Hey there, Creative Teacher,

Welcome! I’m so glad you’re going to try hexagonal

thinking.

I suggest you get started by watching this quick

(and super helpful) video introduction I collaborated on
with Edutopia that shows you how to use this creative,
critical thinking strategy.

In this digital toolkit, you’ll find templates, examples,

and student instructions to help you easily get started
in your class with hexagonal thinking.

Want to see even more examples?

Check out this roundup I wrote for We Are Teachers with 13 photo examples.

Want to learn more about different ways of using this creative strategy?
(There are so many!)

Check out this post:

5 Creative Ways to use Hexagonal Thinking.

Want to try hexagonal one-pagers? That’s next level!

Here’s how.

I hope you’ll enjoy exploring hexagonal thinking with your students.

Take care,
Betsy (from Spark Creativity) - [email protected]
To use this template, create your list of terms by clicking into
each term box and changing the moveable text. Your Hexagonal thinking is a simple method that
students will drag and drop the terms, but not the hexagons. yields big critical thinking results. Kids take
Then copy the instructions, template with terms, and
explanations slide into a new series of slides for your a set of hexagons with varied terms,
students - individually, in pairs or groups. If you wish, you can concepts, themes, real-world connections,
choose to have groups copy their final webs into a
collaborative slideshow in the last few minutes so everyone etc. that relate to your current unit of study,
can see everyone else’s webs. You could take time for them and then link them together into an
to present briefly as well.
interconnected web. In pairs, groups, or
even alone, they must use their critical
To use this template, create your list of terms by clicking into
thinking skills to decide which hexagons
each term box and changing the moveable text. Your students link best to which others.
will be able to drag and drop the terms, as well as move and
rotate the hexagons and connection arrows. Then copy the
instructions, template with terms, and explanations slide into a This can be done with paper hexagons or
new series of slides for your students - individually, in pairs or
groups. If you wish, you can choose to have groups copy their
with hexagons online.
final webs into a collaborative slideshow in the last few
minutes so everyone can see everyone else’s webs. You
could take time for them to present briefly as well.
The key, in the end, will be that students
are able to explain and argue for the order
they have placed their hexagons in. They
can write about key connections, fill in and
To use this template, create your list of terms by clicking into place connection arrows, or present back to
each term box and changing the moveable text. Your students the class about their choices.
will be able to drag and drop the terms, as well as move and
rotate the hexagons and connection arrows. Then copy the
instructions, template with terms, and explanations slide into a In this toolkit, you’ll find the moving parts
new series of slides for your students - individually, in pairs or
groups. If you wish, you can choose to have groups copy their you need to get started with digital
final webs into a collaborative slideshow in the last few hexagonal thinking in your class.
minutes so everyone can see everyone else’s webs. You
could take time for them to present briefly as well.
Example Set-Up
Terms
1984
Orwell
Truthiness
McCarthyism
Big Brother
Cold War
Winston
Surveillance
Online
Privacy
Julia
Communism
O’Brien
Marx
Stalin
Fear
The U.S.
Doublethink
Thoughtcrime
Example Web
Online
Terms
Privacy

Doublethink Surveillance

1984 The U.S.

Truthiness Orwell McCarthyism

Thoughtcrime
Fear Cold War

Winston Communism Big Brother

O’Brien Marx

Julia Stalin
Example
Explanations

Connection #1 (Truthiness + Doublethink): Colbert’s concept of “Truthiness”, which later evolved into “post-truth,”
connects well to the idea of Doublethink from 1984. In Doublethink, someone has to push their real knowledge and
beliefs to the side so they can believe what the party says they should. With “truthiness,” people believe whatever
they want to be true, without any evidence to support their opinion. With both concepts, reality is divorced from real
truth.

Connection #2 (McCarthyism + Big Brother): In Orwell’s fictional world, everyone knows they’re being watched.
Big Brother (a.k.a. the spies and secret police of the party) is everywhere, and the citizens of the sad dystopia have
little chance of hope to overthrow him. During the era of McCarthyism, communism was so feared in the United
States that the opposite of Orwell’s dystopia took place. Instead of everyone being watched for betrayal of
communism, everyone was watched for evidence of communism. Either way, it’s an attack on personal freedom.

