Post the name of the strategy you tried this week, explain how you incorporated it into your lesson. Share your impressions and how it was received by your students.
I did the "Go Fish" strategy. I had 5 groups with 4 students in each group. I numbered 5 brown paper bags 1-5. I put shapes (circles, squares and triangles; they were different colors); letter cards (Aa, Cc, Ff, Pp, and Tt) and small picture cards (apple, ant, cat, cup, fan, fish, pear, plate, tiger, tv,). They had to say the shape and color and tell something that can be both. I got answers like: a yellow circle- the sun; a blue square- a table. They had to name the letter, sound it makes and tell something that starts with that letter and say something about the thing. I got answers like: F /f/ fish, fish swim in the water, T /t/ tooth, my tooth came out. They had to name the picture and tell what letter and sound it started with and tell something about the picture. I got answers like: a cup, C, /c/, I drink out of a cup, a TV, T, /t/, I watch movies on TV. The kids seemed to really enjoy it and surprisingly, my class was very much engaged for a little while. They passed the bag around in their circles for the most part. I did have to redirect pretty often. But, overall, it was fun and it went well. At the end, I had the groups report one item to the entire class. We are constantly working on the alphabet, so I told them that we were going to do something fun and different to show what we know about our letters and sounds. I threw the color and shapes in for something different.
1. After a refresher with students what adverbs are, I asked students to write out 5 adverbs that they knew, one adverb per each index card (to save cards I cut them in half). To get them going, I suggested a few, like “nervously,” “quietly,” and “boringly.” Once complete, we placed all cards into one bag labeled “Adverbs”. 2. Next, on strips of paper, I had the students write out 2 sentences (questions or statements) about things they do or say during day. We placed all sentence strips into another bag labeled “Sentences”. Just a few examples of what the students wrote: I am writing in my tablet. Can you walk in a line to the cafeteria? (Several students wrote this one. Wow, all the students misspelled the word cafeteria. It is now a part of our word wall.) How to ask the teacher a question? I talk to my friends. I eat breakfast. We do math. I do my homework. Can you play outside? I ride my bike. I play computer. Can you play outside? I watch television. 3. Then I had them choose one card and one slip of paper from each paper bag, and ask student to act out the sentence slip using the adverb character. 4. I picked different students per day to do this activity to start off language/writing lessons until all students had participated. Response: Some sentences had capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors. This was addressed as we read the sentences. We also talked about elaboration of some sentences. The students were very engaged in this activity. All students wanted to participate. After the first initiation of the activity, students were raising their hands to make corrections and giving opinions on how to make the sentences better. Of course, I had to redirect the laughter several times.
I decided to have my French III students participate in the Myth vs. Reality activity when we read the introduction to Impressionism. Students were each given a portion of the reading to present to the class. They were then responsible for writing two true statements and one false statement in the target language about the portion of the reading which they had presented. It was a good activity since students practiced all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
I used the 3 Facts and a Fib activity in my science class, as an opener. This week we started a new unit, Energy and Forms of Energy. They had watched a short video on energy the day before, so this was still the introductory phase of instruction. I told them to unpack quickly and begin discussing the 4 sentences (projected on a powerpoint slide) within their groups. They were to decide which was the fib and everyone was to be prepared to tell which their group chose, and why. Their desks are numbered 1-5 in their groups, so after the discussion, I threw a big foam die and that numbered student had to stand and report for the group. I was surprised at the lively discussion. One of the facts received a lot of attention, because they didn't yet know that electricity could produce magnetic effects. Several groups, therefore, chose it. Out of my 8 groups in 2 classes, only 3 groups picked out the fib, but it was a great activity, and got them talking, mostly in English. Every day, I had already been putting one True/False statement about a science topic up for them to decide individually as they finish their initial math/science activity. I then poll the class and reveal the answer with an explanation, so I imagine this helped them know how to word their explanations to the class. But this activith had them discussing and persuading each other. I plan to use 3 Facts and a Fib several times in each unit. But next, I'm going to use Go Fish!
I did the categorization cards the following week it was introduced to us. We were studying habitats and basic needs. They had many vocabulary words to practice. I wrote about 12 words; on one square I wrote the examples and on a different square the definition. First, they practiced in groups of four. One student read the examples and the rest had to read and find the definition. I could see them talking about it and putting their knowledge at work. They really enjoyed it and were engaged for a long while. The next morning, they did it in pairs. The following days, as they were coming in (morning) they did it independently. I liked because at first they had the support of the group and if they did not know the definition, their peers helped. I think this gave each of them confidence and each achieved success in learning the vocabulary. After this, I had each group complete a project about a habitat. They had to write the definition and draw the environment and habitat. Last, each group presented to the class. They felt very, very proud of their work. I will use this activity again with parts of the flower and their functions.
This past Thursday I incorporated Initial Sentences into a lesson on verbs in my third grade class. We have been studying action verbs for a week now. The students were about to practice some cursive handwriting, but before they got started on that, I explained what I put on the board:
Form a complete sentence about what you know about verbs using the following letters as the INITIAL letter for each word in the sentence. The letters must stay in this order!
DBTVSLM
The students were thrilled about this. I explained this before they began a different activity so that they could have time to be brainstorming. They really were thinking and trying to form a sentence. Not only did this help them with what they know about verbs, it also was a lesson on what a complete sentence is.
After about 20 minutes of the students having difficulty with this, I changed the directions to: "You can use the words a, and, or the anywhere in the sentence." Then after more difficulty, I added: "Use the letter anywhere in the word." This helped some, but it was still too difficult. So, instead of putting random letters like I did the first time, I came up with a sentence and changed the letters entirely from DBTVSLM to WYUVYTA. I was very impressed with how many came up with the sentence I was thinking or one very similiar. Many wrote down "When you use verbs, you take action." Some of the students still could not think of anything.
