Activities

Sort 

Sorts are a fantastic way to open a unit. There are several ways to create a sort. One option is to come up with starter sentence like "Children would not be able to thrive without...". They you make the longest list you can imagine of possible answers. For example: Fresh air, Pollution, Undeveloped land (forests, meadows), Water nearby (creeks, rivers, lakes, ocean), Fast food, Hospitals, Public libraries etc. Not all of the answers need to be great or sensible. In fact, part of the sorts I create also asks students to determine the worst fits for the sentence. Once you have all the pieces, cut up the answers so that students can physically sort through the 50 or so options you have provided. (I also like to leave some blank, in case students come up with their own responses). Another way to create a sort is by coming up with a shorter list of about ten options and then ask students to rank the options in a particular order. For example, you might ask students to rank 10 different forms of freedom from most to least important. 

Harness activity

A harness activity is great for developing good listening skills. I generally begin this activity as an individual writing activity. Students will respond to a questions like, " Write about a time when you saw someone in need of help and either did nothing or joined in to make it worse. Write about why you acted as you did." Then students get into pairs. Each pair decides who will tell their story first while the other student listens. I explain to the students that they only have 1 minute to tell their story, and during that time the students who is listening is not allowed to talk or ask any questions. After the first round, students switch sides and now the other student has an opportunity to share their story. I then give the groups 30 seconds to ask any clarifying questions. Once everyone has shared I ask for volunteers to report out what their partner's told them. We have a discussion about the difficulties and upsides to not being able to speak. I often ask students what let them know that the other person was engaged even though they could not talk etc. 

Four Corners (or take a stand)

This activity is intended to be a light but interactive way to engage students in a debate. You post four signs around the room: Strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree. Create a list of statements relevant to the topic or theme you are discussing. As you read each statement ask students to stand by the corner of the room with the sign that most accurately represents their feelings about the statement. I often will call on students once they move to defend their stance. I also inform students that they are welcome to move if arguments they hear are compelling and they change their position on the statement.

Barometer Activity:

This activity is similar to the four corners activity, only the set up is different. In place of four corners you simply create a line in your classrooms with two ends. On one end for example you could write Guilty or not guilty and have students take a stand as to where they think certain actors in history fall. Once I came up with a list of scenarios of when people were in need to help and had the two ends of the barometer read "help" and "don't help".  As I read the statements out, students had to decide whether they would be more or less likely to help in the given situation. As a follow up for these types of in class activities, I ask students to choose one of the statements discussed in class and write a response at length with some supporting evidence as a homework assignment. 

Freewrite

I almost always begin my class with a freewrite. Sometimes I will ask students to write for just 2 minutes, but I like the routine and it also gives students a space to transition into the classroom. The full freewrite activity is best used as a brainstorm for a critical theme or essay idea. I offer students a word or a question and I ask them to write without stopping for 5 minutes. I explain that I do not care about spelling or grammar, and if they get stuck or their mind wanders that is okay and they should write exactly what is on their mind. Then I ask students to pass what they have written to the person next to them who will underline one word or phrase that they would like the author to expand on. That is returned to the original owner who is given 3 more minutes to begin another free write with the new word or phrase highlighted by their partner. I like this activity as a way to help students get ideas out with out the fear of judgement. Try it yourself. Its quite fun!

Save the last word: 

I like to use this activity as a means to get students to discuss a film. First students select three quotes from the film that stood out to them. (I often have a transcript or a selection of quotes that students can choose from). They then write the quotes on one side of the card than flip the card and write your response to the quote. What did the quote mean to them? What did it remind them of? Can they connect it to something in their own life, film, or book they saw or read? Does it remind them of anything that they learned in class or that is going on in current events? Once they have responded to all three quotes. I ask students to get into groups of 3 and determine who is student A, B and C. Then I explain that student A reads just their quote without their response. Students B and C then discuss their ideas about student A's quote. Once students B and C are done student A has the last word. They can either respond or read what they wrote initially. Hence "Save the last word". Student repeat this sequence until each student has had the last word. 

Written Discussion: 

Written Discussion are a nice way to engage students in a discussion that allows everyone a chance to offer their ideas and asks students to slow down their thinking and response. The activity can be done in a few ways. You can select images or quotes and arrange them around the room matching 2-3 students per station. Students will be given a specified amount of time to respond to the image or text in front of them in form of a written discussion. It is essential that students do not talk during this process, but rather convey their questions and ideas on paper. Students should respond directly to the image or text as well as to their peers comments or questions about the material at hand. If time allows, students should have a chance to walk around the room and look at other groups discussions, and perhaps even comment on them themselves.

Role Play: 

My best lessons have often been those that required students to role play. There are many ways to carry out role plays, here are just a few ideas. 1) Dialogues! have students take on the identities of real historical figures or people who represent a particular interest group in history. For example, I have had students read reflections from teenagers who saw Apartheid come to an end. They were then asked to imagine a situation in the future where two of the teenagers would meet and write out a potential dialogue between the two. Students were later asked to share and act out their dialogues. 2) TV panel or interview! Again students take on the role of an interviewer or major historical figure as they act out a moment in time. For example, for a unit on the Cuban Missile Crisis, after an in depth study of the key leaders, students took on the role of Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro and imagined a panel discussion about the crisis between these three men. 3) Court case! Have students prepare a court trial where key historical figures can be put on trial, interrogated and examined by opposing counsels. I have used this in a few classes, one of most successful units had students put Hernan Cortez and La Malinche on Trial for the atrocities committed against the Aztecs and other native groups in the region of Mexico.