8 thinking, writing and discussing activities to hook students

8 thinking, writing and discussing activities to hook students

                                           https://openclipart.org

Educators know that they must bait their students' brains with activities that will lure their charges into picking up their pens, pencils, or computers, and turning on their minds. Here are 8 activities-4 Free and 4 Priced- that will snag students' attention and empower them to become life-long thinkers, writers and learners.

Teaching Tip: offer one of these activities for students to dig into while you take attendance. Save the  explanation of the day's agenda until after you have baited their brains with a fun and subtle writing and critical thinking activity.

Language Arts Comprehension Check: Ten Sentence Format

NOTE: This freebie is NOT an activity, but an invaluable teaching tool. Students should use it for any expository writing piece- from a warm-up to a complete essay, to a short answer response on a quiz or a test.

This Ten Sentence Format reinforces students' basic understanding of the elements of a good paragraph while they practice writing about literature. It also empowers them to write and develop more in-depth essays since they can expand the format to meet any length requirements by adding more body paragraphs. Perfect for clarifying and reinforcing the parts of an essay, teachers may also use it for an announced or unannounced quiz when they wish to check reading and writing comprehension, and for general writing practice or warm-ups.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Comprehension-CheckTen-Sentence-Format-16081 (Free)

 The House of Comprehension EBook

(Note:The Ten-Sentence Format is a part of the Writing Module of my teacher resource, The House of Comprehension. 

You can check out the book here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EBook-The-House-of-Comprehension-1557114 $ The House of Comprehension is a resource for ELA teachers in grades 6-9, written to address their efforts to help students comprehend structure in literature. The program presented in this teacher resource offers educators a complete solution -from Planning to Teaching through Assessment - that shows students how each element of literature works with the others to form a solid literary structure. By following this Show Me, Help Me, Let Me program, teachers facilitate their students' understanding of any text.

Comprehension - It's Good to be Me...It's Good to be You

These engaging activities will hook students into reading and writing about any text. The two activities motivate students to delve into the literature's subtext as they explore the characters they meet in their reading, while also allowing students to reveal their own personalities and thoughts. This is a great way for young people to turn their private "The Me You Don't Know" traits and thoughts into their, "The Me I Want You to Know" word pictures that they are willing to share publicly. 

Also, these FREE activities will jump start students' higher level thinking skills and give them a chance to exhibit their thinking in their writing. Although these work as great activities at the beginning of the year for you to get to know your students and for them to learn about each other, they are comprehensive activities throughout the year. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comprehension-Its-Good-to-be-Me-Its-Good-to-be-You-859283 (Free)

 Journalism Beat Sheet

Whether Journalism teachers are veterans or rookies, the Beat Sheet is an absolute necessity to teach students reporting procedures and to develop basic interviewing skills. Because it is important for a school newspaper to cover all of the clubs and activities a middle or high school offers, this FREE Beat Sheet presents a succinct way for journalism students to find story ideas they can develop as a blurb for a column or as a News, Features of Sports piece for the newspaper.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journalism-Beat-Sheet-90452 (Free)

Writing - "Just Say, 'NO!' to Dull Writing"

This year-long "Just Say, 'NO!' to Dull Writing" activity has always been one of my premier writing lesson plans for middle school and high school students. I hand it out the first week of the year, and explain that students are required to refer to it for any writing-graded or nongraded piece- during the whole year. They are to use it to revise warm-ups they want to develop into full length pieces, for short answer assignments during literature studies, for full-length essays or narrative writings, or for projects.  In short- for any and every in-class or homework assignment. Also, I make a poster of it to hang in the classroom and taped a copy of the list to each desk for  continual writing reinforcement. One of my students contacted me from college and asked me to send her a copy she could use in the tutoring center where she mentored peers.  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Just-Say-NO-to-Dull-Writing-1555338 (Free)

Language Arts Activity - "This is My Future"

Here is an activity that helps students get to know peers they view only as acquaintances, and also offers teachers a chance to learn about their students thoughts, beliefs and personalities. In this activity, students consider their futures. What is their dream career? Where do they see themselves in five, ten, fifteen or twenty years? This thinking and writing assignment allows them to ponder who they are now, where they are going, and what they need academically to help them attain their dream. It's also great to use in conjunction with the study of a book such as Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer), The Odyssey (Homer), I Am The Messenger (Markus Zusak) or Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston). In this case, students complete the activity from the point of view of ones of the characters in the book they are studying.

