Timing

5 Structures for a Blocked Class

To make the most of your extended class period, consider one of these five structures, which you can mix and match over the course of a marking period, depending on your instructional needs. For the sake of convenience, I’m going to assume we’re talking about a 90-minute class period, but you should obviously make slight adjustments if your block is longer or shorter than that. Source: Making the Most of a 90-Minute Block

THE CLASSIC

This would look the most like a typical lesson, except you would have time to do it right and include ALL the bells and whistles that we all know a good lesson should have:

• (10 min) An engaging anticipatory set to pique students’ interest, build relevance, bring concepts out of long-term memory or just set the stage for learning. This is a step we often skip over when we are pressed for time. (For ideas, see my post on anticipatory sets or this one on How to Approach Your Teaching Like a Master Chef.)
• (15-20 min) Some kind of direct instruction, where the teacher delivers the day’s lesson through a lecture (Yes! In small doses this is okay!), doing a demonstration, showing a video, having students read through some kind of text or do an interactive online lesson.
• (30 min) Student application of the content. This might take the form of individual practice, reciprocal learning, or some other kind of group work.
• (15-20 min) An assessment of the content or skill, followed perhaps by re-teaching to those who need it and an extension activity for students who met the standard.
• (10 min) A reflection or other kind of wrap-up, where the value of the lesson is reinforced.

Whitney Schultz, who teaches 80-minute blocks of English at a high school in Baltimore, MD, uses this kind of structure on most days, mixing up the activities within each of the segments. “That 10-15 minute review and 10-15 minute introduction might instead be a 20-30 minute quiz followed by self-grading; or, in my AP class, it might be 20-30 minutes of daily AP practice followed by 40-50 minutes of text discussion/analysis. I’ve found it’s easier to fill 80 minutes than try to trim down what I cover each day!”

THE WORKSHOP

In this structure, students would spend the majority of time working on their own projects. The class period might start with a brief (10-minute) mini-lesson, and it would ideally end with some kind of a wrap-up, sharing, or reflection time, but at least a full hour would be spent working independently or in groups on a long-term, hands-on project. Meanwhile, the teacher would circulate, conferencing individually with students as needed or using an appointment system like the one used at the Apollo School.

• In an English language arts class, this could be independent writing or reading, or a mixture of both, depending on what each student happens to be working on at the time.
• If you are running a self-paced math class, or are delivering instruction through hyperdocs or playlists, where students work at their own pace through a series of lessons, then during the hour, students would just get started from wherever they are in the materials.
• In any class that has implemented Genius Hour, this time could be devoted to research, writing, or working on presentations.

THE LAB

One big, focused activity takes up most of the class period in this structure. Class may start with some kind of an introduction and end with a reflection or wrap-up, but at least an hour is set aside for an activity where the whole class digs into a single meaty task. In this case, the task itself is designed to be active and engaging, so the rule about switching every 15 or 20 minutes is waived. The big activity could be any of the following:

• Simulations or role-plays, which can be incredibly useful in helping students understand complex social studies or science concepts.
• A debate, socratic seminar, or some other long-form discussion strategy
• A project-based learning activity
• A virtual field trip
• Jigsaw or another cooperative learning activity
• An actual lab (hello, science!)
• Sketchnoting: This idea comes from Jana Maiuri, a middle school English teacher in Oakland, California, who will occasionally set aside a whole class period for students to create sketchnotes on a given topic. It starts with “a ten minute rapid-fire warm-up…followed by a kind of ‘okay, show me everything you know about commercial fish depletion in a sketchnote in the next 90 minutes.’ Then in the next class we do two concentric circles and everyone gets two minutes to present their sketch: three vital facts, the most unique or compelling thought, and one artistic accomplishment or challenge. The movement and the art are engaging and thought provoking.” (To get started with sketchnoting, see Vicki Davis’ comprehensive post on sketchnoting here.)

THE PERFORMANCE

At the end of a learning cycle, students should ideally have some kind of final product to share with peers, or even outside visitors. A 90-minute block class would be ideal for sharing and celebrating this student work. This performance could take many forms:

• Student speeches
• Film festival
• Gallery of physical or digital products
• Skits
• Poetry or other readings

THE VARIETY PACK

On some days, you might opt to just give students a fast-paced mixture of activities, some that might review previously learned content, some that introduce new stuff, others that do a bit of drill and practice, and even some that are just there for fun and enrichment. These can be handled in a station rotation model, with student-selected learning centers, or just by having the whole class do a a series of smaller activities together. Here are just a few possible activities you could include:

• Any kind of skills practice, flashcard work, or retrieval practice
• Watching a short video clip
• Independent reading
• Journal writing
• Having a short philosophical chairs debate
• A short read-aloud from a book you’re reading together as a class
• Small group work with the teacher
• Games like Kahoot or Crumple & Shoot

So whether you’re brand-new to block scheduling or you’ve already been doing it for years, I hope you’ve found at least one new idea to help you make the most of that extended class period and never again be accused of running a “glorified playtime period.”