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Everyday--these being warm-up activities & when you're starting a new unit, getting students comfortable with a new topic or easing them into it.
-informal chat
-stimulus-to-interaction
Once a week--encouraging more processing & speaking; I think of tedtalk videos paired with discussion after & think-pair-share opportunities
-discussion group formats
Once a month
-socratic seminars/spiderwebs/harkness
-role-played interactions
Once a trimester--these are great opportunities for building confidence, creating skills students will use in their careers and really making them experts on a topic. It can also be fun to have students dress up, wear name tags, and really create a formal atmosphere. These types of activities involving the top level of higher order thinking skills.
-Formal debate
-prepared interactions

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The website helps you create comprehensive literacy lesson plans and student materials from any content in minutes.

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Write literacy lesson plans, differentiate and scaffold instruction to teach English literacy skills from any reading passage- automatically and for free!

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We can use the daily Wonder to jumpstart our students' critical thinking, or dip into the ever-growing collection of Wonders for content that relates to specific themes and student interests.

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Have you ever tasted an Arab taco?

When was the Arab taco invented?

What is shawarma?

Find it out

How are currency exchange rates determined?

What was the gold standard?

Which type of currency exchange rate system does the U.S. use?

Find it out
Which of the following is usually NOT a factor in determining currency exchange rates?

Test your knowledge

How can I use Wonderopolis?

What are the parts of a Wonder?

How do writers make a Wonder?

Find it out
Based on information from the Wonder, what was Lou Castro known for when he was alive?

Test your knowledge

What is an okapi?

Where do okapis live?

What do okapis eat?

Find it out

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease

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A murder mystery party can be a fun last day exercise before a big break or vacation.

First off, you’re going to have to come up with a scenario and characters. You can make up your own characters or you can use a guide to murder mystery parties to get off on the right track. You can even purchase murder mystery party kits online.

Next, you’ll need to assign each of your students a character at the party. Each student will receive a card with secret information about his or her character, which the student should keep to him or herself unless asked a direct question by another character, in which case the student has to answer truthfully.

The aim of the game is to figure out who murdered the host of the party by asking questions and snooping for clues. You can leave clues around your classroom ahead of time, making them as simple as notecards describing an item (for example, a silver bracelet with a strange, rusty red stain on it) or you could create actual props, depending on the time you have to work on this project.

Things to Watch Out For:

Be sure to encourage students to speak in English. When playing a game, there’s always a temptation to revert back to the native language, and this should be discouraged at all costs. To keep things going smoothly you’ll need to become part of the game yourself, so be sure not to forget to create your own character!

If it seems as though students aren’t discovering clues quickly enough for the game to reach its conclusion, as the game-master you can give them hints. Just make sure that all students hear the hints!

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A murder mystery party can be a fun last day exercise before a big break or vacation. It’s a bit tougher to grade than some of the other ideas on this list (you may opt not to) but it’s endlessly fun for students and it can be a lot of fun for you as well!

First off, you’re going to have to come up with a scenario and characters. You can make up your own characters or you can use a guide to murder mystery parties to get off on the right track. You can even purchase murder mystery party kits online.

Next, you’ll need to assign each of your students a character at the party. Each student will receive a card with secret information about his or her character, which the student should keep to him or herself unless asked a direct question by another character, in which case the student has to answer truthfully.

The aim of the game is to figure out who murdered the host of the party by asking questions and snooping for clues. You can leave clues around your classroom ahead of time, making them as simple as notecards describing an item (for example, a silver bracelet with a strange, rusty red stain on it) or you could create actual props, depending on the time you have to work on this project.

Things to Watch Out For:

Be sure to encourage students to speak in English. When playing a game, there’s always a temptation to revert back to the native language, and this should be discouraged at all costs. To keep things going smoothly you’ll need to become part of the game yourself, so be sure not to forget to create your own character!

If it seems as though students aren’t discovering clues quickly enough for the game to reach its conclusion, as the game-master you can give them hints. Just make sure that all students hear the hints!

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I've only done this twice with my students, but it proved to be an interesting twist on the Socratic Seminar. Students become familiar with general knowledgable on topic (I have chosen 'controversial' topics that relate to a theme in a novel we are reading), then I divide them into 4 groups, 3 groups have different statements they must defend (all opposing perspectives) and one group is meant to be the provocateurs, who "both sides" the argument. You set it up like a "pinwheel" because you have 4 students in the center from each team and the rest of each team sides behind. You can rotate by time, or randomly choose one team to rotate, then 2 minutes later another, or allow students to make decision on when they think they have contributed enough (bearing in mind the talkative ones might need to have time limit). It can get heated, but also a fun way for them to work in teams while helping them connect with the literature in a relevant way.

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The website gives young people a voice through education, debate and by raising their awareness about worldwide issues.

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We are a global Network of organisations who educates people in debate in order to give young people a voice for their ideas. Young people have a lot to say; debating provides a platform for them to speak up and be heard in a safe and structured environment.

We aspire to be the world's leading provider of debate education, offering debate resources, debate training and debate events to educators, youth groups and young people across the world.

We run debate events for young people aged between 11 to 30, especially those who are marginalized - LGBT and ethnic communities, civic rights groups, supporters of gender diversity and democracy, and the socially and politically excluded.

