Study strategies + classroom quirks!

Study strategies + classroom quirks!

Topic: study strategies, different ways of remembering content, presenting content, testing content, etc. to teach kids how to study/use in the classroom for revision

What participants will gain: some different strategies to either use while doing review or strategies to teach kids how to study

Study strategies • 1.) Power of three notes outcome/context details why is this important? Person/place/theory/fact • TASK: read the article and create a set of power of three notes

2.) Sum it up page SafkncaojsvnsldnvejvlsknfpqehelkfnevlweG KLDVNKSDN jsnedvvnsvnlfkbvnsf ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TASK: In your groups use the article to decide on and pick out 5 key words, write them down. Now give me my sheets back! Now use these words to write two sentences that link these words, completing one to two full sentences that define/summarize the topic/main ideas.

3.) The post it wall • Terms on one post it, details on another: read the details and match them to the term • Storm and sort (history, scientific processes?) • Color coding into people, places, processes, • Off the Wall: Write a term on one side and the details upside down on the back, randomize testing, if you get it right take it off the wall, continue until all post its are off the wall • Use the term post its to do a sum it up activity without the details …pretty much got me my university degree!

4.) Where’s Waldo • Describe a place/event/process, have students name the person, place, event, stage of the process, etc. • Eg’s. Science kids ? Describe the properties of a nucleus, PE kids? Describe the physical conditions of the body at a stage of a workout – before, during, after? I'm riding a bus on December 5, 1955 and a there is some drama over the seats! Where am I?

5.) Accordion notes • Start hard out – either as a class or individually create a set of ridiculously detailed notes • Reduce the notes to key words with a sentence or two to describe each – study and test! • Reduce that to just a list of words • Use these words to create a sentence or two describing each • With a different color pen read through these notes and add any other details you can think of/may have forgotten – study and test! • Individually or in class go back to the list of words and attempt to re-create the ridiculously detailed notes from these (formative assessment task??! Yussssss)

6.) Pictionary … kinda self explanatory! 7.) Two truths and a lie? – the lie being something that students must be able to prove wrong based on their knowledge and having to justify why the truths are correct. You can create some and have students create some to test each other – this would force students to read through materials and choose important pieces of information with details to justify. You can make a simple game of this by having students in groups receive two truths and a lie, the group must prove their lie wrong, if they cannot do so another group can have a crack at it and steal the point ORRR…

In teams of three each person gets a card with either a truth or lie on it – and does not show or tell anyone what they have. Each team will (obvi) have two truths and a lie. • Each student then must (using the trusty knowledge you have installed in them) individually* decide whether they have a truth or a lie (and be able to justify it) and write it on their card. • When finished all answers will be revealed and discussed – if a student is wrong, the whole group is buggered and they don’t get a point. If each students identifies their truth/lie correctly with justification the team gets a point.

Eg. 1.) the abolition of slavery didn’t do much for slaves in the south who were forced to work for their former owners because of lack of employment elsewhere 2.) the “Jim Crow” laws were put in place with the abolition of slavery to provide security for black civil rights and provide legal protection for blacks 3.) even with the abolition of slavery their were white organizations such as the KKK that informally enforced “social laws” and controlled blacks through intimidation and violence

8.) Behind your back • Write a list of vocab/key terms/people/places/processes etc. up on the board • Split the class in two, put two chairs up at the board facing the class, have each team send someone up to sit in the chairs with their backs facing the board • Standing up at the board behind the two players star a term, the teams have to describe the term or give examples of it (not saying the term) to their team mate who has to guess what the term is, who ever gets the term correct first gets a point • Lets PlaY! Jim Crow laws, the KKK, lynchings, abolition, sharecroppers, segregation, etc.

9.) To your face • The counterpart to behind your back! • Describe a term/concept/person/etc. and have students work in pairs or groups to figure out the term, to get the point they must write it down (laminated sheets of paper with whiteboard pens are great for this) and hold it up in the air for you to see • Extra rules: once teacher has acknowledged your answer hide it. Every team must give an answer. (keep record of wrong answers – at the end re-do all of the wrong answers until you’re satisfied)

10.) Hit it! • WARNING: choose wisely which classes to play this game with. No joke.

