energizers to drive student engagement

Energizers To Drive Student Engagement

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DDD – Designing RRR – Rituals III - for Implementing VVV – Vibrant EEE - Engagement

A Compilation of Energizer Activities to Engage Your Students

Brevard Public Schools Drive Collaboration Team

Steve Baio - Title 1 Resource Teacher Rick Dillon - Title 1 Literacy Trainer

Joann Hall - Title 1 Resource Teacher Victoria Hickey - Accountability, Testing & Evaluation

Tiffany Jones - Title 1 Pre-K Resource Teacher Yolonda McGriff - ESE Staffing Specialist Facilitator, Central Area

Janet Stephenson - MTSS Trainer Kara Turey - District Peer Mentor Teacher

Peggy Yelverton - Resource Teacher, Brevard County Induction Program

633-1000 ext 242 Fax 223-4010 [email protected]

Assistance provided by Jacqueline Wyatt, Human Resources

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Act # Activity Name Activity Description Page

Energizers To Drive Student Engagement - Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1

1 321 3-2-1 is an Exit Slip strategy. It provides an easy way for teachers to check for understanding and to gauge students’ interest in a topic. 4

2 Ball Toss This is a semi-review and wake-up exercise when covering material that requires concentration. This can be used across all curriculum areas and modified for grade levels. 4

3 Carousel The strategies for carousel sharing are applicable for several different topic areas, such as reading, math, and social studies. This brainstorming creates a structure that allows students to freely express their opinions and work with others.

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4 Clapping Rhythms The teacher or leader claps a rhythm and the students repeat the rhythm clap. This is a good ritual/technique for getting students quiet. 5

5 Corners Corners is a class builder strategy which is a way to get the entire group to stand, move around, and engage with others throughout the room. 6

6 Expert Interviews This is a strategy in which small groups of students become experts in one aspect of the larger topic being studied. This activity can be used across curriculums to review or teach concepts. 6

7 Exit Slips Exit Slips are written student responses to questions teachers pose at the end of a class or lesson. These quick, informal assessments enable teachers to quickly assess students' understanding of the material.

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8 Five Minutes Of Metacognition Five Minutes of Metacognition is a reflection strategy between two students. Use this to summarize. 8

9 Four-Fold Diamond The four-fold activity is a strategy to build vocabulary and develop a concept. It can be used with an individual student, pairs of students, or a small group of students. 9

10 Gist Statements This summarization procedure assists students in “getting the gist” from extended text. 10

11 Give One Get One This strategy provides a great review and enables students to gather information from each other. 11

12 GLP Walk Students take a walk and take turns telling what are grateful for, what they have learned, and what they promise to do after learning. 12

13 High Five Partner Walk A High Five Partner Walk is a movement activity that helps the team to change partners, change the energy, and change the dynamics of the discussion. 12

14 Human Knot The purpose of the human knot puzzle is to gain team building skills, problem solving skills, and communication skills. 13

15 Jigsaw Jigsaw is a well-established method for encouraging group sharing and learning of specific content. This technique can be used as an instructional activity across several days and is best to used when there is a large amount of content to teach.

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16 Just Like Me Class builders help to build community, students get to know one another, gets students’ voices in the room, and gets students up and moving. This helps students to identify with the whole class and make connections with other students.

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17 Line Ups – Value Lines Line-ups can be used to improve communication and form teams. You can use this activity as an icebreaker at the start of a new course when students do not know each other or simply as a warm-up at the start of the day.

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18 Nursery Rhyme Summary Research shows that students benefit from direct instruction on rhyme recognition paired with fun activities that target this skill. 16

19 On a Scale of 1 to 10 This is a nice closing strategy because it requires a summative judgment at that moment. It forces a rating and subsequent justification. When this is used on a regular basis, it creates a sense of urgency. The students realize that the conversations they have matter.

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20 One Word Add On Start a sentence and each student adds a new word. 17

21 P.A.M.

Pause A Moment

Anticipating answers and outcomes improves learning. When you pause, your students will instinctively predict what you’re going to say next. You can use this instinct to your advantage by pausing before revealing important ideas, words, theories, or points of emphasis.