We foster a worldwide network of debating clubs in schools, universities and local communities;

We promote tolerance and mutual understanding through informed dialogue and information;

We give educational debate training and provide authoritative teaching tools and an online debate resource debatabase which is home to the top 100 debates written by experienced debaters from around the world, attracting over 2.5 million visitors annually.

History of debate - question, listen, explore
From its very beginnings, debate has been inextricably intertwined with the concept of open society. In ancient Athens, citizens gathered in forums to discuss and debate the most pressing issues of the day before casting their votes. Such debates were an integral part of the new form of government Athens was to bequeath to the world: democracy.

Unlike totalitarian and other undemocratic regimes, where a limited set of ideas are imposed as absolute truths, democratic societies depend upon the free and open exchange of ideas. Indeed, it may be said that true democracy cannot exist without debate. For democracy to function, the values that debate encourages - reason, tolerance, the careful weighing of evidence, etc. - must be cherished and nurtured. But even within societies that restrict open discussion, debate can teach young people that no one person or government possesses the ultimate truth.

Today, from London to Kyrgyzstan, from The Netherlands and Belgium to South East Europe and the Middle East & North Africa, IDEA debates are gaining ground as forums for promoting democratic values. Just as Socrates spurred his listeners to examine their assumptions 2,500 years ago, IDEA is today encouraging students around the world to question, listen to each other and to explore even the most volatile subjects openly and in the spirit of tolerance and cooperation.

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We are a global Network of organisations who educates people in debate in order to give young people a voice for their ideas. Young people have a lot to say; debating provides a platform for them to speak up and be heard in a safe and structured environment.

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This one is good for a speaking warm-up, teaching imperatives, and turn-taking. But, best of all, it allows you to pre-program specific phrases and vocab. Sure, it relies on a bit of rote learning/repetition but it's packaged in a fun and less mundane way.

It does require that your students have access to a cell phone or tablet though. You can adjust levels and speed to make it more challenging.

www.spaceteamesl.ca

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This is an activity that students of all age ranges love, but it's definitely more rewarding for older students who have a broader understanding of value. You can vary the theme (and vocabulary of the lesson from consumerism to politics and trade) but it can basically just be thought of as a stimulating activity to encourage students to practice oral skills and use specific phrases of negotiation.

Essentially, you split your class into 4-6 groups. Their goal is to make as much physical paper money as they can within a time limit and using only the resources you supply them. Each group is assigned to represent a certain country with fixed resources (paper, pencils, rulers, shapes, and scissors - all in different proportions, e.g., one country might just have 10 sheets of A4 paper while another may have 1 sheet of paper, a ruler, 2 pencils, and two pairs of scissors - forcing them to trade resources so that they can print more money) that they trade with other groups, allowing them to create money (different shapes have set values). You provide limited rules before trading proceeds, monitor the activity, and act as the banker to tally scores. You can vary the rules and resource allocation, but the key part is ensuring that students are pre-taught the vocabulary/key phrases you want them to practice. A way to maximise English discussion once most trading has concluded is to give them a secondary task to talk about.

You can get more info here (https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/showcase/sloman_game). Be aware that it has an economics slant to it - you can twist this activity away from economics or embrace it. It's also useful as a precursor to project-based learning that culminates in students giving a presentation on something related (e.g. the environment or consumerism).

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Introduction

This game is a version of the World Trade Game developed by the Third World development charity Action Aid. I have amended it to be suitable for students beginning a course in economics, economic development or international trade, although it could be used with students studying related subjects.

I also use it as part of a year-12 open day at UWE in early July for students who have just completed AS Economics and are thinking of studying Economics at university.

The game is fun to play; it needs no computing facilities and uses only very basic equipment, such as scissors, pencils, rulers and paper; preparing the materials for the game usually takes about 20-30 minutes and, except for paper, all the materials used for the game can be reused. You need only one member of staff for up to 240 students; all the necessary instructions can be given to the participants within 2 minutes; and there are many economic 'lessons' that can be drawn from the game.

Overview of the game

Students are divided into teams, each of which acts as a separate 'country', with between two and ten students in each team. There are five or six countries in a game. A game thus can be played with between 10 and 60 students. More than one game can be played simultaneously, if the room is big enough, but there must be no interaction between the games.

Countries compete against each other to 'manufacture' paper shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles, etc.) and sell them to an international commodity market trader at posted prices, which vary with supply and demand. The objective for each country is to make as much money as possible.

There are three types of country in a game:

two rich industrialised countries;

one or two middle-income countries;

two low-income countries.

Students are not told this; they find out as they play the game.

The game requires a large flat room, with loose tables and chairs.

Room layout

Only one lecturer is required as game leader even if more than one game is being played, but one additional person is required to act as a 'commodity trader' in each game. This person could be a student. It is also useful to have one or two 'observers' for each game. These too can be students. Experienced game leaders could handle up to four simultaneous games (i.e. up to 240 students) if the room is appropriate. The game takes between 45 and 90 minutes to play. This is followed by scoring, reporting by students and adjudication by the lecturer, who will probably want to draw various economic lessons from the game. This all lasts a further 20-45 minutes. Students find the game enjoyable and rapidly enter into its spirit.

