180 Days of Novelty
Novelty is one of the most powerful ways to grab students’ attention.
Following are 20 categories to use at the beginning of a lesson to heighten
alertness and attention. Develop your own activities or use the specific ideas that
are provided in the monthly novelty schedules.
Photo
Any interesting photo will work! Photos from magazines work well if there is no technology in the
room, but photos from the internet are especially easy and novel. Have the photo projected on
the board at the beginning of the lesson and ask students to predict how it relates to the topic.
Thousands of interesting photos are available at www.flickr.com.
Number
Choose a number that relates to your lesson. It might be from a fact, a percentage, a number of
examples or characteristics of some aspect of the lesson. Write it in very large print on the board,
or draw a small box and write the number in small print inside it.
Prop
Grab whatever is available, or choose a specific item that is related to your content. Place it
somewhere noticeable in the room, or pull it out of an interested box or container, adding a bit of
theatrical suspense as you reveal it. Ask students to predict how the prop will relate to the topic.
Stepping Stone
Place one or more sheets of paper on the floor leading into the classroom, forming a stepping
stone pathway. Write some content prompts on the stepping stones. These might be fill-in-theblanks, unknown words, questions, math facts, etc. Just keep them short and quick to read.
Puzzle
Puzzles are a wonderful way to engage the human brain! Content related puzzles make the most
sense, so take the sample provided and adjust it to your own content. You might even ask
students to generate some for you! http://thinks.com can get you started.
Movement
Because there is no preparation for this form of novelty, it is one of the best. Think of all the ways
you and your students can move your bodies. Walking, stomping, hands on your head, arms out
like wings, jumping, skipping, looking at the ceiling….how simple! Then find a way to relate your
movement to a point in the lesson.
Music
So many wonderful music clips and sound effects can be had for free on the web. You can
search for songs in which the lyrics specifically relate to your lesson, or choose multi-cultural
music and ask the students to brainstorm connections. Sound effects can range from game show
theme songs to spooky, haunting noises. Get creative!
Video Clip
Sound, visuals, action – all at the click of a button. Web sites such as www.youtube and
www.teachertube provide easy searching for a video clip that fits your lesson. Or, try something
more generic like short clips of a sporting event and ask students to make connections to the
topic.
Comic
Not only are there wonderful comics in journals, newspapers and magazines – but they are also
on the internet. Comics can be presented in their original form, or you can white out the caption
and have students generate their own caption. Websites such as ….. allow you and your students
to easily create your own cartoons related to your content.
Riddle
Books of riddles abound, but riddle websites do, too. Check out www.justriddlesandmore.com/ to
find riddles that keep your students thinking. Best riddles will be related to your content, but any
riddle will grab your students’ attentions.
Food
Photos of food will work, but imagine your students’ curiosity if you show up with a bunch of
carrots or a turnip. Students don’t need to eat the treats, although you might offer them a snack
once or twice during the year.
Location
Where do you usually stand at the beginning of the class? Change it up by standing in the
opposite spot, by sitting on a counter top or squatting on the floor. Think of all the unusual
locations in the room and use them! Change the location of your projected information or
demonstration station. Or, go beyond the classroom - use www.google.earth to look at a location
in another part of the world.
Lighting
Turn off the lights, bring in a desk lamp, or focus attention with a flashlight. Lighting is a proven
focus tool! Try colored light bulbs, light pens or covering the windows with colored acetates.
Costume
Not everyone yearns to be an actor, but costumes are not just for the naturally theatrical.
Costumes can range from outrageous to subtle. Wearing gloves or mittens in April is sure to grab
attention. The point is that the costume represents a change from the norm. Hats, glasses,
scarves and simple accessories can all work as novelty.
Vocal Tone
Whispering is an extremely effective way to get students to listen attentively. But imagine how
your students would respond if you started speaking with a French accent…or in piglatin! No
preparation required!
Seating
Changing seating can bring about a new perspective on learning. Rearranging desks only takes a
few seconds with student help. Circles, rows, clusters all have different purposes, so change your
seating to suit your purpose. Consider pushing the desks to the outer edge of the room and
having students sit on the floor – yes, even in high school!
Texture
The female eye is especially drawn to interesting textures (Why Gender Matters.) Use this in the
classroom by asking students to touch a hidden substance as they enter the door or putting a
small piece of something on each desk for them to explore. Direct students to generate ideas
about how the texture might be related to the lesson.
