***Teachers, please sign my guestbook!   Put any ideas that have worked for you in your classroom so that we can all share in this discussion.  Feel free to share ideas for multiple classroom settings.  I would love to see ideas for elementary classrooms all the way through high school!  Likewise, share ideas for any subject!

 My Guestbook


Ideas For Use In The Classroom

Four Corners Activity: 

 

Students read four different quotations or points of view placed on paper pinned to each of the four corners of the classroom.  They analyze which quote or point of view they agree with most and stand over by the quotation/point of view.  Then, they discuss with others in the same corner as to why they picked the same quotation/point of view.  They combine their opinions to formulate a response to state to the class.

 

Literal/Figurative Meanings of Idioms:

Students illustrate the literal and figurative meanings of idioms after choosing an idiom from a list.

 

Rotation:

Students are in six groups, and rotate between three stations (ten minutes each). The stations have worksheets with discussion questions (each student fills out his/her own) and students are exposed to pictures at one station, songs at another and poetry at another.  All poems, pictures and songs have to do with the same theme.

 

 

Assessment Tool to use during Learning:

 

Students show the number of fingers on a scale, with 1 being lowest and 5 being the highest.  How well do I know this?

 

  1. I know it so well I could explain it to anyone.
  1. I can do it alone.
  1. I need some help.
  1. I could use more practice.
  1. I’m only beginning.

 

 

Reflections After Learning:

 

Wraparounds

1.      Participants form a circle.

2.      Each individual takes a turn telling..

a.       Something he will use from information or activities learned today.

b.      Something he will remember today.

c.       A significant AHA! from this lesson.

Talking Topic

1.      Form A/B partners

2.      A tells a fact to B

3.      B gives another fact back

4.      Partners keep swapping facts back and forth.

 

Conversation Circles

            Form a conversation circle with a group of three students.  The following is a way to use circles to improve communication.

1.      Individuals assume A, B, or C names.

2.      “A” starts talking and continues until given signal

3.      “B” continues with the topic

4.      Then “C” picks up the topic

5.      Continue until there are no more facts or ideas to add to the topic.

 

Donut

            Draw a donut shape.

1.      On the outside, write “I am learning.”

2.      On the inside, write, “I know.”

 

Rotation Reflection

1.      Post charts around the room with a related topic written on each sheet.

2.      Small groups gather at each location to give ideas and views on the chart topic.

3.      A recorder fills in the charts with great ideas generated.

4.      A signal is given for the groups to move to the next chart and respond to the topic.

5.      Groups continue around the room, visiting each chart in turn and adding ideas.

6.      The last group remains at the chart, consolidates information and reports it to the large group.

 

Paper Pass

            This activity uses several large pieces of chart paper.

           

1.      Place a different subject heading at the top of each piece of paper.

2.      Each group brainstorms and writes down what it knows about its topic.

3.      The group passes the paper to another group

4.      The second group reads all that has been written.

5.      The second group writes down what else it knows about the topic.

6.      The second group passes the paper to other groups to add to the sheet.

7.      The last group finds references for the statements.

8.      Place a page number and/or source beside each reference.

9.      Share and post all papers.

 

Journaling

 

Grand Finale Comment

Give students a task to do as they are leaving the class.  This is the Grand Finale Comment.  These comments can give the teacher feedback about the learning goals.  Some examples are:

 

            Today I learned…Tomorrow I need…

            Today I felt….because…

            I would draw…because…

            I hope we…next.

            One word to describe today is…

            Our group was great today, especially when we…

            A theme song for our work today would be…

Think of other innovative ways for students to report what they know.

 

 

Portfolio Assessment

            Benefits:  contain samples of student growth.  Student can analyze and reflect.

 

Authentic Assessment

Benefits:  students demonstrate mastery in a realistic, real-world context.  Students are asked to demonstrate mastery in ways that are of interest to them.

            Ideas for authentic assessment: 

                        Make a mural

                        Plan a trip

                        Conduct a panel discussion

                        Create a magazine

                        Develop a display

                        Create a talk show about…

                        Choreograph a dance

                        Create costumes

                        Draw a comic strip

                        Teach a lesson

                        Create a flow chart

                        Design a video

                        Complete a portfolio

                        Write lyrics for a song

                        Design a survey and interview

                        Conduct a demonstration

                        Illustrate a story

                        Create a puppet play

                        Design a bulletin board

                        Create a time line on the computer

                        Role-play the story

                        Write a persuasive article

                        Develop a new innovation to…

Student choice is key.

 

 

Sponge Activities

 

            Develop a crossword puzzle on the computer to review the topic.

Rewrite a passage of the chapter in your own words.  Use synonyms to replace some of the author’s words.

Draw a comic strip to show the events in the chapter.

 

Review Game Idea

 

            Elimination (by William Koehler): 

                "Eliminate" is a game that I play to review basic math facts. We line up (boys in one line girls in the other) and they students pair off, answering the facts as fast as they can. Each pair gets one fact card question, and the person who answers wins. If there is a tie, I give them another question until there is a winner. When there is a winner they can choose to eliminate their opposite or pick up a player from their team who has been eliminate. When you eliminate a player, the students shake hands (to work on their sports manship). I always start the game with a practice round or two so everyone has a few chances at playing. I also always review that this is a game, and we do it for fun. This has really kept the students from getting too competitive or losing the point of the game.
My students love this game and beg me to play all the time. I leave fact cards out during recess and they play it on their own, and they also have their own fact cards and will play on their free time in class.

 

           The Running Game (by Debbie Dennis): 

               Students are divided up into four or more teams.  Each team chooses one player to run first. The teacher stands a distance away with the review sheet or a set of fact based questions.  When the teacher counts down to "go," one student runs up to him/her to get the first question.  You can have the questions written out on index cards w/ a pile of index cards for each team if you're really organized!  Either way, the runner must go back to his/her group and ask the question (even if he/she already knows the answer) and someone else must say the answer.  That person then is the next to run to the teacher, and so on and so forth.  The winning team is the one to relay through all the questions first.  Note:  be careful to space teams out so that they can't overhear each other answering the questions.  Also, be ready with the next question quickly because it's suprising how fast students can run!!!  The toughest part of this game is keeping track of which group is on what question, so with a little prior planning (index card piles) you may have more success.

 

 

  

All assessment information, unless otherwise noted, is directly from:

 

Chapman, Carolyn, and Gayle H. Gregory. Differentiated Instructional Strategies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc., 2002.