Preparing for the game

You will need to do four things.

If you are playing two or more games (or 'worlds') simultaneously, you will need to separate them with a line of tables or some other barrier, as students must not cross from one game to another.

Starting off the game

Tell the students to leave all bags and any equipment (e.g. paper or pens) at the front and then to sit themselves around the clusters of tables. Distribute the envelopes to each of the countries.

The game requires minimal, but clear instructions immediately that students have sat round the tables and before they have opened their envelopes. The dynamic of the game requires that there is no preamble explaining the purpose of the game and certainly no summary from the lecturer explaining what the game is supposed to illustrate. It is important for the students to work out what they should do.
Instructions given out at the start of the game
Once the instructions are understood, it is time for the lecturer to tell students how long they have to play the game (usually 45 minutes) and to announce the start of manufacturing.

During the game

At the beginning of the game there will be a lot of confusion and students will have many questions, such as 'Where can I get scissors?', 'Why have we only got paper?', 'Can we buy things off other countries?', 'Can we combine with other countries?', 'Can we have a loan?' Resist all temptation to answer these questions. Just repeat what you said at the beginning. After a minute or two they should begin moving around the room and trading, but the initiative should come from them, not you. The rich countries (A1 and A2) will probably begin making shapes, as they have all the materials and equipment that they need, but they will soon run out of raw materials and will probably try to buy some paper from other groups.

Role of Observers. Use the observers to report back to you on what is going on. This will help to give you information for the debrief session at the end. For example, get them to find out what is happening to the scissors - the one crucial implement that has to be used for all shapes and is possessed initially by only two countries. Do the rich countries form a scissors cartel? Do they sell one pair to another country; or do they hire them out? Observers should watch how groups negotiate the prices of paper and other materials. They should note the formation and operation of any alliances and deals and any cheating that takes place. Observers should also report to you any malpractice, such as stealing other countries' paper, implements or shapes. It is up to you to decide whether you should ignore the problem, thereby encouraging countries to do their own policing, or whether you should impose a punishment, such as suspending them from making shapes for 5 minutes, confiscating certain materials or fining them.

Role of commodity trader. The trader must be careful in measuring the shapes and reject any that have not been cut out. Alternatively, if they have been torn carefully against a ruler, or are only slightly too large or small, a reduced price could be given. You could leave this to the trader to decide, or you could agree a policy in advance. The trader must keep a close eye on the money to prevent students stealing it, preferably keeping it out of their reach. Shapes that have been sold should be put into an envelope or box, again out of reach of students.

Traders should not normally give loans, unless you want to build this in as a feature of the game, in which case you should decide in advance what interest rate to charge - probably a high rate, such as 50 per cent. If loans are allowed, the trader should keep a record of them. In such cases, it might be a good idea to allocate an assistant to the trader. It is easiest for loans not to be repaid, but at the end of the game, when money is totalled, the trader will simply announce how much has to be deducted (outstanding loan plus interest) from each team.

Your role as game leader. You will need to keep in regular contact with the trader. Find out which shapes are being sold in large quantities (probably the triangles and rectangles) and which are hardly being sold at all (probably the circles and the protractor-sized semi-circles). Then blow the whistle and announce that, owing to the forces of demand and supply, the prices of certain shapes have changed. You can choose how much to change the prices, but a dramatic change stimulates more interest and provides a stronger focus for later discussion. For example, when the students are debriefed after they have finished the game, it is easier to refer to the importance of price elasticity of demand and price elasticity of supply when the price changes have been dramatic. For similar reasons, it is better to change prices very infrequently. The price of particular shapes will also affect the value of particular tools. If circles go up in price, this will affect the demand for compasses. This relationship can be identified later in the debriefing.

Extra dimensions can be introduced into the game by simulating the emergence of new technology, new raw materials or new equipment. It is important to make sure that the observers are primed to focus upon the reactions of groups to each change. The debrief will depend heavily on the quality of the information they are able to provide.

The development of new technology can be simulated by giving about 8 coloured small sticky shapes to one of the low-income countries, without indicating the possible use of those shapes. The game leader then goes to one (or both) of the rich or middle-income countries and informs them that the value of a standard shape is trebled if it has a coloured shape attached to it and that one of the low-income countries possesses coloured shapes. This scenario could also simulate the discovery of raw materials in a developing country, which are then developed by a multinational corporation investing in the country and bringing its expertise and technology with it.

You could also increase the stock of capital by selling a further pair scissors by auction. This will need to be done relatively early on in the game and you will need to announce your intention 5 or 10 minutes before you do so. Although the poor countries would dearly like to buy a pair, one of the rich countries is more likely to be successful at the auction. It might then hire out the scissors to a poor country.

As the game progresses, paper will rapidly run out. Trade in paper is likely to take place, with the price of paper rising to meet its value in terms of the shapes that can be made from it. The game can be prolonged by introducing more paper (simulating the discovery of new raw materials). You can do this in two ways. First, you may give some to one or both of the low-income countries. The second way is to sell more paper. A good way of doing this is to hold a paper auction, where you sell about 10 sheets, one at a time. Announce that in 5 minutes' time you will be holding an auction and ask for one representative from each country to attend. The two issues are:

How will the price at the auction reflect the value of shapes that can be made from it?

