Updated English Ideas for the Classroom: breee03

breee03

Updated English Ideas for the Classroom

Dec 05, 2012 19:30

This is a previous post back in 2008, 2010, and now 2012. I did not re-read all of this, so sorry if it is repetitive.

I wanted to make an running list of teaching ideas. This started off as an email, but I wanted to post it somewhere else where others may be able to use these ideas as well. Even though graduated in English Education Master's program 2009, some ideas can be adapted for other subjects.

Collage Bags- decorated on the outside with the things people typically know about us, and stuff on the inside are things that people might not know about us
Process Drama: tableaux, improv, reader's theater
Dance
"I'm from" discourse poems
Making characters as superheros
Digitial Videos: confessionals, movie trailer, iSpeak, poetry/passage interpretation, movie, digital diary
Character conversations in form of a myspace page, facebook page, AIM/AOL conversation, Chat room, etc. What song would be on this character's myspace page, and why? What would this character have in their iPod?
Post Secret: from a character's perspective, students need to make or find images to go with the text
Photo essay/story mapping important key plot points, etc.
Picture books: students can create, teacher can bring in as a teaching tool (esp. Dr. Suess)
Discussion through photos
Memory box: students and teachers can create to share items and photos of themselves as an ice breaker activity
Stories from common books, t.v. shows, movies and what we learn or how they shape us. Can be related to myths, cultures, folklore, fairytales, etc. and how stories reflect cultural values within our society.
Reduction of story onto 1 page
Soundtrack of students' lives (12 songs, explain meaning and personal connections, create album cover)
Video narratives
Graphic novels of narratives, cultural perspectives, students create their own (can use Comic Life)
3 word adjectives
6 word stories with pictures
55 word stories
Have students write a This I Believe essay/recording/video
Magazine advertisements/newspaper clippings or articles to relate to text
Flash writing, flash stories.
Choosing personal pictures to go with poetry.
Bringing in food that somehow relates to a text, family culture, theme, etc.
Logographic
Popular culture connections (bring in props) and written explanation of connection to text
Literature roles: discussion director (5-10 thought provoking questions), artful artist (visual art, movement/acting, poetry, music, or diagram, etc.) to connect with text, practioner (how would you explain this text to someone who's never read it? What activities or steps would you do?), story mapper (map the voice of a character throughout the text/highlight and quote important parts, summarize and paraphrase in own words overall plot), and investigator(research a topic outside of the text, but related to the text)
visual vocabulary words
body biography
CD/soundtrack to text
sculpture
story map
interactive powerpoint (connecting text to own life, including music, pictures, streaming video, sound effects, words, quotes, interpretations)
zine (magazine)
Flash writing, flash stories.
Choosing personal pictures to go with poetry.
Bringing in food that somehow relates to a text, family culture, theme, etc.
Magazine advertisements/newspaper clippings or articles to relate to text
Stories from common books, t.v. shows, movies and what we learn or how they shape us. Can be related to myths, cultures, folklore, fairytales, etc. and how stories reflect cultural values within our society.
"I'm from" discourse poems
Making characters as superheros
Digitial Videos: confessionals, movie trailer, iSpeak, poetry/passage interpretation, movie, digital diary
Character conversations in form of a myspace page, facebook page, AIM/AOL conversation, Chat room, etc. What song would be on this character's myspace page, and why? What would this character have in their iPod?
Post Secret: from a character's perspective, students need to make or find images to go with the text
Photo essay/story mapping important key plot points, etc.
Picture books: students can create, teacher can bring in as a teaching tool
Discussion through photos
Memory box: students and teachers can create to share items and photos of themselves as an ice breaker activity
Process Drama: tableaux, improv, reader's theater
Dance
Voice mail from phones. Use of tone. Different texts for code switching
Scattagories, charades, pictionary using vocab. words
Double entry reading log: Quotes on one side, Reflection/Thoughts on other
Character Bag: Choose one color, animal, adjective, and pivotal action. Make words reflect meaning and related to character. Partner project. Materials include magazines, construction paper, glue, scissors, markers and brown lunch bags.
Playing with context/genre for stories: phone conversation, answering machine/voice mail, coffee/dinner conversation, bedtime stories, myths, legends, fables, fairytales, family stories, religious stories/morals, etc.
TPCASTT or SOAPSTone or DICTYLS
marginalia or tabbing by creating a color code
Socratic seminar
Popsicle sticks (___ amount per student, must use each to make a comment for participation points)
clothes line for student work to hang
Write a poem on the same topic
Write another poem using the words from the original one
Write a narrative or emotional response
Create a story of your own that connects
Write about how it pertains to your life
Choose a word, phrase, sentence that feels significant to you; explore why it is significant to you, given your experiences
Point out a part you felt some connection with; briefly retell the part as you experienced it, tell what in your own experience this reminds you of
Make connections to other things you have read
Make connections to things that have happened to you or someone you know
Make connections to things happening in the world right now
Pose questions that the text raises for you and pursue possible answers
Draw a picture
Create a song
Write a diary entry using a character's voice
Re-Write the chapter from a different Point of View (POV)
Write a character sketch (include things like: what he/she looked like, favorite color, horoscope sign, sports liked, and even a bumper-sticker or a T-shirt, etc.)
Write a letter to the author
Create a news story based on the events in the chapter
Storyboard a commercial about a scene
Create an written interview (with questions and answers) for a character in the novel
Construct a building from the story
Create an IM or text messaging conversation between two characters
Write and myth or legend on a character in the story
Trading places - write a short paper as to why and how you would change places with a character in the novel.
Put yourself as a character in the novel and write the chapter with you in it.
Write a personal letter to a character you admire OR despise
Vocabulary drama (students make skits using vocabulary words, making their own genres, and bringing in props for the next day)
Cornell notes/double entry journals--reading logs