Connection #3 (Fear + Communism): While it seems like most countries turn to communism in hopes of equality
for all, the picture Orwell paints (and which seems to bear out in reality) is a world in which a few wield power and
everyone else lives in fear of seeming not to tow the line. Secret police, secret ministries, and secret wealth seem to
cling to communism, no matter how many countries (fictional or real) try to put their own spin on it.

Connection #4 (Surveillance + Online Privacy): While Orwell paints a horrific picture of how everyone in Winston’s
world is watched by O’Brien and his team, surveillance of people’s personal choices and data is still very much in
play in the United States today. Government agencies and companies have the ability to mine the internet for so
much information about us, and few people really know how to keep their online actions private.

Connection #5 (Orwell + Fear): Orwell’s book, 1984, reflects an extreme fear of communism and a dreadful warning
to the citizens of the world of what he thinks will happen if communism ever reaches their borders. The argument is
so compelling, and some of the ideas he weaves into it mirror things that have really happened so closely, that it’s
easy to see this book almost as nonfiction. But it’s not. It’s a fictional story that creates a deep fear of communism, a
fear that Orwell undoubtedly felt as he wrote it.
#1 Create your Web of Ideas
In hexagonal thinking, you connect terms and ideas through the sides of each hexagon. A hexagon has six sides, therefore each term or
concept CAN connect to up to six others. Use your critical thinking to decide where the terms you have been given best fit in the web of
hexagons provided. Your goal is to drag each term to the position where it BEST fits within the overall web. You could connect any given
term to several others, but be intentional with your placement. Make the most important connections your priority. You will not use every
hexagon. Leave gaps where it makes sense.
#2 Explain your Connections
Once you’ve decided where each concept should go, you should be ready to explain its placement. In the slide following your web, choose
five of your most significant connections and explain each one with a paragraph.
Terms
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM

TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
TERM
Connection #1 (term + term):

Connection #2 (term + term):

Connection #3 (term + term):

Connection #4 (term + term):

Connection #5 (term + term):

 TER
MS
Performance
Poetry
Poetry Slam

Storytelling
Culture

Xiomara

Intonation
Elizabeth
Acevedo
The Poet X

Novel in Verse

Rebellion
Integrity
#1 #2 #3
Long Way
Down
#4 #5

Religion

Identity Example Set-Up

TER
#3 Novel in Verse
MS Intonation

Long Way
Poetry Slam
Down

Performance
Poetry
#5
Storytelling The Poet X
Culture
#4
Elizabeth Identity
Acevedo

Xiomara #1

#2 Rebellion

Integrity

Religion
Example Web
 Example
Explanations

Connection #1: Xiomara, Identity, and Rebellion connect perfectly. Xiomara keeps trying to push to figure out who she
is and what she wants, but she lives in a household that forces many ideas onto her that she wants to reject. By
rebelling, she is able to begin to define her identity.

Connection #2: Similarly, Xiomara, Rebellion, and Integrity are an essential trio. If Xiomara continued to live without
rebelling against the strict constructs her family has placed on her, she couldn’t be her real self. She would lose her
integrity and her identity would be affected by her failure to explore what really matters to her. IT is only through
rebellion that she is able to keep her integrity.

Connection #3: The Poet X and Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down are both examples of novels in verse. Because
Elizabeth Acevedo is a performance poet, and so is Xiomara, the style of the book is a fluid extension of some of its
themes and characterization. Acevedo and Reynolds stand out as two of the most prolific of the novel-in-verse authors
now sharing their work in this relatively new genre.

Connection #4: Because Acevedo was a performance poet first, her book, The Poet X, is a natural extension of her
earlier career. Written in verse, about a poet, by a poet, there is a strong emphasis on the power of poetry rippling
through its pages.

Connection #5: As Xiomara struggles to define herself separately from her family, and to walk her own path, it’s
interesting that the novel about her journey is called “The Poet X.” Not “The Poet Xiomara.” Her identity is still
unfolding, and the mysterious nature of “The Poet X” fits that well.
#1 Create your Web of Ideas

In hexagonal thinking, you connect terms and ideas through the sides of each hexagon. A hexagon has six sides, therefore each term or
concept CAN connect to up to six others. Use your critical thinking to decide where the terms you have been given best fit in the web of
hexagons provided. Your goal is to drag each term onto a hexagon in the position where it BEST fits within the overall web. You could
connect any given term to several others, but be intentional with your placement. Make the most important connections your priority.

