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Explanation: Assign a topic, concept, or any prompt you want to discuss. Teachers will have 4-6 open-ended questions prepared that guide students through the intricacies of the topic. Give students some time to prepare questions themselves. Split the class into a small, inner circle group and a big, outer circle group. Inn circle students will have an open dialogue of the topics and state their perspectives while the outer circle observes and takes notes. After each question has been answered have the groups switch roles. To close out the seminar have students spend some individual time with their thoughts before a final class wide reflection.

Age: 4th-12th

Content Area: All

Use: This strategy promotes careful analysis of an issue or a text through the classical rhetorical processes of discussion, observation, interpretation, and consensus seeking. Students engage in a formal discussion process, which enables them to clarify and examine issues, ideas, and values and clearly articulate them to their peers.

Focus: Inference and intrepretation of information, Analyzation of information to compar and contrast, Formal conversation skills, Critical thinking, Elaboration and persuasion of perspective

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Summary

Using classical rhetorical strategies, this strategy guides students through careful analysis and synthesis of complex reading and critical thinking tasks. By identifying their own perceptions and articulating them, then comparing their perceptions objectively with those of classmates, students are able to reflect on their attitudes and values and more intentionally understand their interpretations of a text or prompt.

Procedure

1. Assign an article, book study, or any literary prompt you want students to discuss.

2. Prepare 4-6 open-ended questions that correlate with the text.

3. Inform students that they will have 24 hours to jot down several responses they would give to those questions as they read through the text.

4. The following day, divide the class into two groups: inner and outer circles.

5. Remind students of the norms/rules of class discussion.

6. The inner circle of students will answer one question at a time and discuss the issues. This should take 15-30 minutes.

7. The outer circle of students will quietly record observations of the speakers.

8. After the inner circle has discussed the first question, have the two groups switch roles. The inner circle now becomes the outer circle and vice versa.

9. Continue in this manner until students have discussed each of the questions.

10. As a class, have students take some time to reflect and evaluate the activity and self-reflect on their performance.

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Using classical rhetorical strategies, this strategy guides students through careful analysis and synthesis of complex reading and critical thinking tasks. By identifying their own perceptions and articulating them, then comparing their perceptions objectively with those of classmates, students are able to reflect on their attitudes and values and more intentionally understand their interpretations of a text or prompt.

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Based on board game, "What Do You Meme"

Explanation: Students will be divided into groups. For each round each group will send create a "caption" for an image or cartoon that represents a main idea, key concept, major event, or historical figure. Each group will secretly submit their caption to the teacher. The teacher will mix up all of the submissions and read them out loud and decide which caption best fits the image. Captions can be informative, inspirational, relatable, or humorous. The group with the selected caption will receive a point.

Age: All

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to acquire knowledge while working in groups and becoming comfortable with vocab terms, people, events, and key concepts from the learning content. This activity also allows students to make a connection with learning content using a medium other words or reading.

Focus: Cooperative learning, creativity, interpreting skills, critical thinking, previous knowledge connection, real world application

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Explanation: Students will be work individually, in pairs, or in groups to create an eight window comic that displays their abstract and literal understanding of content.

Age: 6th-12th

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to display knowledge while working individually, with a partner, or in a group. Students will be able to show understanding of vocab terms, people, events, and key concepts from the learning content with creativity and critical thinking.

Focus: Cooperative learning, creativity, writing skills, critical thinking, summarizing

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Based on board game, "Balderdash"

Explanation: Students will be diveded into groups. For each round each group will send create a "bluff" definition or description for the Weird Word or Peculiar Person that has been drawn by the teacher. Each group will secretly submit their bluff to the teacher until there are no duplicate submissions. The teacher will mix up all of the submissions and read all of the bluffs along with the correct defintion or description. Once every submission has been read each group will have to decided which is the correct definition or description. Each group that guesses correctly will earn a point. Groups will also earn a point if a different group incorrectly selected their bluff card as the truth.