Scent
Scent is a very powerful memory prompt. While it can be a challenge to bring to a classroom,
creative teachers have used scented candles (you don’t have to light them), spice jars and empty
chocolate boxes. Students will quickly generate personal connections and memories with the
scents.
Door Décor
The only way into your classroom provides a wonderful portal for learning! Decorate the doorway
with materials that will trigger learning. Hang a prompt from the top of the door jam, tape paper
money around the sides or use streamers. A little bit of preparation here can go a long way to
waking up your students’ brains!
Poetry
Name a subject…there is a poem about it. The internet has made it so easy to search for poetry –
from silly to serious. Try www.famouspoetsandpoems.com to find what you need. Or use more
generic poetry that can relate to almost anything you are teaching.
Schedule 1 – 20 Days
Photo
Number
Prop
http://www.flickr
.com/photos/i_tra
vel_east/487890
1560/
What does the
number 3 have to
do with today’s
lesson?
Roll of TP
Movement
Music
Video Clip
Walk backwards
around the room
Play “Boogie”
http://www.brainy
betty.com/soundsf
orpowerpoint.htm
Food
Location
Lighting
Costume
Vocal Tone
A fresh
vegetable from
your garden or
refrigerator
Lecture from a
corner of the room
that you never
present from
Bring in a
flashlight to
point out items
Wear a hat,
any hat!
Whisper
Seating
Texture
Scent
Door Décor
Poetry
Chairs facing
backward
Bubble Wrap
Peppermint
(oil or teabag)
Tape play money
around the door
frame
All that we see
or seem
Is but a dream
within a dream.
(butterfly)
Stepping Stone
Puzzle
Create a fill in the Change one
blank such as
letter at time to
form a new
Brutus is a _____ word
or
WELL
Squares make me _ _ _ _
think of ______ _ _ _ _
____
DONE
Comic
Riddle
Volcanoes
http://comics.com
http://video.natio /peanuts/2010-08nalgeographic.co
11
m/video/player/e
nvironment/envir
onment-naturaldisasters/volcano
es/volcanoeruptions.html
Where does
Friday come
before
Thursday?
(in the
dictionary)
Edgar Allan Poe
Ideas;
Vocal, whisper, accent, shout, slow, fast, old, baby, foreign language, piglatin
Puzzle – take a sentence and break it into chunks and rearrange the pieces i.e., How do you learn best?
Becomes wdo est?, arnb, ho, youle
Schedule 2 – 20 Days
Photo
Number
Prop
Stepping Stone
http://markminco
lla.com/Supporti
ng%20the%20Bi
ochemistry%20o
f%20the%20Brai
n.html
brain cell (zoom
in to avoid ads)
What does the
number 1/2 have
to do with today’s
lesson?
A large rock
__________
makes me laugh.
Movement
Music
Run in place
http://www.brainy
betty.com/soundsf
orpowerpoint.htm
Puzzle
Rearrange the
fragments to
make a
sentence. wdo
est?, arnb, ho,
youle
How do you
learn best?
click Very Zen
Video Clip
Comic
http://video.natio http://images2.alp
nalgeographic.co hacoders.com/279
m/video/player/n /thumb-27984.jpg
ews/animalsnews/comlthe many faces of
hardtosee-viralCalvin (and
vin.html
students)
Riddle
Post the word
Red
in yellow
letters and ask
students to tell
you the color
things we can’t
see can be
important
Food
Location
Lighting
Costume
Vocal Tone
A piece of bread
Weather
permitting, take a
quick trip outside.
Use the nearest
doorway.
Cover the
projector lamp
with a piece of
cardstock with a
star cutout.
Wear a glove on
one hand.
Speak very,
very slowly
Seating
Texture
Scent
Door Décor
Poetry
A ball of yarn or
string
A bag of dirt –
earthy scent
Tape a meter
stick across the
door about knee
height – ask
students to step
up to high
expectations
Ask students to
sit back to back
with a peer.
Discuss the
impact on
learning.
Schedule 2 – 20 Days
Photo
Number
Prop
http://imagebase.
davidniblack.co
m/main.php?g2_i
temId=825
Stepping Stone
Puzzle
.
close up of the
stripes of the
American flag
Movement
Music
Video Clip
Comic
Riddle
Food
Location
Lighting
Costume
Vocal Tone
Door Décor
Poetry
.
Seating
Texture
Scent