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22 People To People This energizer is used as a way to build content knowledge, prior knowledge, and reviewing. 19

23 PMI

(Plus-Minus-Interesting) PMI may be used as an Exit Slip or end of class discussion. 19

24 Prediction Pennies Can be used as an attention/motivation strategy to build curiosity or to teach students to make logical, reasonable predictions (processing/sequencing skills). 19

25 “Skinny” and “Fat” Questions “Skinny” and “Fat” questions is a strategy to teach students the differences between factual questions and complex thought questions and promotes inquiry and investigation. 20

26 Stand Up, Hand-Up,

& Pair-Up / Brain March The teacher asks questions as a review to build knowledge or encourage team building. 21

27 TAGI - That’s A Good Idea This energizer is used as a discussion strategy. 21

28 Three Amigos

‘Teepee Grouping For Sharing’ This energizer is for group formations of three and established groups to be used across the curriculum. 21

29 Two Truths & A Fib (Fact/Fiction Or True/False)

This energizer can be used across curriculum, when reviewing concepts in a story or facts about a subject. 22

30 WIIFM

What’s In It For Me? First and foremost, you need to make a connection with your students. Let them know right away the WIIFM—what’s in it for me! 22

31 Write, Read, Fold, Tear, Share This energizer can be used after reading a short article on content and used to help summarize a story, give an opinion, or ask questions and draw a picture. 23

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_building

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

Energizers To Drive Student Engagement (((DDD...RRR...III...VVV...EEE)))

DDD -Designing RRR -Rituals III -for Implementing VVV -Vibrant EEE -Engagement

Introduction The purpose of this document is to give classroom teachers some ideas, strategies and specific activities to keep their students engaged and focused through the use of brain-compatible energizers. What Is Engagement? Eric Jensen (2009) defines engagement as “any strategy that gets students to participate emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally.” The goal of teachers should be all three. Student engagement means paying attention (which must be taught), involving themselves in learning with effort, participating, setting goals, taking ownership of their learning, and identifying the purpose (relevance) of what they are learning. Charlotte Danielson (2007) refers to engagement as hands-on and minds-on. Students must think about what they are learning, and they must be involved in an active way in order to be engaged. The key questions we need to consider are the following: ■ What are students doing during the lesson? ■ Are students attentive? ■ Are students participating? ■ Can students state the purpose of what they are doing and why they need to

learn the skill or do the assignment?

What Are Engaging Strategies? Engaging strategies target the attention of the learner while doing what is best for the brain. Engaged teachers keep in mind how the brain learns, while keeping the students’ attention and motivation at an increased level. Mind and Body The body influences the mind and the mind influences the body. There is no separation between the two. Learning how to apply this is the purpose of this work.

Brain “States” The word “state” refers to the learner’s physiology state, or mental being. A “state” change occurs when something triggers a change in an individual or group that moves them from one emotional or physical condition to another. Good teachers are “state” managers. They intentionally manage the “states” of learners by altering a situation. Examples of “State” changes can be very obvious, such as taking a water or snack break. After a short lesson, a teacher may have learners get into pairs or dyads for a discussion of the topic, find a new place to sit, or move from indoors to outdoors. “State” changes can be more subtle, such as changes in vocal intonations, moving from direct instruction to storytelling, or moving from one place of the “stage” to another. “State” changes can be emotional or physical. They can involve music, humor, activities, tactile elements, props, icebreaker activities, or any novel instructional methods. Some Facts About Brain “States”

1. All behaviors are dependent on one’s current “state”. 2. The path to engagement is through reading and managing “states”. 3. The longer anyone is in any “state”, the more stable that “state” becomes. 4. The teacher’s “state” is as important as (or more important than) the student’s “state”. 5. “States” usually last for seconds or minutes, while moods last for hours or days. 6. We experience 100’s of “states” every day.

