https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m Active Strategies in the Secondary Science Classroom en-us 2019-11-10 15:58:43 UTC 2019-11-17 19:44:55 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f9ea.png ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409171778 After covering a batch of content, play this active learning version of musical chairs by playing energetic music and having students march until the music stops. When the music stops, they are to quickly match up with a neighboring student and discuss everything they can recall about the lecture.
From Nuts and Bolts]]> 2019-11-10 16:03:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409171778 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409212255 This is a great strategy to help bolster teamwork and positive peer relationships. You give three hersheys kisses to each student and instruct them to give each to three more students who have helped them in some way. Afterward, discuss how it felt to give or receive a kiss and if there were any unexpected receipts. 
From Nuts & Bolts]]> 2019-11-10 19:58:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409212255 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409214173 Create groups and have the groups pick a representative. Create index cards with problems or scenarios that need to be solved. The representative will say "Deal!" if they accept the challenge on the card, or "No Deal!" if they don't accept it. They must accept the next challenge. Make sure you allow some wrap up reflection and group sharing. From Nuts & Bolts]]> 2019-11-10 20:07:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409214173 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409214883 This "connect four"-like-game is an active classroom question and answer activity. You use index cards with review questions on them (one per student) and 20 12-inch red circles and 20 12-inch black circles.
1. Create a human game board placing 25 students in desks five rows across and five deep.
2. Give each of the students a question card and ask them not to show anyone.
3. Select two students to be the players.
4. Players stand at the front of the room.
5. One player gets the black disks, and the other gets the red disks.
6. Choose a player to go first
7. That player chooses a student on the first row horizontally.
8. The student selected reads the question card that she or he holds.
9. The player answers the question. If the player is correct, he or she gives the student a colored circle. If the player is incorrect, the correct answer is given, and the opposing player plays a colored circle.
10. The next player chooses a spot on the human play board. The player can choose any space on the first row across or build on colored circles already placed (similar to connect four game).
11. Play continues back and forth until a student places the fourth same-colored circle in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal.
12. This player is the winner and stays for the next game. The losing player selects another student to play and takes that student's place on the human board.
13. The cards are taken up, shuffled, and redistributed to the students on the game board, or a different set of question cards are passed out.
From Nuts & Bolts]]> 2019-11-10 20:11:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409214883 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409217098 Blue - Great strategy for review
Purple - Content comprehension or interest strategy
Pink - Student interaction/peer relationships
Peach - Science strategy building
Green - Writing strategy]]> 2019-11-10 20:23:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409217098 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409706680 All you need is a non-transparent bag and something to put in it! This is a great strategy to help develop science skills like observation, hypothesizing and inference. Just pick something that pertains to the lesson you will be giving and allow students to try to guess the object through twenty questions.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:13:04 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409706680 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409707998 This strategy helps boost content comprehension by having students paraphrase what they just learned on an index card to an imaginary student who was absent for the day. This can also be a great ticket out the door activity!
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:18:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409707998 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409708596 This cool strategy helps students review what they have learned and also helps students develop paraphrasing skills. After your lesson, ask students to write a postcard to a friend. Because a postcard has limited space for writing, it forces the student to write efficiently.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris ]]> 2019-11-11 22:21:41 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409708596 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409709210 Here is another strategy that helps students become more precise in their wording. Provide students with a post-it note, an index card, or a postcard and instruct them to paraphrase the main points of what they've learned into a sentence. Then tell them to remove/condense words until they have less than 7 words.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:24:36 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409709210 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409710033 This is a great way to have a formative assessment of your lesson for the day. This can be short answer, long answer, multiple choice, etc. It can be written or electronic. Gauge students' understanding as they leave.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:28:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409710033 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409710682 This is a great way to get kids moving and also to garner feedback from students themselves! Before your lesson, come up with five to ten questions that relate to your lesson objectives. You can post these on poster paper around the room. After your lesson, have students walk around the room and answer the questions by either writing on the large paper or on post it notes that you have provided.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:31:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409710682 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409711375 Having trouble with peer relationships? The Miracle Question helps kids gain a different perspective when in challenging social situations. When speaking to the student directly, by themselves, pose the question "Imagine a time in the future, when by some miracle, ______________ is/is not happening." This allows students to gain a new perspective and to comprehend a more positive approach to a difficult situation.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-11 22:34:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/409711375 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/410292326 This strategy allows students to activate prior knowledge and share ideas about the content with peers. You can pair up students or allow them to pair themselves up. You choose the topic!]]> 2019-11-12 22:27:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/410292326 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/410293107 Want to see what students thought about about a certain passage or batch of content? This strategy has them write for five minutes (in their journal or notebook). This is a good way to gauge whether students are paying attention, understanding the material, or are engaged.]]> 2019-11-12 22:29:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/410293107 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412264703 This is a station where students can create things like posters, pictures, crafts after they have completed their assignment. It's a great way to differentiate too!