I really liked this activity because it provoked and challenged their thinking skills. I will definitely be using this in other units we do. It was also a good activity for them to brainstorm on while and after an easy activity such as cursive practice.
I teach Spanish in 6th grade, and I choose two differentiated learning activities for my students to be done in class this past week. I used the go fish activity for the topic of Spanish speaking countries, and I used cubicles for the topic of the use of verb to have. The Go fish activity used questions such as: if you are going from Mexico to Panama, what countries do you have visit in order to reach your destiny?. I used this activity as part of a race in teams. The cubicles activity was used to combine the topic of subject pronouns, and uses of verb to have in Spanish. Each pair of students received 2 cubicles, one blue one with subject pronouns (singular or plural) and one yellow one with uses of verb to have. The purpose of the activity was to build sentences using at least 3 different combinations of the cubicles. Both activities were a success! Students were actively engaged, they seemed like they enjoyed the activities, and the most important part was that students learned while they ‘’played”.
3 Facts & a Fib is well spent on High School students. Detailing events from the American Revolution opened a whole new ballgame for the kids! Once the facts & fibs were released, students began to clamor--"Fact!", "Fib!" The students who had read with clarity were placed in a group (a small One!) and rewarded with their "just desserts". The other students had to find the "fibs" amongst a hail of primary sources while their compatriots were treated to an informative video clip. Both groups of students enjoyed the activity, most vowing to "read with clarity"!
This past Friday I use with my students the “Go Fish” strategy. All strategies are great but I really like this one because every time I asked my students to share with their group any topic, they just stay quiet, this strategy gave my students a specific prompt to discus about. We use it as a closure for our science “ecosystem” closure class. It help my students review what they have learned. I really liked to see my students discussing some of the prompts. Some of them went back to the book to remember some of the information and that way they could discuss it better with their groups. This is a great strategy for class discussion I really think it takes learning to the next level.
I try “Go Fish” strategy. My idea was to use this strategy in centers. So first, I modeled it to my students so they would see how to do it. I did the same strategy with two different obejctives. One for my lower achievers ,those ones that still struggle with high frequency words. They worked in pairs, I placed high frequency words inside the bag, specially those words I know they need to reinforce. So each one had a turn to take a card and read it out loud. I make sure to pair a very low achiever with one that is not so low. In the other hand for my high achievers I placed in the bags some questions to answer after reading a story. The questions were tell me about the beginning, middle and end. What was the settings, characters, and conexión. They really enjoyed this activity. If they couldn´t answer it they had to go ahead and read the story one more time.
This past Thursday, I used the Categorization Cards activity to introduce important European Exploration dates. I placed 8 dates on the big card just as we had done in class a few weeks ago, then had 8 events that matched the dates cut out to fit and cover the dates. I placed the 8 cut out events and date card in a plastic bag and passed out to 5 teams of 4. Students had some background knowledge as we had just begun this unit, but we hadn't gone over any of these dates/events. At first I thought, they're not going to get this right and then be upset. But, to my surprise, everyone was in competition within their group to see how many they got right. I made this on a ppt and just printed each part out. The first slide had the dates, the second slide had events out of order, and the third slide had the dates with events. As we went though the answer to each date, the students anticipated and cheered if they were right. Even those who only had 2 correct were okay with it. We will be completing a post date quiz this week to see if they remembered the dates and events. I enjoyed the activity as well.
For my strategy, I selected "go fish". It seemed appropriate for my 1st graders and I combined it with a math activity I observed last week using domino cards, to identify a total and it parts (addition and subtraction). It was a great practice, since my students have been working on this topic for the last couple of weeks, but some of them still find it difficcult to make a number sentence that shows the known part and the missing part. I made some domino cards, some of them showing only the total (a number), one part -represented with pictures- and the other blank. A few cards showed all three (total and parts). I thought some students would find it easier to make a number sentence if they did not have to struggle with missing parts. The students were fishing for a card and, once they saw the pictures and the total, they had to come up with a number sentence that shows how to find the missing part. Some students used addition sentences and some others used subtraction sentences. The numbers were fairly easy for them so they could do it orally without struggling with counting, since the purpose was to make the connection between addition and subtraction and create number sentences. It was a different and fun approach to our topic and I think we all enjoyed the activity. Simply drawing a card from a bag seems like a lot of fun to them!
I also did the Go Fish activity with my kinder class. Since we are still working on letter/sound identification I placed different letters in 4 bags that had been numbered from 1-4. I placed letter cards, wooden letter puzzle pieces, and plastic letter magnets in each bag. I then read a story about the sense of touch. We talked about how we had learned about our five senses. I then told them that we were going to use our senses to do a fun activity. I modeled by taking a letter out of the bag and told them as much as I knew about the letter and then I described the color, and how it felt. The students did pretty good. Most of them were able to identify the letter and sound, some said where it came in the alphabet and some gave words that the letters began with. They really enjoyed this activity and I told them that we could do this again with other subject areas.
I adlos did the Go Fish with my First grade class. We have been studying subtraction in math. I put subtraction problems into the bags. The total is 10 and I have 3 how many are missing and then just some regular subtraction sentences. Tehy really liked it. I had them explain how they got their answers to the rest of the group. I will use this again.
I did the Myth vs. Reality with my 9th grade English classes to expose them to the background information of To Kill a Mockingbird. They had to decide which statements that I created were true and provide evidence for their decisions. They then shared with a partner and, eventually, the class.
It was really neat to see them get so riled over different statements and point of views. I would definitely do this again.
Because was never aware of the 10:2 rule, I chose to use the Go Fish strategy during our first lesson on multiplication meaning. After the lesson introduction using envision, I had them just answer the basic questions about what they learned and what they still have questions about. Once we were complete, we engaged in a direct whole group lesson. After the lesson I added more cards that referenced the strategies that were taught. Finally, we did a group practice and cards were added with pictorial representations of multiplication problems and they had to solve as a whole group. I love this activity and have plans to use it at the introduction of every lesson. I was able to constantly monitor their understanding and have a real life, interactive informal assessment.