Age: All

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to acquire knowledge while working in groups and becoming comfortable with vocab terms, people, events, and key concepts from the learning content. This activity also allows students to make a connection with learning content using a medium other words or reading.

Focus: Cooperative learning, creativity, interpreting skills, critical thinking, previous knowledge connection

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Instructional Strategy - Socratic Seminar

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A Socratic Seminar with Brian West of East Hall High School

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Based on board game, "Pictionary"

Explanation: Students will be diveded into groups. For each round each group will send a "drawer" from their team to the board and will be shown a vocab term, historical figure, event, or key concept from the chapter. On the teacher's signal each "drawer" will use color, image, and symbol to represent the word that was shown to them on the card while their group tries to guess which vocab term, historical figure, event, or key concept that they are drawing. First group to correctly guess will earn a point.

Age: 11th-12th

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to acquire knowledge while working in groups and becoming comfortable with vocab terms, people, events, and key concepts from the learning content. This activity also allows students to make a connection with learning content using a medium other words or reading.

Focus: Conversation starter, student choice, cooperative learning, creativity, interpreting skills, critical thinking, previous knowledge connection, reflection

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This instructional strategy allows participants to explore a new concept without using written words or oral language.

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Explanation: Students will work individually and select three of the nine mini-activities to complete. The three activities they select must make a Tic-Tac-Toe either vertically, horizontially, or diagonally. Each mini-activity will have its own set of directions within in it's box.

Age: All

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to display knowledge while working individuall in areas that interest them or that they consider their strengths. Students will be able to show understanding of vocab terms, people, events, and key concepts from the learning content with creativity and critical thinking. Teachers will be able to collect data form an assessment of students

Focus: Independent learning, indentification of interests and strengths, creativity, critical thinking, assessment data collection.

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Explanation: Students will select one of five entry points to complete the assignment. Entry points include Narrational, Logical, Foundational, Aesthetic, and Experiential. This method gives students the freedom and ownership of their work while alowing them to complete the option the feel most comfortable with, best understand, and are most engaged with. Students will us the content that has been recently discussed to either present a story, use deductive/scientific approaches, examine the philosophy and vocabualry that undergrid the topic, focus on sensory features, or use a hands on approach where the student makes a link to a perosnal experience.

Age: 6th-12th

Content Area: All

Use: To help students to display knowledge while working individuall in areas that interest them or that they consider their strengths. Students will be able to show understanding in a form the besr communicate and learn through.

Focus: Independent learning, indentification of interests and strengths, creativity, critical thinking, assessment data collection.

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Explanation: Have students form a large circle. Students will create a large circle. The teacher will then read a statement and give students a few moments to decide if they agree or disagree with the statement. If students agree with the satement they will move to the center of the circle while those that didn't agree stay on the outside. Arrange small groups so that the ratio of Agree:Disagree stays the same within each small group. Students will then have time to explain the perspective of their opinion (not a debate). After each student has voiced their perspective in the small group the teacher will read the statement again and have students reposition themselves on the circle based off of the information from their small group discussions.

Age: 6th-12th

Content Area: All

Use: Through discussion and physical movement, students practice persuasive communication and critically examine their own opinions.

Focus: Interpreting information, Analyzing arguments, Speaking, Listening, and Reasoning with peers, Activating prior knowledge, Physical movement, Critically thinking deep topics, Elaboration on explantion, Reflection on presented information.

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Explanation: Give a prompt over a topic you have recently decided and have students write there responses on a sheet of paper. As the writing pass out cards that are numbered 1-25 (or how many ever students you have). Once everyone has had a chance to complete their response have them make a paper airplane. On the teachers signal have each student throw them in a safe direction. Once the planes have landed have the student with the # 1 card select a plane and read the response out loud. Just continue the order from that point forward and tell all responses have been read. With each response prompt the class to share their feelings or add any elaboration or ideas they may have.

Age: All

Content Area: All

Use: By establishing a random landing pattern students are able to have their responses represented in classic democratic procedure allowing everyone's voice to be heard. Students who typically shy away from sharing their response will be able to participate without feeling as much stress or anxiety.

