Activities and StrategiesBelow are the activities and strategies that I have found to try to increase elementary students engagement in Social Studies. I attempted to use as many as I could with my class this semester to have students explore the concepts in a variety of ways. These strategies can be adapted depending on the grade level of the students. List of Included Engaging Strategies:
Graffiti ResponsesWhat is it? During the Graffiti strategy, students brainstorm ideas and record them on large sheets of chart paper. This is a creative way to collect thoughts from all or most of the students in the classroom. How to Use it -
In-Out CircleWhat is it?
During this strategy, students form two different circles: half of the group stands in a circle facing outward while the other half forms a circle around them facing inward. Students exchange information until the teacher signals the outer circle to move in one direction. The students now have a different partner with whom to exchange. How to Use it - Website References:
www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/inside-outside-circles eworkshop.on.ca/edu/pdf/Mod36_coop_inside-outside.pdf Corner Call (Four Corners)What is it?
This technique stimulates student learning through movement and discussion, and it can also be used as a formative assessment. Students are presented with a controversial statement or are asked a question. In each of the four corners of the classroom, an opinion or response is posted. Students express their opinion or response by standing in front of one of four statements, and then talking to others about why they have chosen their corner. Four Corners promotes listening, verbal communication, critical thinking, and decision-making. How to Use it - 1. Prepare Generate a controversial statement or a question related to your topic of study. Create four different opinions (often teachers use “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” “Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree”) related to the statement or four possible answer choices to the question. Post these on chart paper in four different areas of your classroom. The opinions/answers can also be shown on the overhead in multiple choice format, while each corner of the room is labeled as A, B, C, or D. 2. Present Read the statement or problem to the class, without giving them choices. Allow time for students to independently think about an answer to the statement/question. You can ask them to write down their answer and reason for their choice. Then, provide the answer choices. Ask students to choose the option that comes closest to their original answer. 3. Commit to a Corner Ask students to gather in the corner of the room that corresponds to their choice. In each corner, students form groups of two or three to discuss the reasons for selecting a particular choice. 4. Discuss Allow two or three minutes of discussion. Call on students to present a group summary of their opinions. This can be done through an oral presentation or as a written statement. When to UseUse Four Corners at any point in the lesson to structure meaningful conversation:
A-B-C-D For a test review, place A, B, C, or D in each corner. Ask a multiple-choice question, and have students move to the answer they would choose. Upon arrival at their corner, pairs or trios discuss why they have chosen their answer. Groups share out their reasoning, and then students are allowed to change their corner after hearing the reasoning of each corner. Website References: lwww.gottoteach.com/2014/08/four-corners-cooperative-learning.html http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/four-corners Think- Pair-ShareWhat is it?
The think, pair, share strategy is a cooperative learning technique that encourages individual participation and is applicable across all grade levels and class sizes. Students think through questions using three distinct steps: How to Use it -
www.teachervision.com/group-work/cooperative-learning/48547.html Concept AttainmentWhat is it?
The Concept Attainment strategy engages students in forming their own definition of a concept by examining the attributes of several examples and nonexamples of the word, concept, or topic. How to Use it - 1. Identify positive and negative examples of the item or concept that you are wishing to explain. List each example on a separate card. 2. Mix the cards then select one to use in the class. Identify it as a positive or negative example. 3. Continue selecting cards but allow the students to attempt to classify them as positive or negative examples. 4. Periodically ask the students if anyone can hazard a guess as to what the unknown concept could be. 5. Continue until the concept is identified correctly. 6. Have the students continue to suggest their own examples. Website References: www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/strategies/how-to-teach-with-the-concept-attainment-model/ Mix to Music (Classroom Mingle)What is it?
This discussion technique allows learners to actively engage with new content by moving around the classroom, asking and answering questions with multiple members of the class. Afterwards, there is an opportunity for group review and reflection. How to Use it - 1. Prepare Write a list of open-ended questions or problems based on a unit of study. Cut the paper into strips, with one question per strip, so that you have at least one question per student. 2. Introduce Display the list of questions to explain the activity. Before passing out a question to each student, model the way students will mingle with volunteers. 3. Distribute Hand a strip of paper to each student and ask all students to stand up and find a partner. 4. Mingle Working in their pairs, Student A asks Student B his/her question. After answering, Student B asks Student A his/her question. Next, they exchange strips of paper, and each one finds another member of the class who is also looking for a new partner. The process is repeated. To create a more structured mingle, the teacher can monitor the time for each interaction. After a set amount of time to share questions in pairs, music can be played. Students should move around the classroom. When the music stops, students find a new partner standing near them. 5. Close Ask students to take a seat after the time allotted. Lead an open discussion about the questions and answers. When to UseUse Classroom Mingle at any point in the lesson to structure meaningful conversation:
Student-Created Classroom Mingle To work on students’ questioning skills and/or help them review content in depth, have students create their own questions on strips of paper or index cards. Structured Mingle Prepare a list of discussion topics or questions ahead of time. After students find a partner in the first round of mingling, they should freeze and listen to one topic or question the you pose. All pairs answer the same question. Then, after students mingle to find another partner, a new topic or question is posed. Do as many mingle rounds as you have questions or topics. Website References: www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/classroom-mingle Gallery WalkWhat is it?