Ask students to start this activity by designing a poster that depicts their dream career. If class time permits, they now should write a paragraph explaining the school subjects and necessary skills that they will need to master in order to help them attain their goals. If teachers want to move on more quickly, they can have a few students summarize their designs and then complete the writing aspect at home. When they have finished this activity, teachers may pin up the posters around the classroom so that all of the students can look into their peers' futures. These make a fascinating bulletin board, whether they are personal or fabout a character.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-This-is-My-Future-1145950 ($)

Critical Thinking & Writing Lesson: Four Corners Activity

Engage students by getting them on their feet where they can share their opinions on a variety of contemporary topics. After that, give them time to express their thoughts in writing. These activities allow students to show their analytic and critical-thinking skills in speaking and writing. Also, they offer teachers a clear baseline, so they can assess what areas of writing their students will need to address during the year.

This is an excellent activity because it:

1. Makes the students think

2. Teaches them to express themselves verbally in a non-argumentative manner

3. Requires them to listen to others’ opinions, and 

4. Gets the students actively involved in classroom discussions.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Critical-Thinking-Writing-Lesson-Four-Corners-Activity-45528($)

Writing Activity: My Life's Journey

This activity requires students create a pictorial life map from their birth to the present day. Students should complete the project totally with images and brief captions. Continue the concept of this lesson with your first reading selection that the students will study. Although I have used this assignment in conjunction with teaching The Odyssey, it can accompany any story that involves a journey. It complements a variety of books-fiction and narrative non-fiction- for grades 6-12.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Activity-My-Lifes-Journey-287176($) 

Teaching Tip: Snag students' attention and feed their learning appetites with one-or two of these offerings as appetizers. Try this sequence of activities:

1. Choose a writing activity as students settle in and you take attendance.
2. Select an activity that gets the students talking. Any of these will accomplish that goal.
3. Ask a few students to share their responses for this exercise.
4. Close the class with any instructions re completing the writing activity.

Teacher Bonus: Teacher CLASSMART List

This "Teacher CLASSMART List" is comprised of 12 supplies that will save teachers' sanity during the school year. Three of the Items included are:

1. Hand cleanser (extra-large). Classrooms are Free-Range Germ Zones.

3. Antiseptic cleaning spray. This is a must in Germ Warfare Defense to use with students who sneeze or cough on their homework/ tests and then try to hand in the tainted papers. When they do, smile, hand them the bottle and tell them to go into the hall and de-germ those weapons of mass congestion. This is also a necessity for desk cleaning and purifying the air. and

10. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Just like burgers need fries and eggs need bacon, grading that stack of essays calls for the fruit of the cocoa bean…in any form.

 If you fill your supply closet with these items, you will enjoy a year that is as germ-free, stress-free and headache-free as possible.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Freebie-Teacher-CLASSMART-List-1329512 (Free)

We all know how crucial writing right is in all aspects of students' education: from a warm-up, to a major essay, to standardized testing, to creating skills students will need after high school graduation, and to empower our charges with a lifelong love of the written word. These four free and four paid products offer you the bait you need to hook your students.  As for the CLASSMART List- isn't it time for some coffee, tea or chocolate?

Enjoy a Teach It Now Day Every Day.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Connie

First Day Tried & True Linky Party

Ahhhh! As these lazy, hazy days of summer wrap most of the country in humidity,teachers are enjoying a few days to a few weeks of sleeping in, basking in the luxury of traveling to the tick tock of their own clocks, and catching up with months of saved TV shows.