Our “State” Affects Our Behavior! When we are tired, we don’t feel like doing things which require high energy. When we are optimistic, we often say “yes” to requests and take on more than usual. When we are grumpy, we treat others differently than when we are feeling well. Why Are “States” So Critical? Brains can learn under extreme conditions, but complex learning requires background knowledge, working memory, processing skills, long-term retrieval, and risk-taking. These all require positive learning “states”. All-Time Best Positive Learning “States”

1. Anticipation 7. Confusion 2. Curiosity 8. Skeptical 3. Challenge 9. Inquisitive 4. Suspenseful 10. Expectant 5. Perplex 11. Puzzle 6. Intrigue

Importance of Accurate, Fast Readings of Emotional “States” A frustrated student, if ignored by a teacher, will likely either:

1. Become detached and apathetic 2. Intensify and get angry

Teachers who “missed the cue” for frustration end up dealing with the next (usually worse) “state”. All Behaviors Are State Dependent

■ First, to get the behavior you want, notice the “state” of the student. ■ Then, ask yourself if they’re in a “state” that would allow them to say,

“yes”. ■ If not, change their “state” to a more receptive “state” before asking

them for the eventual behavior you want. “States” To Avoid

■ Fear/Distress ■ Isolation ■ Frustration ■ Apathy/Boredom ■ Hostility

The Learning Environment Shapes Our Brain

■ Physical Use of natural lighting, room temperature, and acoustics of the room

■ Academic Time on task, sharing with a partner, and keeping students engaged

■ Emotional Providing a safe learning environment where students are free to share feelings

■ Social Providing opportunities for students to work in whole, small, and independent groups

In the sections that follow, you will find a variety of strategies and activities to assist with changing the brain “state” of students and help engage them in their learning. Bibliography for Introduction and Brain States: Ashcraft, Mike. Training with the Brain in Mind. Albuquerque: Children’s Choice Child Care Services, 2007. Jensen, Eric. Teaching with the Brain in Mind. San Antonio: Jensen Learning, 2012. Roser-Lattanzi, Susan. Energizers!: 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus K-6. Turner Falls: Northwest Foundation for Children, 2009. Roth,LaVonna. Brain-Powered Strategies to Engage All Learners. Huntington Beach: Shell Education, 2012.

3 Carousel

While Carousel Brainstorming, students will rotate around the classroom in small groups, stopping at various stations for a designated amount of time. While at each station, students will activate their prior knowledge of different topics or different aspects of a single topic through conversation with peers. Ideas shared will be posted at each station for all groups to read. Through movement and conversation, prior knowledge will be activated providing scaffolding for new information to be learned in the proceeding lesson activity. Each small group has a poster with a title related to the topic of the lesson. Each group uses a different colored marker to write 4 to 5 responses that relate to their topic. Students rotate to all the other posters, reading them and adding 2 to 3 more responses. Students discuss the results. To finalize the activity, students can go on a gallery walk to review all responses as they carousel the classroom.

Application to Content:

The strategies for carousel sharing are applicable for several different topic areas, such as reading, math, and social studies. This brainstorming creates a structure that allows students to freely express their opinions and work with others. This activity can be used with most content areas: Science Example: Students’ carousel listing examples of the types of energy on posters.

4 Clapping Rhythms

The teacher or leader claps a rhythm and the students repeat the rhythm clap. This is a good ritual/technique for getting students quiet. This activity works best in groups of children who are preschool or early elementary school-aged. Start the activity by sitting in a circle with all participants looking at you. Make a simple clapping rhythm with your hands and have the children follow you. Once every child catches on to the rhythm you create, point at a child and have him create a different rhythm for the group to follow. Repeat the process until everyone has a chance to create a rhythm.


Used to review patterns.

5 Corners

Corners is a class builder strategy, which is a way to get the entire group to stand, move around, and engage with others throughout the room. Corners can be used as an “opener” or at the beginning of a session. Corners involve posting different words, pictures, quotes, or statements on large pieces of paper around the room. Each individual is asked to choose one that appeals to him to be discussed.


Corners is a good way to get students or adults up and moving around the classroom as they engage in standing conversations around a chosen topic. It can be used to begin a topic or unit or as a review at the end of a lesson. Teachers sometimes use corners as sentence starters and prompts to “prime the pump” for students’ writing. A critical-thinking activity involves breaking the class into four groups (corresponding to the four positions) and asking each group to prepare a short summary of the issue and their opinions. The summaries may be written or presented orally to the rest of the class. For example, a teacher might post statements about different aspects of a country (such as economic system, government, physical features, and cultural traditions) and ask participants to choose one and write it down on a piece of paper along with why they wish to discuss it. Students go to “their” corner and discuss the topic with their classmates who chose the same “corner”.