11.) Gibberish TASK: Go back to your sum it up sheet. Get a new sheet of paper out. Take the sentence/s you wrote on your sum it up sheet and re-write them on this new piece of paper – changing a letter of each word to make it into a different word – Example – done budge a look my ins coven Don’t judge a book by its cover Once you’re done re-writing you sentences, trade yours with another group and try to figure out the original sentences.

12.) Hot Potato • Great for processes or learning vocab Sitting in a circle someone starts with the potato, saying the first part/stage of a process then passes it, the catcher has to say the next stage then pass it, etc. Eg. Deconstructive waves crash into the sea wall -> the high energy wave causes undercutting and erosion -> the loose sediment is then taken back to sea and form sandbars -> some of this sediment also gets caught in longshore drift -> longshore drift carries the sediment down the beach -> etc… With vocab the beginner says a term, the catcher has to describe it then pass it, that person then says a new term and passes it, etc. (maybe as a class create a list of relevant vocab, you keep the list and the objective of the game is to mention every single word – no repeats, keep a time record and make a time goal. Play the game as a starter everyday for a week trying to hit your time goal)

13.) LovinLollies Or maybe not, if you havent been paying attention all term….. Come up with a series of basic or crucial questions surrounding the unit of work (maybe even have your students create them the day before?) and write them on small squares of paper. Get a bag of lollies (preferably wrapped ones) and attach a question to each lolly. Make sure there are enough questions for each student and then some, leaving a few extra lollies. Variations: 1.) The best part – start your revision lesson by walking to class an hucking the pile of lollies in the air! And just see what happens? At least they’ll be stoked on the “lesson”! Maybe if you really trust the class you could do this, and just go around the room as they eat their lollies and answer the questions together

2.) A little more controlled – tell students to grab a lolly but don’t open it or detach the paper. Now throw the lollies in the air! Sit in a circle and go around one by one having the students share their questions, the student can either answer the question correctly and eat the lolly or if they don’t know the answer/answer incorrectly, the first person with their hand up can have a chance to answer the question. If a student answers someone else’s question correctly they can take the lollyand eat it. * With a rule of students not being able to answer more than one question in a row, maybe every third question if you have a real brainiack!

If any students do not earn any lollies the whole game, give them the opportunity to tell you one thing they know about the topic/define one key vocab term/answer a question that had already been done to earn a lolly.

3.) When students steal lollies, they are not allowed to eat them yet. Anyone who gets a question wrong will receive a “steal” card. At the end of the game anyone who has a “steal” card can choose any remaining lolly and have a chance at answering that question to steal that lolly. (remember that these questions have already been answered in the game, providing incentive for students to pay attention!)

4.) Categorize your lollies into say…people, places, events, processes, body parts, diseases/heath problems, concepts, case studies done throughout the unit/year, basic vocab, etc. – come up with three/four relevant categories, meaning you need three/four different types of lollies. • You could then just play jeopardy using the same stealing rules where groups can collect lollies and split them at the end of the game • Individual jeopardy, going around the room each student can then choose whatever category they feel confident in (and every student has to participate), same rules apply with incorrect answering and stealing questions and lollies.

Classroom Quirks! • Topic: Unique little systems of creating a supportive learning environment, engaging students, promoting lateral thinking, having a little fun, building relationships, giving students a little refocus break, etc.

What participants will gain: • - some different strategies to really establish and maintain a positive learning environment, expectations and to build relationships within your class • - engaging activities to get students on board/give them a little break as well as a few fun lateral thinking activities that can be used as starters or as incentives for completing work (to do at the end of class) • - ideas/systems for fun classroom routines • - etc. – the whole point being classroom routines so that students can feel like a part of the class – knowing what’s going on, having expectations of you and knowing your expectations of them

Classroom quirks! 1.) Badass of the week * 2.) You bring us down, you bring us up* 3.) Forced friends * 4.) Music of the morning / matching music* 5.) Fun fact of the day /you’ve got mail * 6.) Did-you-know 7.) Word grids * 8.) Start to finish * 9.) Riddles *

Study strategies + classroom quirks!