You have many moving parts here! Drag the hexagons and terms in first. Then drag the arrows in to point at your most interesting
connections and number them for your connection explanations.

#2 Explain your Connections

Once you’ve decided where each concept should go, you should be ready to explain its placement. In the slide following your web, explain
the connection which each arrow is pointing to in a paragraph demonstrating your critical thinking. This might be a connection between
many hexagons or just two.
TER
MS
Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term

Term #1 #2 #3
Term
#4 #5
Term

Term

Term
Connection #1: :

Connection #2:

Connection #3:

Connection #4:

Connection #5:
 TER
Carbon
MS
Dioxide
Greenhouse
Gases
Emissions
Fossil Fuels
Sea Level
Rise
Renewable
Energy
Global
Warming
Climate
Change
UNFCC
Mitigation
Paris ONE
Accords
TWO
Ice Caps
THREE
Polar Bears
Alternative
FOUR
Energy FIVE
EXAMPLE SET-UP
Methane
 EXAMPLE WEB
TER
MS Carbon Renewable
Dioxide
Energy O
TW
ONE FOUR Mitigation

Paris Alternative
Fossil Fuels Agreement Energy
Climate
Emissions Change UNFCC

TH
Greenhouse

RE
Gases

E
Global Methane
Warming
FIVE Ice Caps

Polar Bears Sea Level

Rise
 EXAMPLE
EXPLANATIONS

Connection #1: When you burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is released into the air. While the existence of carbon
dioxide in our atmosphere is natural, and our forests can help mitigate its negative effects, the combination of burning
through our fossil fuels so quickly at the same time that we are clearcutting huge amounts of forests on the earth has
led us to global warming.

Connection #2: There are many strategies we could be taking to help mitigate the effects of global warming and
climate change. Alternative energies provide one option, which is being explored by many companies but not on the
level we need to stop climate change. To truly mitigate the effects of our fossil fuels, we need to pour more money into
the possibility of alternative energy and prioritize it as a concept in a way that most countries just aren’t doing yet.

Connection #3: The Paris Agreement seemed, for a while, to be a highly important step on the path towards stopping
climate change. Many nations came together to set out goals for mitigation, and the international collaboration gave
many people hope that something would change. However, the U.S. withdrew from its agreement soon after, lessening
hopes that the U.S. would prioritize alternative energy and mitigation.

Connection #4: Large scale initiatives worldwide like the Paris Agreement have the potential to lead to prioritizing
renewable energy sources and amped up funding for alternative energy companies. However, with the U.S. leaving the
Paris Agreement, this new frontier in energy still isn’t a high priority in this country.

Connection #5: The melting ice caps and stranded polar bears are one of the most easily photographable, definable
outcomes of rising temperatures and overall climate change in recent years. While there are many other pieces of
evidence of the way our earth is being affected, polar bears are the fuzzy mascots helping children, and others who
might not otherwise dive into the science otherwise, sit up and take notice. If unchecked, global warming will affect
farmore species than polar bears, and it already is.
#1 Create your Web of Ideas

In hexagonal thinking, you connect terms and ideas through the sides of each hexagon. A hexagon has six sides, therefore each term or
concept CAN connect to up to six others. Use your critical thinking to decide where the terms you have been given best fit in the web of
hexagons provided. Your goal is to drag each term onto a hexagon in the position where it BEST fits within the overall web. You could
connect any given term to several others, but be intentional with your placement. Make the most important connections your priority.

You have many moving parts here! Drag the hexagons and terms in first. Then drag the arrows in to point at your most interesting
connections and number them for your connection explanations.

#2 Explain your Connections

Once you’ve decided where each concept should go, you should be ready to explain its placement. In the slide following your web, explain
the connection which each arrow is pointing to in a paragraph demonstrating your critical thinking. This might be a connection between
many hexagons or just two.
TER
MS
Term

Term
Term
Term
Term

Term
Term

Term
Term

Term
Term
Term ONE
Term TWO
Term THREE
FOUR
Term
FIVE
Thanks for choosing curriculum designed
by Spark Creativity.
Please remember that this curriculum is for your own personal
creative classroom use. It’s protected by the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act. Thanks!

Looking for more creative ideas for your ELA classroom? Check
out the hundred plus quick-and-easy workshops on
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast.

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