6 Expert Interviews

Learners group into pairs. One person is a reporter and the other is an expert on the topic you have been teaching. The reporter conducts a two-minute interview. They switch roles and discuss another topic of the day. Debrief. This activity can be used across curriculums to review or teach concepts.


This is a strategy in which small groups of students become experts in one aspect of the larger topic being studied. They teach this information to another group.

• Divide the class into groups of three to five students. • Each group becomes an expert on one aspect of a larger topic by working with

information provided by the teacher or finding additional information. Members of the expert group engage in tasks designed to help them become familiar with the information.

• Each expert returns to a mixed group with members of each of the other expert groups. Students in this group teach one another the information learned in the expert group.

Learn more about this technique from the originator of the strategy, Elliot Aronson: http://www.jigsaw.org/

7 Exit Slips

Exit Slips are written student responses to questions teachers pose at the end of a class or lesson. These quick, informal assessments enable teachers to quickly assess students' understanding of the material.

• They provide teachers with an informal measure of how well students have understood a topic or lesson.

• They help students reflect on what they have learned. • They allow students to express what or how they are thinking about new information. • They teach students to think critically.

The teacher asks students a specific question about the lesson. Students respond on the ticket and give it to the teacher on their way out or on their way in the next day. Teachers can then evaluate the need to re-teach or respond to questions that need to be answered. How to use Exit Slips

1. At the end of your lesson, ask students to respond to a question or prompt. Note: There are three categories of Exit Slips (Fisher & Frey, 2004):

o Prompts that document learning: —Example: Write one thing you learned today. —Example: Discuss how today's lesson could be used in the real world.

o Prompts that emphasize the process of learning: —Example: I didn't understand _________. —Example: Write one question you have about today's lesson.

o Prompts to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction: —Example: Did you enjoy working in small groups today?

o Other exit prompts include: —I would like to learn more about _________. —Please explain more about _________. —The thing that surprised me the most today was _________. —I wish _________.

2. You may state the prompt orally to your students or project it visually on an overhead, doc cam, or whiteboard.

3. You may want to distribute 3 x 5 cards for students to write down their responses. 4. Review the Exit Slips to determine how you may need to alter your instruction to better

meet the needs of all your students. 5. Collect the Exit Slips as a part of an assessment portfolio for each student.


Exit Slips can also be used in content specific ways: Example: Explain equivalent fractions (Math).

Explain why you think the author wrote the story (Reading).

8 Five Minutes Of Metacognition

Metacognition has been defined as ‘thinking about thinking’. Five Minutes of Metacognition is a reflection strategy between two students. When the students meet, they take turns commenting reflectively on a topic, such as a word problem in arithmetic, following this structured schedule of interaction.

Student A: Two minutes to state immediate reaction. Student B: Two minutes to state immediate reaction. Student A: Thirty seconds to summarize final thoughts. Student B: Thirty seconds to summarize final thoughts.

Focus on allowing time for your students to process their insights and transfer them. It is a simple way to ensure that students get a chance to reflect and show they are listening and responding to what the other said. While two minutes does not seem like much time, it really is enough time for each of the students to develop and promote a thought and to summarize a final thought based on both students’ thinking.


Use this to summarize. The Five Minutes of Metacognition is effective as a reboot strategy. It helps target the thinking from the previous meeting because students try to share a reflection about the progress made and the key issues discussed. The structure is time-bound so it works nicely with tight schedules and an overloaded curriculum.

LIST RANK

ILLUSTRATE COMPARE

TARGET WORD

9 Four-Fold Diamond

The four-fold activity is a strategy to build vocabulary and develop a concept. It can be used with an individual student, pairs of students, or a small group of students. The paper (regular copy paper or large poster paper, depending on the number of students) is folded in four sections as indicated below. With the paper folded, turn down the corner where the folds meet to create a triangle. Once it is opened, there will be a diamond shape in the center of the paper for the target word. Each of the four sections is labeled from left to right starting at the top left and ending at the bottom right: LIST, RANK, COMPARE, ILLUSTRATE.