Will the bidders collude to drive down the price?

You can draw lessons from this in the debrief session at the end.

Ending the game

The students should be given a 5-minute warning of when the game will end. There will probably be a flurry of activity as students rush to make shapes with their remaining paper and bring those shapes to the commodity trader. When the game ends, the game leader should ask all the students to return to their countries and to answer three questions:

What was in their envelopes when they opened them?

What implements do they currently own?

How much money do they have?

Collating results and debriefing students

A whiteboard or flip chart can be used to record the results. The answer to the first of the questions (what was in the envelopes?) is known and it is helpful if this information has already been recorded on the flip chart or whiteboard. The answers to the other two questions can be gathered quickly so that the groups can easily compare their experience with that of other groups.

It can be helpful to organise the debriefing into three stages:

Stage 1. Draw students' attention to similarities and differences between the results from different groups. Did the groups that started with the same resources perform in a similar way? How much of the difference between the groups was due to strategies pursued and how much to the initial endowment? It is also appropriate at this stage to pose questions that prompt students to describe how they felt about the game as it developed. For example, the tutor could ask students in the different types of country how they felt when they opened their envelopes.
Some further suggestions for questions to ask in this first stage
Stage 2. The second stage consists of asking the students to indicate ways in which they believe the game simulates the real world and ways in which they believe it is unrealistic. The capacity for simulations to affect students' thinking depends a great deal on whether they believe that the world is reflected in the simulation. It is quite usual for some students to dismiss as unrealistic aspects of a simulation that the lecturer is hoping to use to illustrate a theoretical idea.

One of the strengths of this game is that the inherent inequality in resource endowment that gives the game its distinctive character is hard to contest as a reflection of the real world economy. Students are more likely to question the way in which the game simulates the opportunities that these endowments create for different countries and how those opportunities are exploited.

Stage 3. In the third stage of the debriefing, the tutor aims to help students to compare the way they have analysed their experience in the game with the insights derived from economic ideas and the evidence that economists have assembled. This part of the debrief should be focused on those ideas that have been selected in the desired learning outcomes for the activity. The debriefing naturally begins as a large discussion group led by the tutor. However, if this format is maintained for more than 10-15 minutes, some students will get restless and there will be pressure for the tutor to end the session.

Given that the debriefing represents the tutor's main opportunity to develop students' thinking, it is important to find ways of avoiding a short and rather low-level discussion. The debriefing session needs to be planned as carefully as the activity. Typically this will involve asking students to discuss a couple of questions and arguments (during stages 2 and 3) within their 'country' groups. In stage 3, when the focus is on economic ideas and evidence, it can be useful to have a small piece of evidence for each group to consider before returning to the whole-group discussion.

Learning outcomes

The International Trade Game has a wide range of potential learning outcomes, and with suitable focus, especially during the process of debriefing, a number of economic topics might be identified and developed more fully. These topics range from elementary trade theory to issues of imperfect information and even debates surrounding international inequality and first and third world relations.
A comprehensive list of economic topics that can be discussed
As well as subject-related learning outcomes, the International Trade Game helps develop a number of key skills. Group working and interacting with others are among the most significant. The process of negotiating is also a very strong element within this game.

Video

( Update January 2017) We are grateful to Giampiero M. Gallo at NYU Florence for making and sharing this video about the game.

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This game is a version of the World Trade Game developed by the Third World development charity Action Aid. I have amended it to be suitable for students beginning a course in economics, economic development or international trade, although it could be used with students studying related subjects.

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I've only done this twice with my students, but it proved to be an interesting twist on the Socratic Seminar. Students become familiar with general knowledgable on topic (I have chosen 'controversial' topics that relate to a theme in a novel we are reading), then I divide them into 4 groups, 3 groups have different statements they must defend (all opposing perspectives) and one group is meant to be the provocateurs, who "both sides" the argument. You set it up like a "pinwheel" because you have 4 students in the center from each team and the rest of each team sides behind. You can rotate by time, or randomly choose one team to rotate, then 2 minutes later another, or allow students to make decision on when they think they have contributed enough (bearing in mind the talkative ones might need to have time limit). It can get heated, but also a fun way for them to work in teams while helping them connect with the literature in a relevant way.

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The Biggest Liar:
An engaging, entertaining, and low-stakes activity: give small groups a random topic (How to Break-up with your S/O, How to get into Hogwarts, Why ___ is the Best Place to Live), light-fun topics, and give them 30 minutes to put together a 2-3 minute presentation between 3-4 students in which they can tell us any fallacy, any "fact" to convince the audience of what they are selling.

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Lots of grammar and speaking games that can be used in small groups to initiate speaking. There are speaking cards and you can also create your own.

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In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response.

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The Literature Circles Resource Center web site is based on the premise that there is no one way to do literature circles. Literature circles look different in every classroom; they change from teacher to teacher, grade to grade, student to student. Literature circles have no recipe, they are not a specific "program", and they never look the same from year to year -- or even from day to day. The reason? True engagement with literature within a community of learners can't possibly be prescribed -- it can only be described. And that's the goal of this web site.