Gallery Walk is a discussion technique that gets students out of their chairs and into a mode of active engagement. How to Use it - 1. Write Create six questions or prompts about the current topic of study, and write each one on a piece of chart paper or on a white board. Hang or place the questions or prompts in various places around the classroom to create six stations. Images, documents, problems, or quotes may also be used. 2. Group Group students into teams of three to five students, depending on the size of the class. Each group should start at a different station. 3. Begin At their first station, groups will read what is posted and one recorder should write the group’s responses, thoughts, and comments on the chart paper or whiteboard. For individual student accountability, you may also have the students record their own responses on a worksheet (see template below), or put their initials below what they wrote. Having different colored markers for each student is also an option. 4. Rotate After three to five minutes, have the groups rotate to the next station. Students read and discuss the previous group’s response and add content of their own. Repeat until all groups have visited each station. To involve all group members, you can have groups switch recorders at each station. 5. Monitor As the teacher, it is important to monitor the stations while the students participate. You may also need to clarify or provide hints if students don't understand or misinterpret what is posted at their station. 6. Reflect Have students go back to their first station to read all that was added to their first response. Bring the class back together to discuss what was learned and make final conclusions about what they saw and discussed. Website References: www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/gallery-walk Make an AppointmentWhat is it?
This strategy is used to quickly put students in pairs or small groups for discussion or to work. It allows for students to choose who they will be sharing with, but also has students sharing with more than one person. How to Use it - 1. Make a copy of the clock for each student. The names of other students go at each hour mark around the clock so that asking students to find their “1 o’clock” partner puts the students in pairs, for example. 2. Allow students to choose partners for some times on the clock, but decide some of the partners ahead of time so that you know, for example, that the 2 o’clock partners are students with similar skills in reading or that the 5 o’clock partners have similar interests. Materials/Resources -
Website References:
www.fortheteachers.org/instructional_strategies/#HeadsTogether FishbowlWhat is it?
The “fishbowl” is a teaching strategy that helps students practice being contributors and listeners in a discussion. Students ask questions, present opinions, and share information when they sit in the “fishbowl” circle, while students on the outside of the circle listen carefully to the ideas presented and pay attention to process. Then the roles reverse. This strategy is especially useful when you want to make sure all students participate in the discussion, when you want to help students reflect on what a “good discussion” looks like, and when you need a structure for discussing controversial or difficult topics. How to Use it - 1. Selecting a topic for the fishbowl Almost any topic is suitable for a fishbowl discussion. The most effective prompts (question or text) do not have one right answer, but rather allow for multiple perspectives and opinions. The fishbowl is an excellent strategy to use when discussing dilemmas, for example. 2. Setting up the room A fishbowl requires a circle of chairs (“the fishbowl”) and enough room around the circle for the remaining students to observe what is happening in the “fishbowl.” Sometimes teachers place enough chairs for half of the students in the class to sit in the fishbowl, while other times teachers limit the chairs in the fishbowl. Typically six to twelve chairs allows for a range of perspectives while still allowing each student an opportunity to speak. The observing students often stand around the fishbowl. 3. Preparation Like many structured conversations, fishbowl discussions are most effective when students have had a few minutes to prepare ideas and questions in advance. 4. Discussing norms and rules of the discussion There are many ways to structure a fishbowl discussion. Sometimes teachers have half the class sit in the fishbowl for 10-15 minutes and then say “switch,” at which point the listeners enter the fishbowl and the speakers become the audience. Another common fishbowl format is the “tap” system, where students on the outside of the fish bowl gently tap a student on the inside, indicating that they should switch roles. See the variations section for more ideas about how to structure this activity. Regardless of the particular rules you establish, you want to make sure these are explained to students beforehand. You also want to provide instructions for the students in the audience. What should they be listening for? Should they be taking notes? Before beginning the fishbowl, you may wish to review guidelines for having a respectful conversation. Sometimes teachers ask audience members to pay attention to how these norms are followed by recording specific aspects of the discussion process such as the number of interruptions, respectful or disrespectful language used, or speaking times (Who is speaking the most? The least?) 5. Debriefing the fishbowl discussion After the discussion, you can ask students to reflect on how they think the discussion went and what they learned from it. Students can also evaluate their participation as listeners and as participants. They could also provide suggestions for how to improve the quality of discussion in the future. These reflections can be in writing, or can be structured as a small or large group conversation. Website References: www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/fishbowl I See, I Think, I WonderWhat is it?
This routine encourages students to make careful observations and thoughtful interpretations. It helps stimulate curiosity and sets the stage for inquiry. How to Use it - Use this routine when you want students to think carefully about why something looks the way it does or is the way it is. Use the routine at the beginning of a new unit to motivate student interest or try it with an object that connects to a topic during the unit of study. Consider using the routine with an interesting object near the end of a unit to encourage students to further apply their new knowledge and ideas. Ask students to make an observation about an object – it could be an artwork, image, artifact or topic – and follow up with what they think might be going on or what they think this observation might be. Encourage students to back up their interpretation with reasons. Ask students to think about what this makes them wonder about the object or topic. The routine works best when a student responds by using the three stems together at the same time, i.e., “I see…, I think…, I wonder …. “ However, you may find that students begin by using one stem at a time, and that you need to scaffold each response with a follow up question for the next stem. The routine works well in a group discussion but in some cases you may want to ask students to try the routine individually on paper or in their heads before sharing out as a class. Student responses to the routine can be written down and recorded so that a class chart of observations, interpretations and wonderings are listed for all to see and return to during the course of study. Materials/Resources -
Website References:
pz.harvard.edu/resources/see-think-wonder |
KWL ChartWhat is it?
KWL is a very simple strategy that may help teachers and students to organize ideas about a certain topic. “K” is for Know. “W” is for Want to know; and “L” is for Learned. The phases to implement it are: How to Use it - 1) The teacher introduces the topic and draws the KWL chart on the board. Then, the teacher writes down the ideas students have about the topic. 2) The teacher writes on the second column of the KWL chart what the students want to know about that specific topic. 3) Students read the material silently, and then teacher and students compare what they had written in the first and second columns with the material, and write the answers in the third column. Materials/Resources -
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