I loved the "Go Fish" activity and so did my students! I placed words on the cards and placed them in the bag and my students had to tell me a vowel that could go between the word to make a word/new word. I also did it with the alphabets and they loved letting me know what other things begin with the alphabets. I teach Kinder and we had a blast and now that they want to play "Go Fish" all the time!!!
I used myth and realty in my math lesson. We are working with fractions and how to solve equivalent fractions as well as identifying the three kinds of fractions. I showed the student different ways of solving fractions and they had to tell me whether it was the correct way or not. The students got a kick out of the lesson, but what surprise me was how they learned. That just gave me another way for students to understand fractions when I start teaching fractions.
I teach Spanish Ap Literature and we are studying Don Quijote. We used the myth/reality to talk about where the plot line would go next and as a lead-in to discussing the themes and the end. It was pretty successful, but some of the myths/realities were too easy.
This past week, I tried the game of “Go Fish”. Some classes went better than I expected. To begin, every student on the roster is given a number. The desks are already arranged for groups. I spin a wheel, sort of like Wheel of Fortune. When it lands on that person’s number, each member of the group that has the #2 will take a card out of an inner tube that has the #2 written on it. I did not have colored paper or bags, so I substituted material that I had in my possession. At each grouping, there are various topics and the person that has the #2 will lead the discussion with members in their group and solicit feedback from them. I used this strategy while introducing the concept of interest groups and the media’s role on congressional and presidential elections. The students were already assigned to read the chapters, but many failed to do so. This was a great way to find out who read and what information that they garnered from the material. It also helped my low performing students when they hear their peers explain their interpretations of the statement / question.
I chose to use the 3 facts and a fib as a way to wrap up our discussion on natural regions of Texas. I had three facts and a fib already created for each of the four regions. The students worked with a partner to discuss which statements were true and which was the fib. Then we shared our answers and reasoning. I then allowed the students to come up with their own example and they switched with another group to work through which statement was a fib!!
I used the Myth/Reality strategy. This is typically how I like to introduce key topics for the start of each new unit. The students are typically slow to participate, but once students begin sharing their perspectives and comments, the ideas and sharing flow more freely. Those students that had completed the homework reading prior to class enjoyed the activity more than those that were not prepared, but there were no limitations to the activity that did not allow all to be involved.
I used initial sentences, since we already introduce it when we teach them the order of the planets of the solar system in third grade. I thought that since they had already been exposed to it, it would not be THAT difficult.
It turned out it was, and only a few examples of sentences made sense and were worth it. I suppose it takes more doing for them to perfect the skill.
Today I tried Go Fish with my second grade class. We have been comparing Kevin Henkes books and I put some general questions about setting, character, genre etc, as well as more specific questions about the books. I also included which was your favorite and why. My students enjoyed it and were engaged. I liked it because it gave each student a time to share. The questions were both specific and general which was beneficial. The opinion questions were particularly helpful to those that struggled with some of the questions. I hope to buy color coded bags and laminate the questions. It will help me organize the activity and be more appealing to my students.
Activity 3 Facts and a Fib Third Grade Science: The Solar System
I used the Solar System because they have enough information on it to come up with the facts easily. I modeled to the students what the four sentences could look like: three true facts and one that was not true. The groups were of 3 students each. They had some time for discussion, to decide what to include, and how to phrase the fib so it wouldn’t be so obvious. When I read the four sentences to them, the groups decided which of the 4 was the fib and wrote its number on a hand-held white board. All groups showed the answers at once. Most of the fibs were obvious and they basically all got them easily. This was the first time they did it and they enjoyed it. They were engaged and tried to come up with something more challenging than “The sun is hot”. Part of the difficulty was vocabulary and expression (they are ELLs working in English). They realized that it takes a little bit more to come up with a true-sounding fib. I also got them thinking on the word choices they wrote, for example, “The sun is our only star.” This would be true in our solar system but not in the whole universe, so statements like those would lead to the lively discussions we want!
I selected the 3 Facts and a Fib strategy, only put a little twist on it. I teach 8th grade Spanish and the students were learning about comparatives and superlatives. Some of the information was old, but there a number of new formulas, and a few of the students were getting confused. Instead of writing facts/fibs, the students worked in groups of two to write three grammatically correct/perfect sentences, and one with errors. They had to draft the sentences individually, then work with their partners to proofread and correct them to ensure that they had three without error and one that was incorrect. I then collected all their sentences and placed them under the document projector, one by one. The students had to individually choose which sentence was incorrect, by writing A/B/C/D and then write the "wrong" answer so it was corrected. After they answered each problem, we went through the answers as a class and they had to explain (according to the formulas and grammar rules) why they chose that sentence and how to correct it. It worked extremely well because they got the exposure and repetition they needed with the grammar in a fun and competitive exercise. Most groups actually had a very "tricky" incorrect answer, and I was impressed at how engaged they were when working with partners to edit their work! I will definitely use this again in the future, maybe changing it from Correct/Incorrect to Fact/Fib again for variety.
I used the strategy "3 facts and a fib" today in my second grade group. I teach science lab as an outclass for k-5th grades so I see each class for 45 minutes 1 day per week. I taught a spider vs. insect lesson starting with a read aloud of "The Spider and the Fly". We discussed the spider facts hidden in the scary poem and contrasted them with facts about insects. I had students then do a classifying sort using small plastic insects and spiders. Students were to come up with at least three ways to classify the group. Each group shared one of the ways they classified and why. To finish up, I used the 3 facts and a fib strategy. Each group of 4 students were asked to create 3 facts and a fib about insects or spiders and write them on index cards. The groups then swapped sets and tried to sort out which were facts and which was the fib. The strategy worked well in most groups. There was some off task behavior resulting in groups not finishing the cards.
