Sponge Activities

Sponge Activities

Use sponge activities to fill those transition moments before class, at the end of a class period, or between activities.

1. Post "sponge" prompt on the SMART Board. For example:
   • During the next few minutes, smile and say hello to at least three people and tell them what you already know about___.
   • When you finish reading this, find someone who was born in the same birth season as you and tell that person three things you remember from ______ (last activity, previous lesson, etc.).
   • In the next 60 seconds, look at your notes and circle three important things you want to remember. Next, share the circled items with someone sitting nearby.

Why use thinking sponges? These types of activities:

1. Engage students’ minds from the moment they enter the room.
2. Stimulate interaction and connect to content.
3. Increase the actual amount of instructional time students are engaged with content.
4. Help build safe, productive learning communities.