Six Bricks Answer Code (SBAC)
The Six Bricks Answer Code (SBAC) approach can be used across the curriculum and within all subjects.
The SBAC approach empowers teaching & learning, drives engagement and supports assessment at every age and stage.
The ‘Six Bricks Answer Code’ (SBAC) is predominantly an engagement and assessment mechanism developed by CPD College Ireland that is now being used in schools worldwide.
A Six Bricks Answer Code approach can be used across all strands and strand units of the New Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Additionally, you can so easily create hundreds of your own SBAC activities once you see how it works and get a feel for the variety of ways you can apply them in mathematics, for literacy, science, history, geography, learning within second languages, etc.
Six Bricks Answer Codes require children to correctly answer a question or series of related questions by correctly sequencing six coloured LEGO DUPLO bricks into a sequence that matches each question to a matching-coloured answer.
Typically, the children in the class are presented with six questions on the Interactive Whiteboard and six colour-coded answers. (You can also do SBAC on your front-of-class drywipe marker board using the magnetic cut-out bricks in the kit).
The task for the student is to match each question in turn, to a corresponding brick colour answer.
When they have clicked the bricks into a sequence that they believe to be the correct answer code sequence, they first of all compare their brick stacks with their neighbour to see if both stacks match. If they do, then they are most likely correct. If they don’t match, then they chat, troubleshoot together and try to work out which is wrong and why.
The teacher then reveals the correct sequence either by showing a picture of the correct answer sequence on the IWB or simply by holding up a correctly sequenced brick stack that he/she has clicked together i.e. the correct or matching SBAC – Six Bricks Answer Code.
Watch a video demonstration of SBAC in action, on the topic of time.
Remember: The questions could be generated for any aspect of number, measures, shape & space, data or algebra, and that is just for mathematics!