Ideas are as follows:

There's a bingo idea, to try to get all the spaces filled in (not like normal bingo that goes diagonal or across, all the blocks need to be signed) for an ice breaker activity. It says at the top: Find someone in the room who... and my teacher put in the boxes things like: plays an instrument, lived in another state, likes to read, can name the secretary of state, can name the vice president, has gone shopping in the Galleria Mall this past week, etc. Just fun things to interact, get to know others. She had 25 boxes, but you could do more or less if you wanted.
Short story analysis handout. This was used for the short story "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella" by Fernando Sorrentino. It has the following questions with room to write down answers: 1. How does the story grab your attention? What strategy does the author use? 2. Does the author use sensory detail effectively? As you read, underline or highlight all of the words/phrases/sentences that help you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel what is being described. 3. What is the central conflict? How does the author introduce the conflict? How does the author solve the conflict? 4. What techniques does the author use to reveal information about the main characters? (Ex. direct characterization, indirect characterization: dialogue, actions, physical description, interaction with other characters, etc...). As you read, underline or highlight all of the words/phrases/sentences that develop characterization. 5. Did you like the story? Did you want to keep reading? Why or why not? 6. What was the underlying theme? What statement do you think the author was trying to make about life? What was the point?
Begin a Story with a 'Given' First Line: first line is: Where were you last night? Objective: begin in medias res--in the middle of things. (I have a handout if you wanted to copy it for a fuller explanation and examples.)
5 Senses Memory Story/Essay: 1. Readers recall from own associations with experience. 2. Sensory details provide new sensations, first impressions, makes it realistic. 3. Don't name subject at the beginning. Let readers stay in suspense. 4. Establish mood completely but briefly. 5. Avoid cliches. 6. Point of view affects the senses. Storyteller is a role player. 7. Show; don't tell!
Journal exercises: 1. A time someone I trusted let me down. 2. No one likes to say good-bye. Describe hardest good-bye. 3. Teen years are the best years of our lives. Agree or disagree? 4. Personify an inanimate object. 5. Current events in personal lives. 6. Write about an important invention in the form of a poem. 7. Describe feelings on marriage. 8. Most memorable holiday--use sensory detail. 9. Story about a childhood friend. 10. Final evaluation of the course. (There were many free writes in between.)
List Writing Territories: Topics and genres listed to use and write about for future assignments. (Like how Banas had us write the 'dogs' in our lives--what we know about.)
Character sketch, to practice characterization through sensory details, actions, plot, etc.
Creating suspense.
Dialogue with action.
Letter bearing bad news. My example is a college student dropping out, and writing a letter to her or his mom and dad. I used a fake name, fake college name, etc. Focus on voice, audience, purpose.

