Clock Partners Teaching Strategy

Are you looking for a fun and creative way to set up partners in your classroom? This is one of my favorite strategies: Clock Partners.

By setting up a conversation structure using clock times, this activity encourages a range of student interactions.

The teacher distributes a "clock face" handout to each student with spaces to write partner names at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. Then have the students walk around the room and make "appointments" with other students that they will take with at a later time.

·          This strategy requires students to get up and move around the room to dialogue with students not directly near them.

·         Not all clock appointments need to be facilitated at once – maybe for one activity use 3:00, another 9:00.  Also, appointments can be standing for a period of time. 

Note: Avoid using this strategy when strategic student pairing is critical to the outcome of the activity.

Click HERE to get a FREE Clock Template 

Looking for more creative teaching strategies? Click HERE!

Happy Teaching!

IDEA WAVE Teaching Strategy

Are you looking for a fun activity to check for understanding? Here is a great teaching strategy the entire class can participate in. Read below for the directions for an IDEA WAVE. 

After students learn about a specific topic each student shares ideas they learned about that topic.

·         A volunteer begins the “idea wave” by sharing one idea.

·         The students to the right of the volunteer shares one idea; the next student to the right shares one idea.

·         The teacher directs the flow of the “idea wave” until several different ideas have been shared. 

At the end of the formal "idea wave, " a few volunteers who were not included can contribute an idea.

To put a twist on the idea wave, ask all students to stand and share information they learned about the topic. Tell the students that they must speak in complete sentences using academic langauge. (I post word walls for every unit for students to refer to). I say to the class, "the person who goes first is the person who is speaking". They cannot repeat information that someone else has already said, so they need to listen carefully. The goal for the students is not to be the last person standing. 

This is a great way to assess your student's knowledge about any topic and then be able to reteach information if necessary. 

To see more teaching strategies click HERE!

Happy Teaching!

Chalk Dust Diva

Instructional Teaching Strategies for ANY Classroom

As a master teacher for over 10 years, I make sure my student teachers practice as many instructional strategies as possible during their time with me. I want to make sure they have plenty of "tools" in their "toolbox" to take with them once they complete their student teaching experience. This year I decided to create a document that included a list of diverse and engaging teaching strategies my student teachers could refer to when creating their lesson plans. Recently I uploaded this product to TpT so other teachers (new and veteran) could make use of it too!

 

Instructional Strategies

This purchase includes 70 teaching strategies that could be used in ANY classroom or grade level. This is a must-have whether you are a new or experienced teacher. Free updates for life!

Instructional Strategies Include:
Gain Prior Knowledge Strategies
Debate- Discussion-Oral Language Practice
Check-For-Understanding
Reading Strategies
Writing Strategies
Activities-Projects
Review Strategies

Happy Teaching!

Document Based Questions in the History Classroom

More important in my secondary history class than actually teaching history is teaching my students how to critically think. To have may students "think like historians" is the #1 goal. One of the strategies I consistently use are Document Based Questions,  otherwise known as "DBQ's".

Document Based Questions are either an essay (sometimes even a paragraph), or a series of short-answer questions. Students support their claims by providing evidence from a group of documents - either primary or secondary sources. In my classroom I try to incorporate DBQ's as much a possible. I created this helpful handout for my students that takes them step-by-step through the process of writing a DBQ essay. Get it FREE by clicking HERE!

Here are just a few examples of DBQ's I use in my classroom:

Click HERE!

Click HERE!

Click HERE!

 

Do you use DBQ's in your classroom?

Happy Teaching!