I tried "Go Fishing" with my 1st grade class for elements of a story. I gave another group questions about schema (What part of the story reminds me of...; connections to character, feeling, picture). It went over well.
The activity I used was the categorizing cards. The students really enjoyed this activity. The were in groups of four. Each group was given a set of cards with events and dates. We were studying the French and Spanish Explorers. The students were excited to check their answers on the powerpoint. I enjoyed this acitvity in class when we analyzed the process and development of the Gifted and Talented program.
I utilized the “3 Facts and a Fib” activity as one of my varied activities while teaching facts and non-facts to my ELA students. Students were given blue cards to write their responses on before presenting them orally to the class. The students enjoyed presenting, speaking and listening. Usually students are shy when asked to speak before the class. This was not the case with this exciting activity! My students expressed with wide-eyed wonder how much they learned about their interesting classmates. As the teacher, I was amazed to learn about the many adventures of my students. The students were very receptive to this lesson.
I used the "Go Fish" strategy today in class to discuss what they had learned about food chains. I was amazed to see that even the quiet students in class were actively engaged in the discussion. They had to give examples of producers, consumers and decomposers while answering the questions.
I teach Kindergarten and I tried the "Go Fish" strategy with letters/sounds. I put uppercase and lowercase letters in five different bags and split up the students into groups. I had about six letters in each of the bags. Each student had to dig in the bag and pick a letter without looking. They then had to tell the group if it was an uppercase letter or lowercase. Next, they said the sound the letter made and named something that started with that sound. I did have to tell each group the order in which they had to take turns, what they needed to do if they picked a letter twice, to help a friend who didn't know the letter, etc. I let them do this for 5-7 minutes and switched the bags out. I noticed some of the students helping out the ones who didn't know certain letters. Overall, the students enjoyed doing this activity and I was pleased at how involved they were.
I incorporated the "Go Fish" strategy to my math activity in recognizing numbers. I gathered my students on the rug and let them sit in a circle. In a bag, I placed the numbers 0 to 10. I laid down at random the domino cards from 0 to 10 on the rug. I specifically chose the students who still have a hard time identifying the numbers to pick a number in the bag. The student then matched the number to the domino card which represents the number that was pulled out of the bag.This is done repeatedly with other students until all the numbers are matched to the corresponding domino cards on the floor. In another bag, I placed the number words from one to ten. This time I called on my higher kids to pull out the number words. The student read the number word and matched it to the correct domino and number cards. This is also done repeatedly until all the number words are matched to the corresponding domino cards. After matching all the cards correctly, we read the numbers, counted the domino cards while clapping and read the number words together. While doing this group activity, all the students were engaged and participated and had fun helping one another from recognizing the numbers and matching them to the correct domino cards and reading the number words as well. I am planning to use this strategy also in my small group for my students who still struggle in recognizing the upper and lower case letters, and the beginning and ending sounds of words.
I teach 2nd grade all subjects. My class played 3 facts and a fib. We used it as a review for our science CFA that is coming up this week. Each student was given three index cards and ask to write down 3 facts and a fib on each each othe cards. The guide line was I told them what content to write about for example one group did theirs on plants and the onother group did theirs on science saftey and another on animals so that all our questions wouldn't come from the same area. The children really enjoyed it. My high achievers found it to be easy and wanted to make it harder for the others. While I had to give more examples for some of my struggling students. When we came together everyone really like answering the questions and seeing what they reembered on the subject areas.
After doing catapults we applied the 'Go Fish!' activity. The y discussed their catapult and a few mistakes they made while building. It also opened it up to how it applies to the learned equations. It had mixed results and certain classes had to be monitored more frequently as well. I had trouble with incorperating it perfectly but I think it worked, it just wasn't as structured.
In my lesson, I used the categorization cards with animal classification and animal attributes. The first day the students had the 5 animal groups and plants for the categories and used die cuts of animals and plants to place in the group they belong. Students discussed why cards belonged in each category and if they needed to make changes to their groups they could. Each group presented one category and made changes based on feedback from the other groups. The next day, I gave students less time to repeat the activity in order to assess students understanding from the day before lesson.
Next, I listed the attributes for the animals and the students had to categorize them in their groups. I used the same category cards but the attributes were text cards.
I will use this strategy often due to the excitement and learning that I saw from my students. It promoted a lot of discussion amongst students. They began to list the attributes the first day based on prior knowledge and applied it when they had to categorize the text the next day.
Sorry so late. I used the "go fish" cards with my students but modified so that the answers would be open ended. We play a Word Wall game in my class called 'be a mind reader'. So on some of the cards I gave a clue and it had to be either a real word on the word wall or an answer that could be true. i think my student's enjoyed it, but some of them couldn't read the cards, which made some of the other ones get antsy. if i had it to do again, i'd use picture clues as well, it reminded me of the i have who has game strategy
I modeled the activity Three Facts and a Fib for my students with grammar rules and definitions. I then asked the students to write three facts and a fib of their own on sticky notes. Some of the students seemed to struggle a great deal with this part indicating to me a shallow knowledge of the grammar rules we have been studying. I helped those students with writing their facts and fibs. Student were then instructed to complete three rounds of Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up to test one another's knowledge of grammar. Students enjoyed talking and moving around the class as well as trying to fool their classmates. The fibs were difficult for most students to identify at first, but they seemed to improve as they went along with the activity. I intend to try this again to review grammar rules in a more interactive way. It served well as a quick way to assess which students had internalized the rules we have been studying in class without worksheets.