Writing in stream of consciousness. Similar to flash writing. Just spark something, write about it quickly, stop in the middle, move on to the next writing assignment. This creates ideas based off of feelings and memories, and allow extra details to be added in later.

Writing 'I remember' paragraphs. I talked about 5th grade, junior high, and vacations/field trips with school/family/friends.
We wrote poetry modeled in the same rhyme scheme of Robert Frost.

There's musical/performance reviews we had to write about a school play/musical.

Essays for scholarships and college applications were use (this was obviously a senior English elective class). So it was relevant, but maybe this idea can be used in different ways.
Writing an essay in 'before' and 'after'. I wrote about life before a car, and after a car. Again, I was a senior, so this can be other things too.

Writing a children's book, then actually drawing it out and piecing together my lines. I retold the Cinderella story from the step mother's point of view. I did pretty well on this, and it was fun. This can be used with any fairytale or myth/fable.
Popular culture connections (bring in props) and written explanation of connection to text
Literature roles: discussion director (5-10 thought provoking questions), artful artist (visual art, movement/acting, poetry, music, or diagram, etc.) to connect with text, practioner (how would you explain this text to someone who's never read it? What activities or steps would you do?), story mapper (map the voice of a character throughout the text/highlight and quote important parts, summarize and paraphrase in own words overall plot), and investigator (research a topic outside of the text, but related to the text)
Have students write a This I Believe essay/recording/video.

Try These 7 Easy Icebreakers You Can Do With Post-It Notes

Hidden Treasure

Write several icebreaker questions on the sticky side of post-it notes and stick them to the board.
Have each student take turns choosing one sticky note and answering the
question on the back. He can then choose another student in the class
to answer the same question.
Two Truths and a Lie

Give each student three post-it notes. On two notes,
she writes something true about herself. On the third, she writes
something false about herself. Students share in groups of four to five
and try to guess which statement is each player’s lie.
Question Mixer

Write the name of one well known person on a sticky note, and write enough so everyone in class has one.
Stick a note to each persons back. Students ask classmates one yes/no
question at a time until they have figured out who is on their back.
Where Are You From

For a class of internationals, give each person a post-it note flag to place on their home country on your classroom world map. After everyone has placed their post-it, students try to guess whose note is whose.
Get to Know You

Have each person write five facts about himself or herself on a post-it note, and then put the notes on the board. Make
sure you write one, too. Then, choose one post-it and read it aloud.
Try to guess which student wrote it. When you get the right student,
that person takes a turn with the remaining notes. Continue until all
the notes are gone.
A Matched Set

Have your students write five fun facts about themselves and turn the paper in to you.
Then, write each fact on a post-it along with a matching one with that
students name. When your students are not in the room, put the post-its
all around your classroom. Students must then race to match the names
with the correct facts (they cannot match their own name). The person
with the most matches at the end of the game wins.
All-Star Class

Once your students are beginning to get to know each other,
have each person draw a self portrait and display them on a bulletin
board in class. Each person writes a positive adjective
describing each of his classmates on a star shaped sticky note and
sticks it to the self portrait. Do this activity in one day or over a
period of time, and then let students take their portraits home.

