Wow, it's the sixth week already!
We focused on hooks and closures today, which is good because you need to get the students attention and get them ready to focu on what the lesson is going to be about, and you need to have a quick time of pulling in all the information in a summary so they're more likely to retain it and then letting them know a transition is coming up. There were some really good ideas. I have some favorite hooks and closures:
Hooks:
Another one, that really resonates with me, is the idea of a "real-world problem". I love the concept of having the students address a realistic scenario or problem and use their critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills to come up with a real possible solution. This is where great ideas come about sometimes.
I also would like to use the students' actual problems to present to the class. Here's a simple and down-to-earth example that could be used before a 1st grade math lesson:
I would say something like, "Alright everyone, let's see if we can help Sara out. She knows that her grandmother's birthday is coming up and she wants to get her something really special. She was thinking of getting her a digital frame so that Nana could see lots of family pictures in one place and she can add to them whenever she wants. But this digital frame is about $20. Sara says she only has $8 saved up right now. She gets $4 every time she does the dishes (twice a week) but she only has 5 days to raise enough money. So what do you all think? Go ahead and answer the following questions on a slip of paper. 1) Should Sara get her grandmother the digital frame? Why or why not? 2) How much more money does she need? 3) How much will she need if she does the dishes twice? 4) How can she earn more money in such a short period of time? And 5) Do you have any other ideas of what Sara could get or do for her Nana to make her birthday extra special?
Call me silly but I have also considered wearing a wig and pointy glasses and pretending to be very strict (with a British accent) and asking the children to do ridiculous things in order to get them ready for a writing lesson about something like homophones.
Beginning the class with a riddle, joke, poem or quote is also something I would like to do.
Closures:
I really like the closure that was presented in class with snowball paper. I had something similar in one of my lesson plans where the kids were supposed to write something on a slip of paper, ball it up and see who could make the basket into the trash can. But adding that they pick them up after throwing them in the air and that they take turns reading them makes it so much more effective to me. It rounds it well.
Another I like is having the kids do little skits that incorporate and summarize what they learned. And I like the gallery walk idea where students create graphic representations of what they learned.
Oh, and having students create one question that the teacher can include in a future quiz is a good one too.
We focused on hooks and closures today, which is good because you need to get the students attention and get them ready to focu on what the lesson is going to be about, and you need to have a quick time of pulling in all the information in a summary so they're more likely to retain it and then letting them know a transition is coming up. There were some really good ideas. I have some favorite hooks and closures:
Hooks:
I had this on Powerpoint (the pangolin was supposed to be inside the burst. LOL) and it had sound and everything, but it just teaches me that I need to make sure that what I create will work on what it will be presented on.
And I was going to use it to introduce the animal, its habitat,
and the fact that its home was being destroyed (deforestation).
This gets their attention because so many kids are into Pokemons,
and I'm sure most of them don't realize Pokemon are based off of real
creatures, and it pulls them into caring about what happens to our forest,
because it does affect our world, and will eventually more directly affect them.
Anyway, that's one idea.
Another one, that really resonates with me, is the idea of a "real-world problem". I love the concept of having the students address a realistic scenario or problem and use their critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills to come up with a real possible solution. This is where great ideas come about sometimes.
I also would like to use the students' actual problems to present to the class. Here's a simple and down-to-earth example that could be used before a 1st grade math lesson:
I would say something like, "Alright everyone, let's see if we can help Sara out. She knows that her grandmother's birthday is coming up and she wants to get her something really special. She was thinking of getting her a digital frame so that Nana could see lots of family pictures in one place and she can add to them whenever she wants. But this digital frame is about $20. Sara says she only has $8 saved up right now. She gets $4 every time she does the dishes (twice a week) but she only has 5 days to raise enough money. So what do you all think? Go ahead and answer the following questions on a slip of paper. 1) Should Sara get her grandmother the digital frame? Why or why not? 2) How much more money does she need? 3) How much will she need if she does the dishes twice? 4) How can she earn more money in such a short period of time? And 5) Do you have any other ideas of what Sara could get or do for her Nana to make her birthday extra special?
Call me silly but I have also considered wearing a wig and pointy glasses and pretending to be very strict (with a British accent) and asking the children to do ridiculous things in order to get them ready for a writing lesson about something like homophones.
Beginning the class with a riddle, joke, poem or quote is also something I would like to do.
Closures:
I really like the closure that was presented in class with snowball paper. I had something similar in one of my lesson plans where the kids were supposed to write something on a slip of paper, ball it up and see who could make the basket into the trash can. But adding that they pick them up after throwing them in the air and that they take turns reading them makes it so much more effective to me. It rounds it well.
Another I like is having the kids do little skits that incorporate and summarize what they learned. And I like the gallery walk idea where students create graphic representations of what they learned.
Oh, and having students create one question that the teacher can include in a future quiz is a good one too.
I was helping a student write about what he did over spring break this morning (first grade) and he excitedly told me about how he and his friends played Pokemon. It made me think of you and your lesson idea! You picked a great idea to help connect with students.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the snowball closure idea was great! I am pretty boring when it comes to closure and generally stick to verbal checks for understanding or exit slips. I need more variety so it is good to share lessons and hear what other people are doing.
HAHA! I love it! I am not a fan of Pokemon but it does grab your attention because we all know what it is! Even if we(or the students) don't like it! I think that's the whole point of a hook, to grab our attention!!
ReplyDeleteYou are soooooooo creative! I love your ideas!!!! I think your students are going to be very lucky to have you. Your hooks and lessons are always so engaging. I really have no advice I can offer you. All I can do is "steal" your ideas to make my own stuff better. SORRY - hopefully that is a compliment... ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree, anytime you can relate it to something they already know about, the better time they have of completing the assignment and understanding it better.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good idea to incorporate Pokemon, so many kids are into it (still.. I mean it has been around forever and never seems to go away, kinda like Power Rangers!!). Kids will definitely relate to it, and remember those animals. I would be willing to bet they even talk about the animals or the lesson when they're playing Pokemon with their friends. Great ideas!!!!!! Oh, and you should totally wear the wig and glasses, that would be so much fun, and kids remember fun!!
ReplyDelete