I did the "Go Fish" strategy. I had 5 groups with 4 students in each group. I numbered 5 brown paper bags 1-5. I put shapes (circles, squares and triangles; they were different colors); letter cards (Aa, Cc, Ff, Pp, and Tt) and small picture cards (apple, ant, cat, cup, fan, fish, pear, plate, tiger, tv,). They had to say the shape and color and tell something that can be both. I got answers like: a yellow circle- the sun; a blue square- a table. They had to name the letter, sound it makes and tell something that starts with that letter and say something about the thing. I got answers like: F /f/ fish, fish swim in the water, T /t/ tooth, my tooth came out. They had to name the picture and tell what letter and sound it started with and tell something about the picture. I got answers like: a cup, C, /c/, I drink out of a cup, a TV, T, /t/, I watch movies on TV.
ReplyDeleteThe kids seemed to really enjoy it and surprisingly, my class was very much engaged for a little while. They passed the bag around in their circles for the most part. I did have to redirect pretty often. But, overall, it was fun and it went well. At the end, I had the groups report one item to the entire class.
We are constantly working on the alphabet, so I told them that we were going to do something fun and different to show what we know about our letters and sounds. I threw the color and shapes in for something different.
1. After a refresher with students what adverbs are, I asked students to write out 5 adverbs that they knew, one adverb per each index card (to save cards I cut them in half). To get them going, I suggested a few, like “nervously,” “quietly,” and “boringly.” Once complete, we placed all cards into one bag labeled “Adverbs”.
ReplyDelete2. Next, on strips of paper, I had the students write out 2 sentences (questions or statements) about things they do or say during day. We placed all sentence strips into another bag labeled “Sentences”.
Just a few examples of what the students wrote:
I am writing in my tablet.
Can you walk in a line to the cafeteria? (Several students wrote this one. Wow, all the students misspelled the word cafeteria. It is now a part of our word wall.)
How to ask the teacher a question?
I talk to my friends.
I eat breakfast.
We do math.
I do my homework.
Can you play outside?
I ride my bike.
I play computer.
Can you play outside?
I watch television.
3. Then I had them choose one card and one slip of paper from each paper bag, and ask student to act out the sentence slip using the adverb character.
4. I picked different students per day to do this activity to start off language/writing lessons until all students had participated.
Response: Some sentences had capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors. This was addressed as we read the sentences. We also talked about elaboration of some sentences. The students were very engaged in this activity. All students wanted to participate. After the first initiation of the activity, students were raising their hands to make corrections and giving opinions on how to make the sentences better. Of course, I had to redirect the laughter several times.
I decided to have my French III students participate in the Myth vs. Reality activity when we read the introduction to Impressionism. Students were each given a portion of the reading to present to the class. They were then responsible for writing two true statements and one false statement in the target language about the portion of the reading which they had presented. It was a good activity since students practiced all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
ReplyDeleteI used the 3 Facts and a Fib activity in my science class, as an opener. This week we started a new unit, Energy and Forms of Energy. They had watched a short video on energy the day before, so this was still the introductory phase of instruction. I told them to unpack quickly and begin discussing the 4 sentences (projected on a powerpoint slide) within their groups. They were to decide which was the fib and everyone was to be prepared to tell which their group chose, and why. Their desks are numbered 1-5 in their groups, so after the discussion, I threw a big foam die and that numbered student had to stand and report for the group. I was surprised at the lively discussion. One of the facts received a lot of attention, because they didn't yet know that electricity could produce magnetic effects. Several groups, therefore, chose it. Out of my 8 groups in 2 classes, only 3 groups picked out the fib, but it was a great activity, and got them talking, mostly in English. Every day, I had already been putting one True/False statement about a science topic up for them to decide individually as they finish their initial math/science activity. I then poll the class and reveal the answer with an explanation, so I imagine this helped them know how to word their explanations to the class. But this activith had them discussing and persuading each other. I plan to use 3 Facts and a Fib several times in each unit. But next, I'm going to use Go Fish!
ReplyDeleteI did the categorization cards the following week it was introduced to us. We were studying habitats and basic needs. They had many vocabulary words to practice. I wrote about 12 words; on one square I wrote the examples and on a different square the definition. First, they practiced in groups of four. One student read the examples and the rest had to read and find the definition. I could see them talking about it and putting their knowledge at work. They really enjoyed it and were engaged for a long while. The next morning, they did it in pairs. The following days, as they were coming in (morning) they did it independently. I liked because at first they had the support of the group and if they did not know the definition, their peers helped. I think this gave each of them confidence and each achieved success in learning the vocabulary. After this, I had each group complete a project about a habitat. They had to write the definition and draw the environment and habitat. Last, each group presented to the class. They felt very, very proud of their work. I will use this activity again with parts of the flower and their functions.
ReplyDeleteThis past Thursday I incorporated Initial Sentences into a lesson on verbs in my third grade class. We have been studying action verbs for a week now. The students were about to practice some cursive handwriting, but before they got started on that, I explained what I put on the board:
ReplyDeleteForm a complete sentence about what you know about verbs using the following letters as the INITIAL letter for each word in the sentence. The letters must stay in this order!
DBTVSLM
The students were thrilled about this. I explained this before they began a different activity so that they could have time to be brainstorming. They really were thinking and trying to form a sentence. Not only did this help them with what they know about verbs, it also was a lesson on what a complete sentence is.
After about 20 minutes of the students having difficulty with this, I changed the directions to: "You can use the words a, and, or the anywhere in the sentence." Then after more difficulty, I added: "Use the letter anywhere in the word." This helped some, but it was still too difficult. So, instead of putting random letters like I did the first time, I came up with a sentence and changed the letters entirely from DBTVSLM to WYUVYTA. I was very impressed with how many came up with the sentence I was thinking or one very similiar. Many wrote down "When you use verbs, you take action." Some of the students still could not think of anything.
I really liked this activity because it provoked and challenged their thinking skills. I will definitely be using this in other units we do. It was also a good activity for them to brainstorm on while and after an easy activity such as cursive practice.
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ReplyDeleteI teach Spanish in 6th grade, and I choose two differentiated learning activities for my students to be done in class this past week. I used the go fish activity for the topic of Spanish speaking countries, and I used cubicles for the topic of the use of verb to have.