The following links explain how we define literature circles on this web site, describe the role that literature circles play in a comprehensive and balanced literacy program, and illustrate some of the changes that you might expect to see as you work with literature circles in your classroom.
What Are Literature Circles?
In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response.

Perhaps the easiest way to understand what literature circles are is to examine what they are not.

From

Literature Circles are . . .

Literature Circles are not . . .

Intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills

Intended as a place to do skills work

Getting Started with Literature Circles
by Katherine L. Schlick Noe & Nancy J. Johnson
© 1999 Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

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Literature Circles in a Comprehensive Literacy Program

Literature circles fit into a comprehensive literacy program as one way for students to apply what they are learning about reading and writing:

From Chapter 1, Getting Started with Literature Circles
by Katherine L. Schlick Noe & Nancy J. Johnson.
© 1999 Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

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How Literature Circles Change Over Time ...

The following chart may give you a feel for how literature circles evolve over time as teachers and students themselves change -- gaining experience, confidence, and insights to do things differently. The chart isn't based on one teacher's experience, but a composite of some of the possible steps teachers take as they work with literature circles. Think of this as a continuum of development -- flexible and highly subjective. The point of the chart is to show that we all begin somewhere and grow from there!

- There is only one way to do literature circles
- I have to do them the "right" way

- There are many options for literature circles
- I'll try out some, refine them, try others

- Learning the structure and survival
- Choosing one piece to focus on

- Developing meaningful response, higher levels of thinking
- Integrating lit. circles with other subjects and with themes

- Groups read, discuss, and respond in 1 - 2 weeks; no response project
- One to two literature circle cycles, then other literacy activities

- ~ 1 - 2 weeks including simple response project

- ~ 1 - 3 weeks with more elaborate response projects

- ~ 3 - 6 weeks
- Emphasis on learning the process

- ~ 3 - 6 weeks; emphasis on developing response
- Timeline varies by complexity of books

- ~ 3 - 6 weeks; emphasis on deepening response
- Timeline varies by complexity of books, organization of theme/topic

- Teacher sets schedule
- Ex.: read on Mon.; discuss Tues./Wed.; prepare responses Thurs.; present responses Fri.

- Teacher sets schedule alone or in consultation with students
- May meet more than once a week

- Teacher sets schedule (how long cycle will take, how often groups meet, when to present extension projects, etc.)
- Groups discuss once a week; read, respond, work on extension projects when not meeting

- Teacher and students determine how long cycle will be (how often groups meet, when to present extension projects, etc.)
- Groups discuss on student-set schedule; read, respond, work on extension projects when not meeting

- Groups decide how long entire book + extension will take and set own schedule within that time frame

- Two or three choices
- Books selected because they are engaging, meaningful, and generate strong student interest

- Four or five choices
- Books selected because they relate to a theme, topic, genre or author focus and represent good literature

- Teacher or students give booktalks
- Groups formed by student choice

- Teacher or students give booktalks
- Groups formed by student choice of book or choice of theme/topic

- Limited choice of response prompts given by the teacher
- Students read individually, in pairs, with taped book, with specialist/volunteer support

- Students choose from a menu of ideas -- or their own
- Students read individually, in pairs, with taped book, with specialist/volunteer support

- Teacher offers choice of a few responses
- A given number of responses per week; written only
- Modify/adapt forms

- Teacher gives one option
- Teacher determines if project is group or individual

- Teacher offers a choice of a few options
- Students choose (group or individual)

- Students select from a menu of options -- or their own
- Students choose (group or individual)

- Modify forms and develop own
instruments
- Take and use anecdotal notes
- Use extensive student self-assessment
- Students still choose a few responses to be graded but greater emphasis put on discussions

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The Literature Circles Resource Center web site is based on the premise that there is no one way to do literature circles . Literature circles look different in every classroom; they change from teacher to teacher, grade to grade, student to student.

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Ted has pre-made lessons that can be used to intiate debate, you can add discussion questions to any video and students can discuss in pairs.

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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If you have access to technology in the classroom, you can create a wordcloud live in class. Ask the students an open question.

For example, "What job do you want in the future?" Have every student put up the job, and then it generates a word cloud that the teacher can present on a screen. Then, have the students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each job or whatever you want about the topic. It keeps it interesting, but also can be used for pretty much any topic.

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Classification and feedbacks on interactive activities

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Classification and feedbacks on interactive activities

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Actually I usually tend to classify interactive activities as the instruction video does, but here I'd like to classify them into 3 categories: Interactions to warm-up, interactions to stimulate absorption of new knowledge, interactions to promote deeper/critical thinking.
Interactions to warm-up

Informal chat

Unfortunately, my student haven't formed a healthy sleep habit, so they often show up in mt class half-awake. That's when I use informal chat to talk about random things (recent events, games, celebrities, etc.) for 2-3 minutes to wake them up.

Interactions to stimulate absorption of new knowledge

Stimulus-to-interaction

This is often used to lead-in a new section.
Often I would prepare some visual stimulus, such as pictures and videos, with research questions to lead the students into thinking about the issues for this topic. I would try finding out something they might be interested (For example, I mentioned The Croods when talking about family and marriage. )

Discussion, group formats

All the three types are used in reading and listening comprehension lessons. But I'm usually struggling to encourage my students to speak English during groups discussions. Extremely struggling. My suggestion for those with paralleling experiences is to set a goal for the group discussion so that they will try to reach that goal.

