a new, non-repeated idea in its next empty box. Signal a pass every 90 seconds for five rounds, filling Boxes 2 through 6. At tables of 3 to 5, writers revisit sheets, including their own. Add a fresh entry on each revisit. Five rounds produce five added entries, not contributions from five different peers.

3. Return and review 2 minutes

   Instruct everyone to return each paper to its original owner. Participants spend two minutes reading the five added contributions on their own sheet in silence.

4. Plenary debrief 3 minutes

   Reconvene the full room. Call on two or three volunteers to share one idea from their completed sheet that expanded or challenged their initial thinking.

Debrief questions

• What did you learn from reading your sheet once all six boxes were filled?
• Which idea on your sheet pushed or extended your initial thinking?
• Where did your table generate similar ideas across different sheets?

Finished output: A completed six-box worksheet per participant containing their initial takeaway alongside five added contributions.

Remote

Organize participants into breakout groups of 3 to 6. For each breakout group, provide a shared slide deck where each slide represents one participant and contains six labeled boxes. Participants type their starting idea into Box 1 of their assigned slide. Every 90 seconds, the facilitator broadcasts a timer alert directing participants to advance to the next slide (for example, slide 6 moves to slide 1) to read prior boxes and add a new idea until all six boxes are full. Move cyclically through the actual number of slides in the group. Complete five rounds, even when that revisits a slide or returns you to your own; add a new entry in the next empty box each time.

Hybrid

In-person participants pass physical paper at their tables. Remote participants work in breakout rooms on digital slide decks with six boxes per slide. Set the central timer for both groups. During the plenary debrief, alternate between one comment from the room and one comment from the online participants.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may dictate ideas to a partner or use personal speech-to-text on a mobile device if writing by hand presents a barrier.
• Participants may pass without writing a new concept by adding an affirming mark or a brief clarifying example to an existing point.

If the session gets stuck

A participant cannot think of a new idea during later passing rounds.

Direct them to write a concrete real-world example or practical application of an earlier entry rather than leaving the box empty.

A table has fewer than 6 participants (for example, 3 or 4 people).

Complete five passing rounds, adding a fresh contribution to the next empty box each time. At smaller tables, participants may revisit other sheets or receive their own before all rounds finish. Revisits and self turns are allowed; the five added entries do not have to come from five different peers.

Terms used here

• SEL: Social and Emotional Learning, a set of practices focused on self-awareness, reflection, and collaborative skills.