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Snap to it! Volume 3

Alphabetical Listing

3-Step Interview

Materials Needed: Instructor determined interview questions. Paper/pencil for note-taking

  • Place students in groups of three.

  • Students self-select the role of Interviewer, Interviewee, and Recorder.

  • Allow the students some time to think and organize the process. 

  • Work in pairs, student A asks questions of Student B, while Student C takes notes and summarizes information.

  • Halfway through, students switch roles for interviewing.  

  • Then have 2 student groups blend, (now 6 students work together).

  •  Each student summarizes content learned prior to sharing out to the whole class.

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4 Corners/Line

Materials Needed: Preprinted paper signs that read Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Tape one sign in each corner of the room. 

  • The instructor poses a question for all students to consider, without discussion for 30 seconds. 

  • Ask students to move to the corner of the room that represents their level of agreement with the statement presented.

  • If a student does not agree with any answer, they move to the center of the room. 

  • Once all students have moved to a corner, open discussion.

  • As they discuss with one another, prepare an answer to share out to the class, the primary rationale for the position.

  • Clarify any misconceptions.

Alternative activity:  Students get in a line to gauge how they feel about a topic from greatest to least.

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Application Cards

Materials Needed:  Index cards

  • The instructor identifies an important principle, theory, generalization, or procedure that your students are studying or have just learned.

  • Ask students to write down one “real-world” application that they can connect to the principle, theory, generalization, or procedure just announced.  Remind students that the point is to come up with their own new application, not to repeat ones from class.

  • Collect the index cards.

  • Share out via email, or just reading through the cards to the class the applications in the next class session. 

 

Assignment Assessment

Materials Needed:  Index cards

  • Pass out index cards to students and ask them to respond to 2 or 3 open-ended questions about the value of the last assignment to their learning. 

  • Have students answer: 

    • What did this assignment mean to you? 

    • How did the assignment change your assumptions, thinking or ways of knowing?

  • Collect index cards and use them to help reflect on the impact of the assignment. 

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Brainstorming

Materials needed:  Paper/pencil

  • Pose an idea for students to respond 

  • Students quietly think and generate ideas about the topic.  

  • Students will then list all their ideas in writing about the topic. Have students write all ideas down without criticizing or analyzing ideas. 

  • Have students share ideas aloud.  

Optional Technology: Use padlet.com to collect the student brainstorming ideas and sort them as a class. Or use the words to collect into a word cloud. 

 

Concept Map

Materials needed: Sticky Notes, Paper/Pencil

  • The instructor pauses lecture to give students time to think about the concepts taught. 

  • Each student begins with the overarching topic and writes a single word or phrase on a single sticky note. Brainstorm every idea applicable.      

  • Next, lay all the sticky notes out so they can be read and organized in similar groups and subgroups of the topic (define the hierarchy of concepts).

  • Move the sticky notes multiple times to make a visual pattern of relationships, noted by each grouping. 

  • State how the groups are interrelated.

  • Lastly, draw or diagram the mental connections between the concepts.  

  • Share with classmates the representation of the major topics and subtopics.

 

Critical Thinking: Context

Materials Needed: Paper/Pencil; Student Journal

Select one theme, concept, or historical figure presented in class

  • Students list a self-assessment of prior knowledge, personal bias, or experience with the topic or person.

  • Next, students contrast and compare what was presented in the course to what was previously known. 

  • Critique the concept in the context of time; relate when the idea was first introduced compared to how the concept or figure would be received as a contemporary in today's standards.

  • Are there conditions in which the concept or figure would be regarded in the opposite esteem?

  • What modern day character, figure, or leader is similar? What degree does this person have influence in the field of study?

 

Interest Checklist

Materials Needed: Paper/pencil, journal

  • Students create a checklist survey to indicate their knowledge, skills, and interest in various course topics.

  • Complete the self-assessment at the start of the course, after a review of the syllabus, or unit of study.

  • Encourage students to identify and incorporate strategies for reinforcing external/internal motivation when studying material that is perceived to be less exciting or more challenging.

  • The journal entry may be shared with faculty.

 

KWL Chart

Materials Needed: Optional KWL Chart handout (Example Chart

  • Students create a three-column chart with the headings: Know, Want to know, Learned. Or hand out a paper with the chart already drawn for the students. 