Stimulus-to-interaction

I should call this one of my most frequently used methods. Students always have a lot to say when the right text is selected. Recently I let them listened to a debate about the value of recycling. Since they have never imagined there should be a negative side of recycling, they got intrigued and  participated actively in the discussion.

Role-played interactions

I'd say my stereotypical view toward this is that it works better for primary school or middle school students.

Interactions to promote deeper/critical thinking

Discussion, systems

I've never adopted these three approaches. My feeling is that these are more suitable for university students or HL students. It requires high autonomy to make contributions in those kind of discussions.

Formal debate

Formal debate is challenging, but I find it a fantastic way to facilitate intensive engagement in a topic. Students tend to form a very deep and comprehensive understanding of the topic question since they have to consider both sides.
I would personally allow my students to (not encourage, though) read their scripts, so that the less advanced student also have opportunities to make contributions,

Prepared interactions
For those kind of activities. I would let students form groups and perform one by one. The tricky part is that the students often tend to prepare for their own turns instead of listening and assessing other groups. I'm still thinking of ways to avoid that.

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These two sites would be better used for sourcing material for lower ability level students to use as reading practice.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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Roll The Die

Students work in groups on a specified topic, taking turns rolling the die. One student rolls the die; the number that is rolled is the number of things he or she has to say, whether it be words, or sentences. Play moves to the next student.

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Again, this resource is aimed at lower ability level students. It provides listening comprehension tasks and teacher resources as well as transcripts.

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Behind the News is a fun, accessible way for upper primary and secondary students to learn about what's happening in the world around them.

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Discussion, group formats

Pairs:

I use pair work to assist students who may be having difficulty understanding certain aspects of something that we are learning. So I encourage them to exchange ideas with a partner as guidance in their practice.

Small groups:

I use small group discussions in the planning stage of a debate. Small group work can also be used when discussing perspectives in a novel. Teams collaborate at the end to comment on the story from various perspectives.

Large groups:

I have been experimenting with various topics with my class in large class discussions. School policies and hot news topics are affecting Malaysians are popular. I have a little more trouble getting participation from all students when discussing the themes from the class novel.

Formal debate:

I love this type of discussion. I use it every year and it's a fantastic way to bring out original and well planned discussions. I usually give the class a few days of planning and research time.

Stimulus-to-interaction

Students presentation-questions-discussion

We have used this kind of discussion a lot this year as it is encouraged in the textbook we're using. There are some fantastic guiding questions to help critical thinking and consideration of elements such as TOK.

Video-listening comprehension-discussion

We haven't used this method as much and I plan to do more listening comprehension with the class.

Role played interactions

Students played the role of examiner in the DP oral exam practice tasks earlier in the year. In my MYP class, I set them a compare and contrast task for a book they were reading. They needed to create a radio show where they compared two texts, with sound effects, intro/outro jingle and all. It was a lot of fun.

Prepared interactions:

I have not used this approach at all. However, I think the 'panel of experts' interaction would be very interesting to do in class. I may plan to use that.

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I found the link above very helpful when trying to understand the spider web discussion approach.

I would like to use the Harkness and spider webs type discussions in my class to talk about key spots in the class novel that may come up during the Oral exam. Both of these discussion types look similar to me, it seems that they Harkness discussion is slightly more structured (students write out their own questions before the discussion). When planning for the oral exam, these discussions give the students a range of view points and ideas to draw on from the different themes.

Here are some discussion activities I have used in class.

Oral exam practice

Oral exam practice is an opportunity for a conversational task. Students can practice their orals in pairs, or groups of three, taking it in turns to mark the criterion. Once all students have performed, students will have a self lead, short discussion about how they marked their classmate’s performance. This way, students can help each other to better understand the requirements of each criteria and find places in their oral exam performance they can improve on.

Similar to a Socratic seminar (better for shy or low language ability learners)

After students have studied the stimulus, a question will be given to the class by the teacher. Students should write down their responses to the question, or questions that they have, on a half sheet of A4 paper. The teacher will then ask students to hold their cards up for the rest of the class to see as a prompt for other students to engage them and kick start the discussion.

IB theme picture contest (I use it at the beginning of the English B course)

In pairs, students are asked to walk around the school grounds and take pictures of scenes that relate to the 5 themes. They have 15-20 mins to do so. On their return to the classroom, they will submit their pictures to the teacher digitally (whatever method is easiest for you, mine is Google classroom). The pictures will be shown to the class who must discuss what theme/s they believe the photos represent and where they are taken etc. To increase the difficulty, the names of the students taking the pictures can be anonymous so that the class cannot ask them questions.

Drawing the scene

In groups of 4, students should discuss what they saw in their mind’s eye when reading a section of a text. Students should share their meanings and interpretations of what they read and then combine their efforts into creating an image of what they saw on an A3 or A2 piece of paper. The groups will compare their work as a class and discuss differences and similarities between the drawings.

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By Alexis Wiggins

Most of us are facing another school year in which at least part of our classroom work will need to be translated to an online environment. Some teachers worry that it isn't possible in the distance learning environment to have the kind of effective discussions facilitated in the classroom, but I'm here to say that by following some key protocols and staying flexible, teachers can absolutely design for strong online discussions.