ReplyDeleteThe Go fish activity used questions such as: if you are going from Mexico to Panama, what countries do you have visit in order to reach your destiny?. I used this activity as part of a race in teams.
The cubicles activity was used to combine the topic of subject pronouns, and uses of verb to have in Spanish. Each pair of students received 2 cubicles, one blue one with subject pronouns (singular or plural) and one yellow one with uses of verb to have. The purpose of the activity was to build sentences using at least 3 different combinations of the cubicles.
Both activities were a success! Students were actively engaged, they seemed like they enjoyed the activities, and the most important part was that students learned while they ‘’played”.
3 Facts & a Fib is well spent on High School students. Detailing events from the American Revolution opened a whole new ballgame for the kids! Once the facts & fibs were released, students began to clamor--"Fact!", "Fib!" The students who had read with clarity were placed in a group (a small One!) and rewarded with their "just desserts". The other students had to find the "fibs" amongst a hail of primary sources while their compatriots were treated to an informative video clip. Both groups of students enjoyed the activity, most vowing to "read with clarity"!
ReplyDeleteThis past Friday I use with my students the “Go Fish” strategy. All strategies are great but I really like this one because every time I asked my students to share with their group any topic, they just stay quiet, this strategy gave my students a specific prompt to discus about. We use it as a closure for our science “ecosystem” closure class. It help my students review what they have learned. I really liked to see my students discussing some of the prompts. Some of them went back to the book to remember some of the information and that way they could discuss it better with their groups. This is a great strategy for class discussion I really think it takes learning to the next level.
ReplyDeleteI try “Go Fish” strategy. My idea was to use this strategy in centers. So first, I modeled it to my students so they would see how to do it. I did the same strategy with two different obejctives. One for my lower achievers ,those ones that still struggle with high frequency words. They worked in pairs, I placed high frequency words inside the bag, specially those words I know they need to reinforce. So each one had a turn to take a card and read it out loud. I make sure to pair a very low achiever with one that is not so low.
ReplyDeleteIn the other hand for my high achievers I placed in the bags some questions to answer after reading a story. The questions were tell me about the beginning, middle and end. What was the settings, characters, and conexión. They really enjoyed this activity. If they couldn´t answer it they had to go ahead and read the story one more time.
This past Thursday, I used the Categorization Cards activity to introduce important European Exploration dates. I placed 8 dates on the big card just as we had done in class a few weeks ago, then had 8 events that matched the dates cut out to fit and cover the dates. I placed the 8 cut out events and date card in a plastic bag and passed out to 5 teams of 4. Students had some background knowledge as we had just begun this unit, but we hadn't gone over any of these dates/events. At first I thought, they're not going to get this right and then be upset. But, to my surprise, everyone was in competition within their group to see how many they got right. I made this on a ppt and just printed each part out. The first slide had the dates, the second slide had events out of order, and the third slide had the dates with events. As we went though the answer to each date, the students anticipated and cheered if they were right. Even those who only had 2 correct were okay with it. We will be completing a post date quiz this week to see if they remembered the dates and events. I enjoyed the activity as well.
ReplyDeleteFor my strategy, I selected "go fish". It seemed appropriate for my 1st graders and I combined it with a math activity I observed last week using domino cards, to identify a total and it parts (addition and subtraction). It was a great practice, since my students have been working on this topic for the last couple of weeks, but some of them still find it difficcult to make a number sentence that shows the known part and the missing part. I made some domino cards, some of them showing only the total (a number), one part -represented with pictures- and the other blank. A few cards showed all three (total and parts). I thought some students would find it easier to make a number sentence if they did not have to struggle with missing parts. The students were fishing for a card and, once they saw the pictures and the total, they had to come up with a number sentence that shows how to find the missing part. Some students used addition sentences and some others used subtraction sentences. The numbers were fairly easy for them so they could do it orally without struggling with counting, since the purpose was to make the connection between addition and subtraction and create number sentences. It was a different and fun approach to our topic and I think we all enjoyed the activity. Simply drawing a card from a bag seems like a lot of fun to them!
ReplyDeleteI also did the Go Fish activity with my kinder class. Since we are still working on letter/sound identification I placed different letters in 4 bags that had been numbered from 1-4. I placed letter cards, wooden letter puzzle pieces, and plastic letter magnets in each bag. I then read a story about the sense of touch. We talked about how we had learned about our five senses. I then told them that we were going to use our senses to do a fun activity. I modeled by taking a letter out of the bag and told them as much as I knew about the letter and then I described the color, and how it felt. The students did pretty good. Most of them were able to identify the letter and sound, some said where it came in the alphabet and some gave words that the letters began with. They really enjoyed this activity and I told them that we could do this again with other subject areas.
ReplyDeleteI adlos did the Go Fish with my First grade class. We have been studying subtraction in math. I put subtraction problems into the bags. The total is 10 and I have 3 how many are missing and then just some regular subtraction sentences. Tehy really liked it. I had them explain how they got their answers to the rest of the group. I will use this again.
ReplyDeleteI did the Myth vs. Reality with my 9th grade English classes to expose them to the background information of To Kill a Mockingbird. They had to decide which statements that I created were true and provide evidence for their decisions. They then shared with a partner and, eventually, the class.
ReplyDeleteIt was really neat to see them get so riled over different statements and point of views. I would definitely do this again.
Because was never aware of the 10:2 rule, I chose to use the Go Fish strategy during our first lesson on multiplication meaning. After the lesson introduction using envision, I had them just answer the basic questions about what they learned and what they still have questions about. Once we were complete, we engaged in a direct whole group lesson. After the lesson I added more cards that referenced the strategies that were taught. Finally, we did a group practice and cards were added with pictorial representations of multiplication problems and they had to solve as a whole group. I love this activity and have plans to use it at the introduction of every lesson. I was able to constantly monitor their understanding and have a real life, interactive informal assessment.