The first teaching-related stress/frustration dream has yet to invade their restful sleep with images of Joey who can't sit still, of Zelda who can't stay quiet and of George who won't wake up. 

That perennial,"What will I teach the FIRST DAY?" question has yet to fuel the first of many Decision Conflicts that will crop up before students strut, shuffle or slink into the classroom. 

And after weeks of flip flops sandals, shorts and tee-shirts, the annual end-of-summer closet Search, Sort, Purge and Shop has yet to happen.

But, as surely as each and every mattress store in the country will hold continual sales, as surely as a good donut will never be local, and as surely as Downton Abbey will fade to black after the last episode of Season 6  in 2016, school bells will ring and teachers must have their alarms set, their lessons finalized and their clothes ready.

Here are 6 Tried and True Tips  to ensure a smooth transition to the 2015-2016 school year

1. As you fill your carts with pens, pencils,  paper (lined, unlined, construction etc.) and push pins, remember to toss in some presents for yourself: Kleenex, paper towels, spray cleanser and hand sanitizer. You will be glad you did about a week into the year when two-thirds of your students are suffering from the Back to School Germfest caused by too many breathing bodies in an enclosed space and the back of your nose is teasing you with its pre-cold tickle.

2. Create detailed plans for the first month- yes, the first month before the Starting Bell.  Why?
Because PLC, department and faculty meetings will consume a good deal of your contract hours.

Because Back to School night information and edicts will start filling your email and snail mail boxes before Labor Day (some BTS nights start as early as the second week of school). These will sap your planning energy with thoughts of how to prepare a welcoming and engaging presentation.

Because your students will demand your full time and attention, which is what teaching is all about in the first place, as they adjust to the new term, and because administrators will want to see how you plan to ensure each one’s proficiency.

3. Ladies- no matter how incredibly chic those new gray Zigi Soho Tasmin Peep Toe Pumps are, or how sophisticated they look with your new dove-gray pencil skirt and purple silk blouse- DO NOT WEAR THEM! Your feet will hate you until December.

4. Gentlemen-do not don your Cool Story Bro tee-shirts until your students and colleagues get your droll sense of humor.

5. Be firm but fair. If you want your charges to join you on the Learning Path, it is more important for them to view you as challenging than easy. The former means that you are poking at their minds and teasing their brains to actively respond-verbally or in writing. The latter might be construed as “I don’t care” when you want it to be interpreted as academically open-ended.

Remember no conflict exists with happily ever after. That’s why Julian Fellows had Matthew die at the end of Season 3 in Downton Abbey. Challenge leads to conflict of the positive or negative variety which leads to thinking and doing which ends in learning.

6. Create First Day activities that engage, inspire and energize discussing, thinking, and writing.  Here are two FREE lessons that have walked the walk and talked the talk of those criteria.

First Day Writing Activity - Four Corners ~ FREE 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Day-Writing-Activity-Four-Corners-45528 

Students love to offer their opinions on just about any topic, to move around and to debate pros and cons with their peers. Getting them on their feet where they can share their thoughts on a variety of contemporary topics is crucial in creating an atmosphere that promotes evaluating ideas and supporting their own assertions with valid points. The Four Corners Activity covers all of those bases.




First Day Writing Assignment-Revised ~ FREE

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Day-Writing-Assignment-16312 
This activity offers teachers a baseline of each student’s writing skills. After analyzing each piece of writing, teachers will have the basic foundation for their year’s writing program.  The ideas are student-friendly, and offer a smooth transition from summer to the classroom because it  awakens students thinking, analyzing and writing skills.

For all of you who will be leading classrooms this year, revel in these last few days/weeks of your time- your way.

And when those school bells ring...

Enjoy a Teach It Now Day, Every Day.

Thank you to Chrissie Rissmiller http://undercoverclassroom.blogspot.com/  and
Sarah Tighe http://educationelectrification.blogspot.com/ for organizing this Linky Party.

An InLinkz Link-up