I've spent the last 15 years immersed in the research, design, and practice of student-led discussions. It began with a job early in my career at a Harkness School and eventually developed into a method I call Spider Web Discussion, which asks teachers to train students how to begin, facilitate, and assess their own discussions while the teachers themselves are mostly silent. (You can see it in action in a ninth-grade classroom here.) In the current environment, I'm getting a lot of questions about how to conduct class discussion online.

Here are my tips for success:

1. Lay the Groundwork and Set Protocols.

In Spider Web Discussion, the students themselves learn how to ask and discuss the big, important questions. The results in my classes year after year: deeper learning, stronger critical thinking, better data on every student, greater empathy developed through listening and question asking, and higher student engagement.

I always introduce Spider Web Discussion in a full lesson the first time. Part of the introduction includes sharing with them this 10-minute video of what it looks like in practice. Then I share the rubric, and we discuss their impressions and questions about what's on it. I'd encourage you to make your own rubric for your course/age group; just ensure that it's easily assessed in a yes/no format. Then I choose an engaging multimedia text for our first discussion (two favorites for HS students are Spike Jonze's short film How They Get There and Ryan Lewis's music video for the song "Fake Empire."). I put a reasonable amount of time on the clock (I suggest 30-35 minutes for HS grade; 20-25 minutes MS; 10-15 minutes for ES) and during that time, they are completely responsible for the discussion. My role is to graph the conversation and take notes for the feedback session at the end. I don't save the students, even from uncomfortable, awkward silence. They must save themselves. If we step in as the adult who fixes things, they will look to us each time, rather than looking within themselves or to each other for the answers.

When the time is up, I enter the conversation and we debrief. I share the graph of the conversation, and we talk about how everyone did or didn't participate and unpack how or why that happened without blame. I ask them to self-assess the discussion on the rubric and choose a formative (no-count) group grade that I agree with. I ask what they can do better next time to improve upon today's discussion and share my ideas.

As long as all of your students have internet capability and a platform for synchronous videoconferencing, all of this can be done online just as it is in person. When my school moved to distance learning last March, my students had no trouble adapting to online discussions. These are the key first steps for successful online discussions.

2. Follow the Non-Negotiables.

Secondly, I've learned that the best discussions adhere to four principles that I never compromise on, key elements that can make the difference between discussions that sink or swim. Here they are:

Non-Negotiable #1: Students must all be able to see one another. In the physical classroom, this means sitting in an oval or square format so everyone can see everyone else. In a platform like Zoom, it means we need everyone's camera on and showing their whole face so we can read each other's verbal and emotional cues.

Non-Negotiable #2: The teacher must stay silent throughout the agreed-upon discussion time. If you interfere or save them once, they will expect you to do so every time. Even if you're uncomfortable with their reasoning or misunderstandings during discussion time, let them go as long as you possibly can to see if a student will correct or redirect instead of you doing so: 99% of the time, the students will get where you want them to without you if you just bite your tongue and wait a little longer. (The only exception to this rule is if there is any emotional harm being experienced by students during the discussion. In these instances, you should intervene.)

Non-Negotiable #3: Leave 10-20 minutes at the end of the discussion for debrief time. The debrief is as important as the discussion itself. I cannot stress this enough; the content alone is not enough for deep learning - deep learning happens as much or more from the meta-cognitive, reflective unpacking of that learning and inquiry. Feedback is crucial to getting better at discussion. Ask students what went well, what they could have done better, what were the most interesting moments of discussion, what they felt about the collaborative endeavor.

Non-Negotiable #4: Using a clear, simple rubric, have students self-assess their discussion and choose a group grade. The group grade is the keystone to the method; it ensures students are working as a team, not in competition with each other for talk time. Over the course of a year, you'll see how this collaborative approach reduces the chaotic, scattered nature of early discussions and develops them into deeper, more sustained, more balanced discussions. It's a long-term process; my students almost always score themselves in the C or D range in the early weeks and months, and it can take half a year or more to get into the A range.

For me, the grades are always formative - symbolic - but we note and track them as a record of our progress. Make sure you agree with the grade for the day; if not, debrief a little more with them as to why you feel the grade is too high or too low. Note it, and for your next discussion, ask students to recap what they learned from the previous one and what a couple of goals might be for that day's discussion. Over time, this cycle of collaborative inquiry with meta-cognitive feedback will keenly develop students' overall understanding and social skills.

3. Stay Flexible and Open.

While I have had success in designing really effective discussions online using the above protocols, we need to be flexible and open to the fact that in this new distance environment, some plans may have to be adjusted or abandoned. If you try the protocols and non-negotiables above and after a couple of weeks it just isn't working, don't be afraid to try something else.

There are tech tools that can help you track your discussions, such as Equity Maps, and great online discussion platforms like Parlay Ideas, which works for both synchronous and asynchronous, typed discussions.

I have classes of 18-20 students, and I find that to be a manageable number for a single, sustained Zoom discussion, but if you have bigger class sizes than that or feel that smaller groups would work better for your population, consider how you might utilize synchronous class time to split your groups into different discussion days or times; perhaps one group uses an online discussion board while the other half is live over Zoom, and then you swap groups on the following class day. If you have mature, trustworthy students, you could use breakout rooms to split the discussion groups and bounce between them during class.