ReplyDeleteI loved the "Go Fish" activity and so did my students! I placed words on the cards and placed them in the bag and my students had to tell me a vowel that could go between the word to make a word/new word. I also did it with the alphabets and they loved letting me know what other things begin with the alphabets. I teach Kinder and we had a blast and now that they want to play "Go Fish" all the time!!!
ReplyDeleteI used myth and realty in my math lesson. We are working with fractions and how to solve equivalent fractions as well as identifying the three kinds of fractions. I showed the student different ways of solving fractions and they had to tell me whether it was the correct way or not. The students got a kick out of the lesson, but what surprise me was how they learned. That just gave me another way for students to understand fractions when I start teaching fractions.
ReplyDeleteI teach Spanish Ap Literature and we are studying Don Quijote. We used the myth/reality to talk about where the plot line would go next and as a lead-in to discussing the themes and the end. It was pretty successful, but some of the myths/realities were too easy.
ReplyDeleteThis past week, I tried the game of “Go Fish”. Some classes went better than I expected. To begin, every student on the roster is given a number. The desks are already arranged for groups. I spin a wheel, sort of like Wheel of Fortune. When it lands on that person’s number, each member of the group that has the #2 will take a card out of an inner tube that has the #2 written on it. I did not have colored paper or bags, so I substituted material that I had in my possession. At each grouping, there are various topics and the person that has the #2 will lead the discussion with members in their group and solicit feedback from them. I used this strategy while introducing the concept of interest groups and the media’s role on congressional and presidential elections. The students were already assigned to read the chapters, but many failed to do so. This was a great way to find out who read and what information that they garnered from the material. It also helped my low performing students when they hear their peers explain their interpretations of the statement / question.
ReplyDeleteI chose to use the 3 facts and a fib as a way to wrap up our discussion on natural regions of Texas. I had three facts and a fib already created for each of the four regions. The students worked with a partner to discuss which statements were true and which was the fib. Then we shared our answers and reasoning. I then allowed the students to come up with their own example and they switched with another group to work through which statement was a fib!!
ReplyDeleteI used the Myth/Reality strategy. This is typically how I like to introduce key topics for the start of each new unit. The students are typically slow to participate, but once students begin sharing their perspectives and comments, the ideas and sharing flow more freely. Those students that had completed the homework reading prior to class enjoyed the activity more than those that were not prepared, but there were no limitations to the activity that did not allow all to be involved.
ReplyDeleteI used initial sentences, since we already introduce it when we teach them the order of the planets of the solar system in third grade. I thought that since they had already been exposed to it, it would not be THAT difficult.
ReplyDeleteIt turned out it was, and only a few examples of sentences made sense and were worth it. I suppose it takes more doing for them to perfect the skill.
Today I tried Go Fish with my second grade class.
ReplyDeleteWe have been comparing Kevin Henkes books and I put some general questions about setting, character, genre etc, as well as more specific questions about the books. I also included which was your favorite and why.
My students enjoyed it and were engaged.
I liked it because it gave each student a time to share. The questions were both specific and general which was beneficial. The opinion questions were particularly helpful to those that struggled with some of the questions.
I hope to buy color coded bags and laminate the questions. It will help me organize the activity and be more appealing to my students.
Activity 3 Facts and a Fib
ReplyDeleteThird Grade Science: The Solar System
I used the Solar System because they have enough information on it to come up with the facts easily.
I modeled to the students what the four sentences could look like: three true facts and one that was not true.
The groups were of 3 students each. They had some time for discussion, to decide what to include, and how to phrase the fib so it wouldn’t be so obvious.
When I read the four sentences to them, the groups decided which of the 4 was the fib and wrote its number on a hand-held white board. All groups showed the answers at once.
Most of the fibs were obvious and they basically all got them easily.
This was the first time they did it and they enjoyed it. They were engaged and tried to come up with something more challenging than “The sun is hot”. Part of the difficulty was vocabulary and expression (they are ELLs working in English). They realized that it takes a little bit more to come up with a true-sounding fib.
I also got them thinking on the word choices they wrote, for example, “The sun is our only star.” This would be true in our solar system but not in the whole universe, so statements like those would lead to the lively discussions we want!
I selected the 3 Facts and a Fib strategy, only put a little twist on it. I teach 8th grade Spanish and the students were learning about comparatives and superlatives. Some of the information was old, but there a number of new formulas, and a few of the students were getting confused. Instead of writing facts/fibs, the students worked in groups of two to write three grammatically correct/perfect sentences, and one with errors. They had to draft the sentences individually, then work with their partners to proofread and correct them to ensure that they had three without error and one that was incorrect. I then collected all their sentences and placed them under the document projector, one by one. The students had to individually choose which sentence was incorrect, by writing A/B/C/D and then write the "wrong" answer so it was corrected. After they answered each problem, we went through the answers as a class and they had to explain (according to the formulas and grammar rules) why they chose that sentence and how to correct it. It worked extremely well because they got the exposure and repetition they needed with the grammar in a fun and competitive exercise. Most groups actually had a very "tricky" incorrect answer, and I was impressed at how engaged they were when working with partners to edit their work! I will definitely use this again in the future, maybe changing it from Correct/Incorrect to Fact/Fib again for variety.
ReplyDeleteI used the strategy "3 facts and a fib" today in my second grade group. I teach science lab as an outclass for k-5th grades so I see each class for 45 minutes 1 day per week. I taught a spider vs. insect lesson starting with a read aloud of "The Spider and the Fly". We discussed the spider facts hidden in the scary poem and contrasted them with facts about insects. I had students then do a classifying sort using small plastic insects and spiders. Students were to come up with at least three ways to classify the group. Each group shared one of the ways they classified and why. To finish up, I used the 3 facts and a fib strategy. Each group of 4 students were asked to create 3 facts and a fib about insects or spiders and write them on index cards. The groups then swapped sets and tried to sort out which were facts and which was the fib. The strategy worked well in most groups. There was some off task behavior resulting in groups not finishing the cards.
