Partner Drawing Challenge

Lead a fun activity in which students have to work collaboratively with a partner to recreate a drawing!
Ages 11-18 / 30
min Activity
Diplomacy
Perspective Taking
Kindness
Art

Objectives

  • Pair up with a partner, and act as a “guide” or “artist” to recreate a drawing without the ability to ask questions or seek clarification 
  • Set norms around respectful communication, then participate in a second round in which questions are allowed, and collaboration and empathy are emphasized 
  • Reflect on how their experiences were different between the first and second rounds 

Supporting Research

Research shows that active and compassionate listening facilitates positive social interactions and fosters deeper understanding between participants, leading to a desire for future interactions and forming the foundation for friendship. During this activity, educators should encourage students to practice diplomacy, perspective taking, and kindness during the second round of the activity, and show sensitivity towards their partner’s emotions, try to anticipate challenges that their partner might encounter, and show respect for them.

To learn more about these skills, and how they promote students’ healthy growth and the development of empathy, please check out our Empathy Framework.

Materials

Activity Partners

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Round 1

  1. Pair up students, and assign one person to be the “guide”, and one person to be the “artist”. Try to pair up students who don’t typically work together. 

    Each guide and artist should sit facing each other. 
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  2. Distribute one of the images in this packet to each guide, who should keep the paper in a place where the artist cannot see the image. Then, give a piece of paper and pencil to each artist. 

    Using only verbal communication (i.e., no hand gestures), the guide should instruct the artist on how to recreate the drawing on their piece of paper. The guide can describe the shapes in the image, and their measurements and placement, but they cannot share hints about the image that is being drawn. Instructions should be simple, and can only be shared once. The guide should not see the drawing before it is completed.

    For example, the guide might say: 
    • Draw four small circles in a row across the middle of the paper, with each one touching the circle (or circles) next to it.

    But, they cannot say: 
    • Draw a caterpillar made up of four circles. 

    The artist should listen carefully and try to interpret the instructions accurately to draw the image, but they cannot ask questions or seek clarification. 
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  3. Set a timer for 5 minutes for the artist to complete the drawing. After the drawing is complete, the artist should show their picture to the guide, and compare the drawn image with the original. 

    Then, ask each pair to discuss the following questions, and invite a few students to share their experiences with the rest of the class: 
    • As the guide, what was the most challenging part of your role? What was the most challenging part if you were the artist?
    • What strategies were helpful in your role as either the guide or the artist?
    • What was something helpful that your partner did? 
    • What is something that helped you and your partner complete the challenge?
    • Did you experience any moments of frustration? What happened, and how did you handle these challenges?
    • How accurate was your drawing compared to the original image? What factors contributed to the accuracy or inaccuracy?

Round 2

  1. Ask each pair to swap roles, and distribute one of the images in this packet to each guide, who should place the paper in a place where the artist cannot see the image. Note: this packet is different from the packet from the first round!

    Then, give a piece of paper and pencil to each artist. 
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  2. As in the previous round, the guide can only use verbal communication, and they cannot share any hints about the final image or see the drawing before it is completed. 

    However, for this second round, students are allowed to ask questions and repeat the instructions. 

    Additionally, set some norms around respectful communication and empathy. For example: 
    • The artist should practice active listening by listening carefully to the guide, and asking questions to clarify their instructions.
    • The guide should use positive and encouraging language. They should share clear instructions with the artist, and anticipate any challenges or areas of confusion for them.
    • Both partners should be patient and kind towards each other, with a shared goal of creating an accurate drawing together. 
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  3. Set a timer for 5 minutes for the artist to complete the drawing. After the drawing is complete, the artist should show their picture to the guide, and compare the drawn image with the original. 

    Then, ask each pair to discuss the following questions, and invite a few students to share their experiences with the rest of the class: 
    • Was your experience during the second round different from the first round? Why? 
    • Did the norms change your experience? If so, how?
    • What was something helpful that your partner did? 
    • What is something that helped you and your partner complete the challenge?
    • How accurate was your drawing compared to the original image? What factors contributed to the accuracy or inaccuracy?

If students in both classes have individual devices (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.)...

Use a platform such as Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams which allows you to screen-share during a video call. 
One educator should set up the Kahoot! game and share the code with students in both classes by following this tutorial about using Kahoot! in a remote learning environment, and share their screen so everyone can follow along.

If students in either class don’t have individual devices...

Follow the same instructions above, with one educator starting the game and sharing their screen so both classes can follow along.  
Instead of students joining the game to answer the questions, they can hold up their fingers, call out their answer, or use a paper template to indicate their response.

If you prefer not using Kahoot!...

Use this document (Spanish version) to prompt students.