  • Before the unit of study starts, have students answer the prompt, "What you know about this topic?", in column one. Students list what they already know about the subject; students may work individually or in small groups. 

    • Hint: create a master list of all students' responses. 

  • Have students respond to the prompt in column 2: "What do you Want to know about this topic?" Some students may not know where to begin if they don't have much background knowledge on the topic. 

    • Hint: Suggest students use Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Questions if they are stuck. 

  • Work through the content or the lesson.  

  • At the end of the session, lesson, or unit, have students come back to answer "What I learned," in the third column. As students write what they have learned, have them review the questions in column 2, checking off any questions that they can now answer. They can also add new questions if needed.

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Letter to Future Student

Materials Needed: Index cards/Paper/Pencil

  • Pass out index cards or pull out paper/pencil. 

  • Have students write a quick letter to a future student sharing with them what they think would be something they should know or would want to know before starting this session/unit of study. 

Some suggested questions to have them address as advice include: 

  • What would have been one item that would have been helpful to know that would have made this session better or to have a deeper understanding? 

  • Is there a particular book or journal article that would be helpful?

 

One Sentence Summary

Materials Needed: Index cards/scrap paper

  • This may be used as a warm-up activity, in-class assessment midway through content, or at the end of a unit of study.

  • Ask students to look over notes completed for a specific unit of study.

  • Students generate a list of the major concepts.  

  • Suggest that answer the questions, "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" (WDWWWWHW) about a given topic.

  • Set a timer for one minute.

  •  Students create a single informative, grammatical, and long summary sentence.

Variation: After students have completed the sentence, pair with a partner to share ideas before combining both sentences into one sentence.

 

Paired Heads Together

  • The instructor poses a question. 

  • The student thinks and answers the question independently. 

  • Then students partner; in pairs, have students work together to improve their individual answers. 

  • Students pairs then partner with another dyad of students to form a group of 4. Groups now work as a team to review/improve the answer.

  • The instructor asks specific students to report out.

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Paraphrasing

Students paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience, demonstrating the ability to translate highly specialized information into language the clients or customers can understand. Tell students to create a RAP:

  • Read.

  • Ask.  "What were the main ideas and details?"

  • Put the information into your own words. 

 

Passing Notes

Materials Needed: Index Cards

  • The instructor asks students to "write down something you wish you knew better about the topic." 

  • Exchange notecards around the room 5 times. 

  • Instruct students to get into groups of 4 - 6 and look at note cards and develop an answer and write it on the back of the notecard. 

  • Groups answer as many cards as they can within your group.

 

Road Block

  • Have students imagine that they are a superhero. Let them come up with their superhero name. 

  • Students then answer questions as the superhero:

  • What was your kryptonite for learning this material? 

  • What superpowers have you gained from learning this? 

  • What will you do differently in the future to overcome this roadblock?

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Reciprocal Questioning

  • Instruct students to get into pairs. 

  • Within the pairs, students alternate, asking/answering self-posed questions about the topic.  

    • The goal is to reach a deeper understanding and make connections between the text-self-real world.

  • Alternatively: Have students take the role of the instructor and develop questions about the topic. Students must come up with the questions as well as an appropriate answer.  

 

TAG Feedback

Materials Needed: Index Cards or preprinted form: T-A-G

Peer review technique

  • Students share work with a peer for feedback before submitting completed work for a grade.

  • Student provides feedback on the other student work: 

    • T- "Tell the writer something you like,", 

    • A- "Ask the writer a question,", and 

    • G- "Give one piece of constructive criticism."

Variation: Following the oral presentation, have students complete this form and submit feedback to each presenter.

As students work on 3d projects/models, work may be displayed, and students walk around the room to each station and offer written feedback for each creation.

Additional Resource: https://youtu.be/HM5dp50HWXQ

 

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Materials Needed: Index Cards

  • Have students on a sheet of paper, an index card, or digitally reflect on what they learned during the class period.  

  • Once they've identified what they learned or the most remarkable takeaway, have students determine one goal that they'd like to follow up on the subject and develop a strategy to achieve that goal.

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