Four Corners
Corner 1 – STOP! - I am totally confused!
Corner 2 – Slow down! - I understand some of it, but I
couldn’t pass a test today.
Corner 3 – Keep moving! - I’m getting it.
Corner 4 – Let me help! - I understand it and could
teach it to my friends.
Stand the Line
Put a piece of masking tape down the center of
the classroom. Have students stand on either
side of the tape, about two steps away. Pose a
series of statements for which the students
must take a stand. Direct students to take one
step toward the line if they agree, or one step
back from the line if they disagree. Randomly
ask students to share their thinking verbally.
LEARNING LOG
At the end of a lesson or class period students
are given time to respond to a topic discussed
in class. Examples:
Today I learned…
I have been thinking about…
The best parts of my work today were…
It was difficult for me to learn about…
I would like to learn more about…
Something new I learned today was…
$25,000 Pyramid
In pairs, have students try to get their partners
to guess key words and concepts on a pyramid
projected on the screen. One member faces
the screen while the other has their back to the
screen.
Revisit Anticipation Guide
Ask students to go back to the anticipation
guide from the beginning of the lesson and
revise their answers. You can also ask them to
justify the changes.
RAFT
A writing “situation” where students choose
Role (from whose point of view), Audience (the
specific reader to whom the piece is being
written), Format (a letter, memo, list, email,
etc.), Topic (specific subject of the writing)
R – The Earth
A – Aliens who might want to live on Earth
F –Brochure
T – What you need to know and do if you want to live here
Think-Pair-Write
Students are given a topic/question. They
brainstorm it with a partner, but then each
student writes his/her own response.
Word Splash Version 1
Students are given the central word or
statement of a lesson. Students “splash” words
that come to mind around the central word.
After the lesson they write a few meaningful
sentences (summarize the learning) using these
words.
Illustration/Drawing/Cartoon
Have students create an illustration, drawing, or
cartoon to summarize their reading/learning.
Whiteboards
Have students respond using individual whiteboards
for items such as…
Draw a diagram of…
What is the word?
Answer for a multiple choice or
True/False question
What level are you on?
Sage and Scribe
Students are divided into pairs. One person is
the sage and the other is the scribe. Provide a
problem or task. The sage explains his answer
while the scribe writes. Switch roles.
Socratic Seminar
Begin with a question posed by the leader.
(Question should require participants to return
to the text to think, search, evaluate, wonder, or
infer. It should generate new questions.)
Written Conversations
Error Analysis
Cooperative group activity used to share or
collect information from each member of the
group. Students write a response then pass to
the right and add their response to next paper.
Continue until they get their paper back. Debrief
as a group.
Post a problem or a process on the board with
an error in the answer/writing/process, etc.
Then with a partner or alone, students try to find
out where the error or mistake is. If done
individually, then students can pair up to
compare their findings.
Graffiti Wall/Gallery Walk
Snowball Fights
Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4, and give each
group a sheet of poster paper and markers. Assign
each group a different chunk of the learning to
summarize in graffiti from (pictures, symbols,
graphics). When groups have finished, display all the
posters side by side along a wall of the classroom.
Then have the groups do a “gallery walk” to view and
discuss what they see on the “graffiti wall.”
Put a problem on the board or post a question. Ask
students to answer it, but not put their names on the
paper. Then they wad up the paper and toss the
“snowball” either in a box or to a designated center
spot. Each student in the class gets one of the tossed
snowballs. The teacher explains the answer to the
question and asks students to look at the snowball
they received. If their paper has a correct response
they sit down.
Partner Practice
Paint Chips/State of Matter/Windshield
Write up to 10 questions on the left hand side of a
page. Write the answers on the right side of the page.
Fold the page in half lengthwise. Pair students – one
will be the “answerer” and one will be the “checker.”
The answer checker holds up the paper with the
answers facing them and listens while their partner
answers the questions. The teacher floats
and listens to student responses.
Have students indicate their understanding of a topic
using a paperclip and paint shade sample or any other
card with levels of understanding.
Clickers
Word Splash Version 2
Use the clickers to ask a question, survey the class
during a lesson, or take a short quiz. Show students
the class result(s) and discuss.
Students write words that are related to the
learning goal/LEQ. Students then write factual
statements with the words displayed in the
splash.
Ticket Out the Door
Students answer a question as they leave. It is
important to plan thought-provoking questions
that gauge students’ deeper understanding of
the content.
Shaping Up
Students draw the following shapes on their paper and
respond inside:
Three things for which I need more
information or three different ways to look
at the idea, etc.
One question still “circling” in my head.
One thing I loved learning about today!
Acrostics
Give students a key word/concept from the
lesson. They must then write a detail or
descriptor that starts with each of the letters of
the key word/concept. Formative Assessment is an
Outstanding way to
Resolve difficulties
Most students
Are having
Throughout the lesson.
If used correctly, it is
Very
Effective.
Headline Summaries
Have students write a newspaper headline that
gives the main points of the lesson.