Focus: Critical thinking, Brainstorming on prompted topics, Summarizing ideas and information, Activation of previous knowledge, Reflection on individual and peer responses

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Explanation: Students will start by drawing a T-chart on a blank sheet of paper. One side should be labeld with "What I Know," and the other side is labeled "What I Learned From My Group." Students will take some time to fill out the chart with what they know. Once they complete this task place students into pairs. Students will take turns being the speaker and the listener. The speaker will start with the phrase "I am an expert on this topic because I know..." then share an interersting insight or signifiicant piece of information. Students only get 30 seconds to share. The listener will then say, "According to my partner," and begin to summarize what the speaker has said, followed by, "Did I get that right?" Now it will be the speaker's turn to fix any misconsceptions that the listener has or important facts that they have left out. Once this is complete the listener will write down insights that they have learned from the speaker. The partners will trade roles and repeat the process.

Age: 3rd-12th

Content Area: All

Use: Students will practice their formal speaking and listening skills while participating in quality conversation as well as anylyzing and summarize information they have covered and pairing with prior knowledge. Teachers will pair students up and each student will take take turns sharing their expertise and taking notes on what they learned from their partner.

Focus: Conversation skills, Interpretatin and Synthesizing information, Colloboration with peers and Summarization of ideas, Critical thinking

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Pictionary - EFL Game for Young Learners

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Step by Step Instructions with Live Classroom Gameplay

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Step by Step Instructions with Live Classroom Gameplay

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Balderdash: A strategy for using primary sources in the elementary classroom

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How to play What do you Meme? | Adult Party Game

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Relatable (previously What Do You Meme?)

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What Do You Meme?® Family Edition | How to Play

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Summary

Students answer a prompt or respond to a reading by creating a comic strip either independently or in a small group. This strategy is often used to check for understanding, to illustrate a student's past experiences, or uncover misconceptions about a complicated concept. Students should know the quality of their artwork is not being judged, only the quality of the response.

Procedure

1. Provide students with a prompt or reading. Students could also respond to the concepts in the most recent unit of instruction.

2. Each student or group receives a blank comic book template.

3. Students use the template to construct a response to a prompt using artwork and dialogue bubbles.

4. Students can use as much or as little art as they desire in their comic strip.

5. Comic strips can then be shared with the class and/or turned in for assessment.

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Students answer a prompt or respond to a reading by creating a comic strip either independently or in a small group. This strategy is often used to check for understanding, to illustrate a student's past experiences, or uncover misconceptions about a complicated concept.

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Reasons for this error message include: the website you're trying to reach doesn't exist or is broken. the web address was mistyped. you clicked on a link with an error. there is a problem with your Internet connection. District Technology Help for Parents and Students at BPSDTECH.COM

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Comics belong in the classroom | Gene Luen Yang

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Student Choice Board - Figuratuve Language

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How to use a Think Tac Toe Assessment - TeachLikeThis

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Entry Points for Creative Innovation (EdTechTeacher Webinar)

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Summary

Students determine whether they agree or disagree with a statement and indicate their opinion by standing on an agreement circle in the appropriate area. Then, students debate their stances in small groups with members of both opinions. After discussing the statement, students return to the agreement circle to indicate whether their opinion changed.

Procedure

1. Have students form a large circle.

2. Read the statement, then give students 5-10 seconds of thinking time to decide whether they agree or disagree with the statement.

3. Ask students to move to the center of the agreement circle if they agree with the statement. Have students stay on the outside if they disagree.

4. Arrange students in small groups, maintaining the proportion of agree to disagree (as much as possible) that the last step indicated. For example, if 12 students agree with the statement and 18 disagree, groups should have five people each, where two agreed and three disagreed.

5. Give students a few minutes to defend their opinions.

6. Call time, read the question again, and have students re-position themselves on the agreement circle, according to their current opinion.

7. Note any changes and repeat the exercise using a new statement. This can be repeated as many times as needed.

Keeley, P. (2008). Science formative assessment: 75 practical strategies for linking assessment, instruction, and learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, SAGE.