Try These 7 Simple Learning Centers You Can Do With Post-It Notes
1Prefixes and Suffixes
Visuals are great for ESL students, and post-it notes can be just what your students need when it comes to prefixes and suffixes. Starting with a base word written on a post-it, have students add prefixes and suffixes to the word, each written on its own post-it. Or reverse the process and have them break down a longer word. Want a real challenge? Try breaking down the longest word in the English language: antidisestablishmentarianism!
2Student News
Post a laminated piece of poster board in a corner of your room. Label it The News Nook and explain to your students that they can write a short note about something in their lives. If a student has a piece of news to share, give him or her a post-it and ask the student write the news there. Tell students to include their name at the end when they write a note. Encourage the rest of the class to read the notes, and make sure you read them, too. At the end of the week, return the notes to your students and start fresh on Monday.
3Content Review
Give your students a self review by writing a question on one post-it and the answer on another. In a folder, stick the answer and then the question on top of it. Students can review the content information by reading the question and self-checking with the answer underneath it.
4Alphabetical Order
Write a series of words on post-it notes. (You may want to use current vocabulary words.) Students put the words in alphabetical order on a flip chart. When finished, students can check the answers on the next page of the chart and then re-scramble the words for the next student.
5And The Answer Is
Tap into your students creativity with the answer of the day center. Simply write an answer on a post-it note and put it at the center each day. Your students then use their creativity and question writing skills to write the questions it might answer.
6Becoming Experts
Challenge your students to become an expert on a new vocabulary term. Write several words on post-it notes and display them in a learning center. Each person chooses one, writes his name on the note, and researches that word until he feels he is an expert. Then, he explains that word to the rest of the class when you review the vocabulary set.
7Sentence Explosion
Take a famous quote and write each word on a separate post-it. Then display the words in your learning center. Students must either group the words by part of speech or arrange them in logical order to reassemble the quotation.

Try These 7 Best Games for Your Next Vocabulary Class

Charades

Write vocabulary words on individual index cards. Break your class into two teams, and have one individual from each team act out the same word. The team to correctly guess the word first scores a point.
Pictionary

Write vocabulary words on individual index cards or use your set from charades. Break your class into two teams, and one individual from each team draws a picture on the board. Drawers cannot use letters numbers or symbols in their drawings. The first team to guess the word correctly scores a point.
Memory

Create your own memory game using vocabulary words. Write each word on individual index cards. For each existing card, make a matching card with the definition, a synonym or an antonym. Students shuffle the cards and arrange them all face down on a table. Students take turns flipping over two cards. If the cards make a set, the student keeps the cards and takes an additional turn. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
Modified Catch Phrase

Write each vocabulary word on an individual index card. Students sit in a circle with a timer set for a random amount of time (3-8 minutes works well). Shuffle the cards and give the deck to the first person in the circle. That person draws a card and tries to get his classmates to guess the word by giving verbal clues. He cannot say the word or any part of the word. When someone guesses the word, he passes the stack to the next person who takes a turn with another word. The person holding the stack of cards when the timer goes off loses.
Scattergories

Choose ten categories with your students or before class starts (e.g. types of pets, city names, sports, items in a kitchen, etc.). Use an alphabet die to determine the letter for each round of play. Set a timer for three minutes, and students must think of one word for each category that begins with that round’s letter. Students score one point per word, and the person with the most points at the end of three rounds is the winner.
The Dictionary Game

Choose an unusual word from the dictionary and spell it for your students. Each person creates a fictional definition for the word and writes it on an index card. You write the actual definition on another index card. Collect and shuffle the cards, and then read all the definitions. Students must try to guess which definition is the real one.
A-Z Pictures

Using a picture with many elements (I-Spy books work great), students attempt to find an object in the picture that begins with each of the letters A through Z. After about five minutes, students compare answers. The person with the most correct answers wins the round.