This activity is designed in the style of the NewYorkTimes “Connections” game and applied to the AQA Sociology ‘Media’ specification for AQA.

The resource includes 5 connection boards, with 5 connection board answers (see image for example)

Students must sort the items into four groups of four, identifying the links between them. The challenge encourages learners to think about how different parts of the specification connect with one another.

This activity is particularly useful preparation for the 10-mark “Outline and explain” questions, where students need to draw explicit connections between different areas of the course rather than writing about isolated points. By practicing with this game, students build confidence in:

• Making analytical links between perspectives and evidence.
• Recognising overlaps across themes
• Structuring short essay responses more effectively, to show a logical chain of reasoning

The task can be used as:

• A starter or plenary to review key ideas.
• A revision game to consolidate links across topics.
• A collaborative group task, encouraging discussion and justification of choices.

The activity can be scafollded by either providing the titles of each connection or having students to try and decide what the connections are themselves.