ReplyDeleteI tried "Go Fishing" with my 1st grade class for elements of a story. I gave another group questions about schema (What part of the story reminds me of...; connections to character, feeling, picture). It went over well.
ReplyDeleteThe activity I used was the categorizing cards. The students really enjoyed this activity. The were in groups of four. Each group was given a set of cards with events and dates. We were studying the French and Spanish Explorers. The students were excited to check their answers on the powerpoint. I enjoyed this acitvity in class when we analyzed the process and development of the Gifted and Talented program.
ReplyDeleteI utilized the “3 Facts and a Fib” activity as one of my varied activities while teaching facts and non-facts to my ELA students. Students were given blue cards to write their responses on before presenting them orally to the class. The students enjoyed presenting, speaking and listening. Usually students are shy when asked to speak before the class. This was not the case with this exciting activity! My students expressed with wide-eyed wonder how much they learned about their interesting classmates. As the teacher, I was amazed to learn about the many adventures of my students. The students were very receptive to this lesson.
ReplyDeleteI used the "Go Fish" strategy today in class to discuss what they had learned about food chains. I was amazed to see that even the quiet students in class were actively engaged in the discussion. They had to give examples of producers, consumers and decomposers while answering the questions.
ReplyDeleteI teach Kindergarten and I tried the "Go Fish" strategy with letters/sounds. I put uppercase and lowercase letters in five different bags and split up the students into groups. I had about six letters in each of the bags. Each student had to dig in the bag and pick a letter without looking. They then had to tell the group if it was an uppercase letter or lowercase. Next, they said the sound the letter made and named something that started with that sound. I did have to tell each group the order in which they had to take turns, what they needed to do if they picked a letter twice, to help a friend who didn't know the letter, etc. I let them do this for 5-7 minutes and switched the bags out. I noticed some of the students helping out the ones who didn't know certain letters. Overall, the students enjoyed doing this activity and I was pleased at how involved they were.
ReplyDeleteI incorporated the "Go Fish" strategy to my math activity in recognizing numbers. I gathered my students on the rug and let them sit in a circle. In a bag, I placed the numbers 0 to 10. I laid down at random the domino cards from 0 to 10 on the rug. I specifically chose the students who still have a hard time identifying the numbers to pick a number in the bag. The student then matched the number to the domino card which represents the number that was pulled out of the bag.This is done repeatedly with other students until all the numbers are matched to the corresponding domino cards on the floor. In another bag, I placed the number words from one to ten. This time I called on my higher kids to pull out the number words. The student read the number word and matched it to the correct domino and number cards. This is also done repeatedly until all the number words are matched to the corresponding domino cards. After matching all the cards correctly, we read the numbers, counted the domino cards while clapping and read the number words together. While doing this group activity, all the students were engaged and participated and had fun helping one another from recognizing the numbers and matching them to the correct domino cards and reading the number words as well. I am planning to use this strategy also in my small group for my students who still struggle in recognizing the upper and lower case letters, and the beginning and ending sounds of words.
ReplyDeleteI teach 2nd grade all subjects. My class played 3 facts and a fib. We used it as a review for our science CFA that is coming up this week. Each student was given three index cards and ask to write down 3 facts and a fib on each each othe cards. The guide line was I told them what content to write about for example one group did theirs on plants and the onother group did theirs on science saftey and another on animals so that all our questions wouldn't come from the same area. The children really enjoyed it. My high achievers found it to be easy and wanted to make it harder for the others. While I had to give more examples for some of my struggling students. When we came together everyone really like answering the questions and seeing what they reembered on the subject areas.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing catapults we applied the 'Go Fish!' activity. The y discussed their catapult and a few mistakes they made while building. It also opened it up to how it applies to the learned equations. It had mixed results and certain classes had to be monitored more frequently as well. I had trouble with incorperating it perfectly but I think it worked, it just wasn't as structured.
ReplyDeleteIn my lesson, I used the categorization cards with animal classification and animal attributes. The first day the students had the 5 animal groups and plants for the categories and used die cuts of animals and plants to place in the group they belong. Students discussed why cards belonged in each category and if they needed to make changes to their groups they could. Each group presented one category and made changes based on feedback from the other groups. The next day, I gave students less time to repeat the activity in order to assess students understanding from the day before lesson.
ReplyDeleteNext, I listed the attributes for the animals and the students had to categorize them in their groups. I used the same category cards but the attributes were text cards.
I will use this strategy often due to the excitement and learning that I saw from my students. It promoted a lot of discussion amongst students. They began to list the attributes the first day based on prior knowledge and applied it when they had to categorize the text the next day.
Sorry so late. I used the "go fish" cards with my students but modified so that the answers would be open ended. We play a Word Wall game in my class called 'be a mind reader'. So on some of the cards I gave a clue and it had to be either a real word on the word wall or an answer that could be true. i think my student's enjoyed it, but some of them couldn't read the cards, which made some of the other ones get antsy. if i had it to do again, i'd use picture clues as well, it reminded me of the i have who has game strategy
ReplyDeleteI modeled the activity Three Facts and a Fib for my students with grammar rules and definitions. I then asked the students to write three facts and a fib of their own on sticky notes. Some of the students seemed to struggle a great deal with this part indicating to me a shallow knowledge of the grammar rules we have been studying. I helped those students with writing their facts and fibs. Student were then instructed to complete three rounds of Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up to test one another's knowledge of grammar. Students enjoyed talking and moving around the class as well as trying to fool their classmates. The fibs were difficult for most students to identify at first, but they seemed to improve as they went along with the activity. I intend to try this again to review grammar rules in a more interactive way. It served well as a quick way to assess which students had internalized the rules we have been studying in class without worksheets.
ReplyDelete