And don't be afraid to try something totally different: a colleague of mine found online discussions just weren't working for her the same way in her interactive, performance-based Shakespeare course, so she chose to have students posting performances in Flipgrid and engaging in asynchronous discussions there in the comments section. Ultimately, it's not about one magic bullet approach; it's about being adaptable, creative, and responsive to our students' needs in this unprecedented time.

It is possible to design an online discussion environment that leads to strong critical thinking, deep inquiry, and enhanced interpersonal skills. It takes some time and energy to lay the groundwork and set up effective protocols, but I believe it is time well spent. I start teaching online again in just a week, and I can't wait to start discussions.

Let's not toss aside great teaching and learning tools because we fear they can't be used as effectively online; let's trust in the research, lean into our tech tools, and apply tested protocols so we can make online discussions not only possible, but effective.

Alexis Wiggins has worked as a teacher, instructional coach, and consultant. Her book, The Best Class You Never Taught: How Spider Web Discussion Can Turn Students into Learning Leaders(ASCD), helps transform classrooms through collaborative inquiry. Alexis is currently the English Department Chair at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, TX. You can contact her at www.ceelcenter.org.

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The Spider Web Approach: How to Facilitate Effective Online Discussions

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By Alexis Wiggins Most of us are facing another school year in which at least part of our classroom work will need to be translated to an online environment. Some teachers worry that it isn't possible in the distance learning environment to have the kind of effective discussions facilitated in the classroom, but I'm here...

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From Yuting Gong

Informal chat: use it on daily basis, it should not be an issue for them because they’ve got used to it.

Discussions, group formats

Pairs: I use this one a lot whenever there’s a discussion in my class since it provides the maximum opportunity to my kids to speak out their thoughts. Also, I would sometimes put weaker students together and it gives a chance to guide them individually.

Small groups: use this one too but not that often.

Whole-class groups: frankly speaking, I almost never use it because students would become silent easily in a big discussion, everyone is counting on others' contributions in this kind of form.

Discussion, systems: forms like Spiderwebs, Socratic seminars and Harkness are totally strangers to me. Hope someone can fill me in about these methods.

Formal debate

Use it when there’s an interesting and trendy issue raised from the unit, it’s an opportunity for students to do some serious research online. Once a week probably.

Stimulus-to-interaction

Student presentation + questions + discussion

Use it at a high frequency, every time when we need to do a presentation, whether it’s in a group or personal.

Video + learning comprehension + discussion

It’s also a discussion method I adopted a lot. Very effective because students would naturally come up with their own thought after watching the video and having a basic understanding of the theme or issue, which laid a foundation for them.

Role-played interactions

It’s also very interesting and highly popular among students but happened nearly once every two weeks because it makes a request for the play, the dialogue-making and roles and everything, a little bit complicated but great. They enjoy it.

Prepared interactions: Seldom use it because I worried whether it would give students sufficient opportunity to speak.

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Students can read a news story of their choice at their appropriate level and then share their summary with their peers. Peers can ask questions if they need clarifications or are curious about learning more information about the topic. The students can discussion personal, society or global issues and connections related to the topic. shared in class.

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English news and easy articles for students of English

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News in Levels « World News for Students of English

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We write news in three different levels of English. We want to help you understand English more. Now all students can enjoy reading and listening to news.

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This website has a variety of word games. I use this specific one to play vocabulary games such as Pictionary. It brings a lot of engagement and excitement to EAL class!

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When I was putting together this site of games, I discovered that my printable word lists became very popular. I had word lists for pictionary, charades, and other games, and visitors seemed to really like them! So I got to thinking, what's one step better than a printable list of words for playing pictionary? An online word generator! Here I've taken all the words on my printables, plus hundreds more, and combined them into different categories for playing games like pictionary, catchphrase, charades, or any other game you want.

Here's how it works: First, select a Game (the game menu also includes a Holiday option). Then select a Category. (The Categories will change based on the Game you select, and often include levels, like Easy words, Medium words, and Hard words, or might have a listing of specific holidays.) Then just click New Word and you're good to go - the word generator will give you a game word from the list and you can play!

My amazing husband also made an iPhone app with all the same content. Download it here on the App Store. Then you can play on the go, even with no Internet connection.

Finally, I love feedback! If you have any input on the word lists, whether they're too hard or too easy or too short or anything, I'd love to hear! I'd love to hear requests, too, if you have a new game or category you'd like to see. Just let me know!

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When I was putting together this site of games, I discovered that my printable word lists became very popular. I had word lists for pictionary, charades, and other games, and visitors seemed to rea...

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I love using this resrouce as a daily conversation starter in my EAL classes! There are hundreds of conversations on this website. I shared this resource on the whole class Padlet as well because I am a huge advocate. I've seen great improvements in my student's speaking skills after one year using this this activity.

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ESL Discussions and Conversation Questions

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14,180 discussion and conversation questions for speaking practice. 709 FREE ESL lesson plans, handouts, worksheets and downloads. Controversial and mainstream topics.