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Students determine whether they agree or disagree with a statement and indicate their opinion by standing on an agreement circle in the appropriate area. Then, students debate their stances in small groups with members of both opinions. After discussing the statement, students return to the agreement circle to indicate whether their opinion changed.

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IQ-MS Strategy Showcase:  Agreement Circle

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A Lesson From Socrates That Will Change The Way You Think

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Summary

This strategy asks volunteers to respond to a given prompt in a randomized order. This established "landing pattern" enables students to respond in a democratic fashion and ensures that all of the students who wish to respond are heard.

Procedure

1. When asking a question or giving a prompt, ask for a certain number of volunteers based on the number of responses you think would be appropriate. For example, you might say, "Can I get three volunteers who will respond?"

2. Let each volunteer draw a card with a number on it, and then allow students to respond in that order. Card 1 will respond first, Card 2 will respond second, and so on. You may use a deck of playing cards, index cards that you have hand-numbered, or any other ordered numbering pattern. Numbering volunteers randomly organizes their responses into a "landing pattern."

3. Have volunteers stick to this landing pattern. Even if the first volunteer gives an excellent answer, the predetermined order ensures other volunteers have dedicated time to respond. Every volunteer should present, and each response should be judged on its own merit.

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This strategy asks volunteers to respond to a given prompt in a randomized order. This established "landing pattern" enables students to respond in a democratic fashion and ensures that all of the students who wish to respond are heard.

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Summary

30-Second Expert invites students to practice their speaking and listening skills while participating in substantive conversation. Students consider what they know about a topic, either from a text they've just read or from their prior knowledge, and they record this information in a T-chart. Then, students summarize and share their knowledge with a partner, adding any new knowledge to the T-chart as they listen. Although this strategy can be used at any point in a lesson to encourage discourse, the ideal placement would have students use it to summarize new information or as a pre-reading strategy.

Procedure

1. Ask students to draw a T-chart on a blank sheet of paper. Have them label the left side "What I know about this topic" and the right side "What I learned from my partner."

2. Have students write what they know about the topic on the left side of the T-chart. If students are using this strategy to summarize a text, have students complete this step after they have finished reading.

3. Place students in pairs or allow students to choose partners.

4. Invite students to stand and turn toward their partners. Designate one student in each pair as the speaker and the other as the listener. Then, have the speaker share a significant piece of information or interesting insight from the text. The speaker should say, "I am an expert on this topic because I know..." Give students only 30 seconds to share.

5. Have the listener say, "According to (partner's name)," and summarize what the speaker said. The listener should finish by asking, "Did I get that right?" At this point, have the speaker clarify any misconceptions or add any information the listener left out, while the listener adds any insight learned from their partner to the right side of their T-chart.

6. Ask student pairs to switch roles. The speaker becomes the listener, and the listener becomes the speaker. Have students repeat steps 4 and 5 in their new roles.

7. Remind students to thank their partners or even to give each other a high-five and say, "Good job!"

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30-Second Expert invites students to practice their speaking and listening skills while participating in substantive conversation. Students consider what they know about a topic, either from a text they've just read or from their prior knowledge, and they record this information in a T-chart.

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30-Second Expert – LEARN Instructional Strategy

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"[Poll Everywhere] helps a lot of shyer students who don't always contribute in class voice their opinions a bit louder."

This quote comes from one of senior lecturer Deborah Husbands' students at the University of Westminster. "We feel more comfortable with each other now," said another student. "We feel like we can talk to each other because it's something fun to do."

Check out this video to see Husbands and her class demonstrate how you can incorporate a student response system into your classroom.

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"[Poll Everywhere] helps a lot of shyer students who don't always contribute in class voice their opinions a bit louder." This quote comes from one of senior lecturer Deborah Husbands' students at the University of Westminster. "We feel more comfortable with each other now," said another student.

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Effects of Student Anonymity During Class Discussions Similar To Airplane Landing

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Effects of Student Anonymity During Class Discussions Similar To Airplane Landing