Starters
Helen Andiyapan
Advanced Skills Teacher
Outline of this session
1. What is the purpose of a starter?
2. What makes a good starter?
3. Have a go at some examples of starters
What is the purpose of starters?
• Starters are snappy tasks which switch on the
brain and get pupils interested.
• They should only last for about 5 -10 minutes
and can introduce new topics or revisit prior
learning. Pupils come into the classroom and
there’s something to do right away. There’s a
puzzle on the board, a challenge on the desk,
something to think about. Right away the
teacher has the attention of the class. The
lesson is off to a flying start. After only ten
minutes of the lesson, the pupils already feel as
though they’ve learned something.
What is the purpose of starters?
• create an expectation that pupils will think
and participate in the lesson
• create a climate of interaction and
involvement
• create a sense of purpose in a part of the
lesson which can be derailed by
administrative and organisational tasks
The warm up……
"I like nonsense it wakes up my
brain cells!"
Dr Seuss
Research shows
that mentally
warming up makes
for more effective
learning
Other positive knock-ons of good
starters:
•Students less likely to be late to the
lesson if they know there will be a
challenging activity when they get there
•Reduce ‘down time’ at the beginning of
the lesson – which can lead to poor
behaviour
An athlete
always
limbers up
and warms
up his
muscles
before a race
What does a good starter contain?
•
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Give a clear active start to the lesson
Are linked to objectives
Switch on the brain
Are delivered at pace
Highlight misconceptions and inform short term
planning
• Provide challenge early on in the lesson
• Actively involve the whole class
• Create an expectation that pupils will think and
participate in the lesson.
Try before you buy…..
• Have a go at some of the examples of
lesson starters.
Starter REM - Everybody hurts (with lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2N_uvnvGbI
• Using the Play Dough – Model what you think
the word Suffering Means
• Peer Assessment – Discuss with your partner
what your model represents.
• Class Feedback – Which model do you think
describes Suffering the best – Why ?
Starter:
If a jigsaw puzzle is thrown on to a table,
will it, by chance, make a picture? Does it
not have to be designed into a picture?
Domino starter
• In pairs play the dominoes game.
• Match the correct definition to the key
word or phrase.
Word whirl
• Start at the middle ‘s’ which is shaded for
you. Follow the letters round (the next
letter is ‘i’) to reveal what Sikhs believe
about God.
Either, or?
• Explain how your
subject is like a
hamster or a radio or
a caravan.
• Mucking Furds in a
wuddle
How many words can
you make out of these
letters?
S T A
R T L
I V E
Subject specific starter ideas
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http://www.teachit.co.uk/index.asp?CurrMenu=23&T=252 – English
http://www.teachit.co.uk/custom_content/newsletters/newsletter_oct06.asp English
http://schools.norfolk.gov.uk/myportal/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_reso
urces/2944/STARTER_ACTIVITIES.doc - English
www.miltonmedia.com/design/images/main/pdfs/examples.pdf - English
http://www.ilovemathsgames.com/starters.html - Maths
http://www.transum.org/software/sw/starter_of_the_day/index_page.asp maths
http://www.virtualimage.co.uk/html/maths_lesson_starters.html - Maths
http://www.subtangent.com/maths/resources.php#starters – maths
http://moodle.ictcurric.org.uk/ - ICT
http://www.teach-ict.com/ks3_old/unit7_5/unit5_starters.htm - ICT
http://www.teach-ict.net/cover_lessons/cl_general_home.html - ICT
http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/Documents/Presentations/geog%20starter
s3sln.ppt#281 - Geography
http://www.games4geog.com/ - Geography
http://www.geographypages.co.uk/start.htm - Geography
http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/visual.htm - Geography
http://www.radicalgeography.co.uk/Startersandplenaries.html - Geography
• www.ttrb.co.uk – Music
• http://www.teachingmusic.org.uk/mod/forum/forum.aspx?lngForumI
D=81 - Music
• http://www.pearsonpublishing.co.uk/education/catalogue/705825.ht
ml - Music
• http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/freetime.htm Art
• http://www.artsonia.com/teachers/lessonplans/ - Art
• http://www.theteachersguide.com/Artlessonplans.html - Art
• http://www.lessonplansinc.com/biology_lesson_plans.php - Biology
• http://www.truthinscience.org.uk/tis2/index.php/science-lessonsmainmenu-79.html - Biology
• http://www.theteachersguide.com/Biologylessons.html - Biology
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/KS3-101-Red-HotStarters/dp/1844190595 - D&T
• http://www.data.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article
&id=297&Itemid=376 – D&T
• http://www.free-teaching-resources.co.uk/design_technology.shtml D&T
• http://www.designandtech.com/graphicsrevision/ -D&T
• http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/teachers/starters.html - history
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/ks3/science/index.php?c
ategory_id=15 - science
• http://schools.longman.co.uk/exploringsciencehowscienceworks/me
mbers/orig/lessons/starter_plen.html - Science
• http://sciencespot.net/Pages/starters.html - Science
• http://www.science-interactive.co.uk/starters.htm - Science
• www.ashlawnscience.com - Science
• http://tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/business-studies/C157/ - Business
Studies
• http://www.sunderlandschools.org/mflsunderland/resources%20starters%20n%20plenaries.htm – MFL
• http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_7361079_pe-starter-activities.html - PE
• http://www.thepetoolkit.co.uk/up-4-starters-gcse.php - PE
• http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/pe/contents01games.htm -PE
• http://www.chalkface.com/products/PE/DAST/ - PE
• http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/ - Psychology
• http://lessonplancentral.com/lessons/Social_Studies/Psychology/ind
ex.htm - Psychology
• http://www.psychology.org/links/Resources/Teaching/ - Psychology
• http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/tag/starter/ - Psychology
Generic starter ideas
• http://outstandinglessons.wikispaces.com/Starters+and+Plenaries
http://www.independentthinking.co.uk/Cool+Stuff
/Pre-Starter+Starters/default.aspx http://www.thunks.co.uk/
• http://www.teachit.co.uk/index.asp?CurrMenu=2
3&T=252
• http://www.tes.co.uk/TaxonomySearchFunnel.as
px?area=resources&keywords=starters
• http://schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=
1443&p=1163,page&id=881