To add in accountability, have students turn their work in at the end of each
station.
Escape rooms are all the rage right
now, and they make learning fun. In
fact, students beg for more escape
rooms.
To add in accountability, require every
student to turn in either an answer
sheet or a reflection.
Incorporating learning stations in your lesson plans is a great way to
encourage movement in the classroom. Several stations I frequently use in
the classroom are a reading station, practice station, and tech station. The
reading station might be a section from a novel you are currently reading in
class, a speech related to the theme of a novel you are reading in class, or a
nonfiction article that connects to your current unit of study. The practice
station is usually a group worksheet or brainstorming organizer where
students practice a skill they are working on. The tech station is generally
dedicated class time for students to work on an assignment on the
computer. These three stations require little prep on your part, and they
help the class period go by much quicker.
Escape Room
Learning Stations
Take them outside
One sure fire way to get students moving is to
take them outside for the lesson. If it is a beautiful
day and you have reading or writing scheduled,
take students outside to complete the task.
To add in accountability, collect the assignment at
the end of the class, or plan to do this again
(especially if the students like being outside) as a
positive reward for their conduct outside.
Carousel Questions
The carousel questions strategy is similar to a gallery walk, but
rather than taking information from the posters and learning from
the posters, students are contributing to the posters. This is a
great strategy to use when you are introducing a new unit or
reviewing a unit. Post chart or butcher paper around the room
and write different introductory or review questions on each
page. Instruct students to walk throughout the room and answer
each question. Complete the introduction or review strategy by
reviewing several of the answers with the class.
h
To add in accountability, you can assign this as group work.
Have students circulate throughout the room in groups and
assign a different color marker for each group. At the end of the
activity, check to see if every single color is present in the paper .
Give One, Get One
Give One Get One is a great strategy that is easy to
implement in any lesson. I like using this strategy best
after taking notes or reviewing a film or Ted Talk. To
incorporate this learning strategy in your lesson plan,
instruct students to get up and share their notes or one of
their takeaways with another student. Then, they will
need to ask another student to share notes or for their
takeaway.
To add in accountability, have students write down the
information they receive.
Post-It Parade
Group students into small groups of 3-5 students and supply each group
with markers and a piece of large, tabloid-sized white paper. Assign each
group a different topic for the essay and have them create a poster that
represents that topic. The poster should include words, phrases, and key
points for each group’s assigned topic, as well as images and other visual
representations. If applicable, encourage students to write quotes from
the text on the poster.
After student groups complete their posters, have each group present
their poster to the class. Display some of the posters on the walls as
additional support. Throughout the essay writing process, students can
refer back to these posters for additional ideas, guidance, and support.
Place students in pairs or small groups. Provide each student pair or student group
with 2-3 post-it notes for each main essay topic. It is especially beneficial if you
give each student group different colors of post-it notes so that you can color code
the ideas. Each essay topic will have its own designated color. If you are assigning
a five-paragraph essay with three main points –each one serving as a body
paragraph, provide each student pair or group with 6-9 post-it notes. After
discussing the essay topic with your students, ask each student group to write
down an example, explanation, or quote on each post-it note that supports the
topic. There is a lot of flexibility here to have students brainstorm different ideas
with this activity.
After providing students with enough time to brainstorm in their pairs or groups,
call on one person from each group to share their ideas aloud. After all of the
groups share their responses, have students place their post-it notes on
coordinating chart paper or on the whiteboard. Keep the post-it notes up on
display for the entire essay writing process. This will provide your students with
additional information that might be beneficial for the essay.
Poster Project
Sticky Note Questions and Answers
One quick and easy way to get students engaged and
moving is to incorporate sticky notes in your lesson. Ask
students a question and have them respond on the sticky
note. After students write the answer to the question on
the notes, they will get up and post their notes on the
board. This strategy can work as a bell-ringer activity or
as a quick little break in the middle of the lesson. It is also
a great strategy to use to survey your students when
assessing prior knowledge.
To add in accountability, instruct students to write their
names on the back of the sticky note
Brainstorming Stations
Set-up essay brainstorming sessions throughout the room and
divide your students equally into the number of stations you’ve
created. Each station should be a different essay topic or task.
Prepare each essay brainstorming station with a particular task and
graphic organizer. For example, one station may require students to
think of as many examples as they can to support a topic sentence,
and another station might require students to read closely to find a
supporting quote. Have each student rotate throughout the
brainstorming stations. Students should spend equal time at each
station. At the end of the class, come together and discuss what
students learned and brainstorm.
Gallery Walk
Divide students into small groups and assign a designated color marker
for each group. Prepare for the gallery walk by placing chart paper or
poster board on the walls. You may also designate a large portion of
your whiteboard for student answers if you have enough colors of dry
erase markers. Each piece of chart paper or poster board will be a
different essay topic. Provide student groups with time to brainstorm
each topic, and then have students rotate around the room at each
station/piece of chart paper. While students are in their designated
stations, they should be using their designated color markers to write
their ideas on the paper. Encourage student groups to always add new
information to the paper; this task will increase in difficulty as you
progress throughout the stations. Keep the visuals up on the walls
during the essay writing process.