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:34:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412264703 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412264988 Have relevant books placed around the room for students to peruse during down time. This will increase opportunities for reading and review!
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:37:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412264988 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265117 Make a box, perhaps a very visually stimulating box, and put questions about the upcoming unit in it. In the last minutes of class, pull out a question and have students speculate about it. Students can also add their own questions!
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:38:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265117 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265269 Put together a list of words from the unit you are teaching. Write each one on an index card and stack them up. Each group of students will get an identical stack. They will then sort them according to how they think they belong together. After they've labelled their stacks, groups can explain their thinking.
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:40:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265269 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265465 Find sites relevant to your content unit and set up a portaportal (www.portaportal.com). Make a scavenger hunt out of these sites that the students have to accomplish. Be sure to use good pictures and exciting websites!
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:42:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265465 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265701 While learning about ecosystems, further solidify those connections by having students make a mural using bulletin board paper of the ecosystem, including its flora and fauna! Afterwards, do a gallery walk so students can discuss the features of each ecosystem!
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:45:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412265701 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412266023 Find podcasts pertaining to your content area and play them at the beginning or the end of the class to pique interest in the area. In my Anatomy class, sometimes I play podcasts pertaining to human health and disease.
From Everyone's Invited! by Jill Spencer.]]> 2019-11-16 23:49:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412266023 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412407836 At age 38 I got a sticker on a college assignment sheet and it made my day. Not only are stickers great ways to congratulate students on a job well done, but they can also be used to provide emphasis on the main point while taking notes. Provide each student with a sticker or selection of stickers. After giving students time to review their notes, instruct them to place a sticker next to a concept or idea that they feel is important. Then allow them time to discuss with a partner why they placed their sticker at that spot!
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-17 19:14:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412407836 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412408523 This strategy allows students to see, hear, and observe what their peers think about a situation, theme, or question. Arrange seating in the room in a circle. Talk about how in a fish bowl everyone can see and know what everyone else is doing. Pull two or three students to the center and have them discuss a topic or question. Remove students from the center and add others to the center to continue the discussion.]]> 2019-11-17 19:18:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412408523 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409036 Allow students the opportunity to have input on your next test! Provide students the opportunity to review the concept and if possible discuss this review with a partner. Then, ask students to gather resource materials related to the topic. Give them an opportunity to create test questions from the materials and make sure to remind them that they must include the answers to their questions!]]> 2019-11-17 19:21:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409036 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409706 Kahoot is a great resource to review with students before a quiz or test. Kids love to compete with one another and really get into this game! Find it at kahoot.com]]> 2019-11-17 19:24:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409706 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409903 Another great way to review material is to play ball! Grab a couple of soft, squishy balls that won't hurt when you throw them. Call out a question and then toss the ball at a randomly chosen student. While it's in the air ask the question and when they catch it they have to answer.]]> 2019-11-17 19:26:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412409903 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412410254 Kids love to try to make a crumpled up paper ball into a trashcan from various areas in the room. Why not use that energy to your advantage and have them quiz each other while they're doing it? The one that gets the ball into the basket AND answers the question correctly gets to ask the next content question.]]> 2019-11-17 19:28:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412410254 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412410698 Review vocabulary terms with a riveting game of hang man! Draw a gallows on the board and come up with a word, then draw as many dashes as there are letters in the word and allow students the opportunity to guess consonants and vowels. Whoever guesses the right answer gets to choose the next word from the content!]]> 2019-11-17 19:30:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412410698 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412411370 Provide students with an opportunity to gain experience writing, but in a safe way! Since they will be writing letters to themselves, this is a low risk opportunity for them to practice writing. Provide paper and an envelope and have the students write a letter to themselves discussing what they know about the content or theme. When finished, have the students address it to themselves and let them know that they will receive it back at some point in the future.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-17 19:33:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412411370 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412412202 This strategy has students think about a content or lesson from different perspectives. Three in total! Circle represents what they are still thinking about. Triangle represents what they have learned. Square indicates what they agree with. On a piece of paper, index card, or post-it note, have the students write underneath the appropriate shape their review of what they have just learned.
From Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement by Bryan Harris]]> 2019-11-17 19:37:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412412202 ctreacy2 https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412413012 Use this active learning strategy to have students understand new vocabulary. Provide the student with a piece of paper or index card in which they will draw a picture representing the definition of the word. See an example below!]]> 2019-11-17 19:41:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ctreacy2/46faxmqd1t1m/wish/412413012