Use the Four-Fold Concept Development template activity to unpack an idea or issue that is the focus of the lesson. This allows for plenty of teamwork and high energy interactions.

10 Gist Statements

This summarization procedure assists students in “getting the gist” from extended text.

1. Students, along with the teacher, read a section of text printed on a transparency. 2. After reading, assist students in underlining 10 or more words or concepts that are

deemed “most important”. 3. List words or concepts on the board. 4. Together, write a summary statement or two using as many words as possible. 5. Write a topic sentence to precede summary sentences.

This strategy teaches students to use prediction as a comprehension aid when reading expository text. The ability to predict what a passage will be about is often based on prior knowledge. Tapping this background knowledge can effectively increase student comprehension of the text to be read.


1. Pre-reading Have the students predict the ‘gist’, or main point, of the text by scanning the page to get a feel for what it will be about. Record predictions about the topic on the board. Prompts – What do you think this text is going to be about? What makes you think so? What do you think it is going to tell us about our topic? What makes you think so? 2. Reading Have the students read the assigned text. Prompts – Did you find evidence to support your prediction? What was it? Did you find evidence that doesn’t support your prediction? What was it? At this point, do you want to change your prediction? Why or why not? 3. Post-reading Have the students think about what they have read and make a final revision of the ‘gist’ statement. Discuss. Prompts – Do you want to make any changes about this topic? If yes, what

changes and why? What have you learned from this reading?

After this strategy has been demonstrated a few times, the students should be able to respond without the prompts, thus internalizing the process for independent use. Reference Schuder, T., Clewell, S., & Jackson, N. (1989). "Getting the gist of expository text." Children’s comprehension of text. In K.D. Muth, (Ed.), Newark, Del.: International Reading Association, 1989. pp.224-243.

11 Give One Get One

This strategy provides a great review and enables students to gather information from each other.

1. Tell students to gather all of their notes and make a list of facts or ideas learned. 2. Have students begin with a partner assigned by you. 3. Instruct them to collect one new and different fact or idea from their partner. 4. They are to give one new and different fact or idea to their partner. 5. If neither has a new and different idea, tell them to brainstorm the topic and try to

create one. 6. Go from student to student until you generate about 15 ideas on the subject. 7. Compile a group list of ideas generated.


Give One, Get One is a strategy for mixing a group, creating connections among participants, and exchanging information. In the classroom, it also provides students with a structured opportunity to move around the room, get on their feet, and get the blood flowing to their brains! Each student is generally given a 3x5 card and asked to respond in writing to a prompt. For example, students might be asked think about a school improvement goal they feel is important and to write it on the card. Students might be asked to recall one of the laws of physics or to list one of the core democratic values and give an example of it. Next, music is played and students walk around the room greeting one another until the music stops. Each student finds a partner, reads his/her card, and listens to their partner’s card. Partners exchange cards and circulate around the room again until the music stops and the process is repeated. Teachers can add in paraphrasing to make sure students understand what is written on their partner’s card before traveling on to the next student to share the new information.

12 GLP Walk: Grateful? Learned? Promised?

Take a Grateful-Learned-Promise walk with a partner. The class takes a walk 2-by-2. The students tell one thing they're grateful for, one thing they learned, and one thing they promise to do. If there is time, you might ask them to record what they said.

1. Stand up. 2. Pick a partner. 3. Give students a time limit, usually about seven to nine minutes, to walk with their

partner and take turns talking about G-L-P. ‘G’ stands for what they are grateful for. ‘L’ stands for something they have learned. ‘P’ stands for a promise they are going to make to themselves.


Use GLP as a preview of a lesson or as a review for a lesson.

13 High Five Partner Walk

High Five! Encourages students to collaborate, move about, and dig deeper into the topic at hand. A High Five Partner Walk is a movement activity that helps the team to change partners, change the energy, and change the dynamics of the discussion. To do the High-Five Partner Walk, students walk around the room and ‘high-five’ everyone they pass, saying, "High! Five!" They keep moving until the music stops, even if they ‘high-five’ the same student twice. The two students nearest each other when the music stops become High Five Partners and the teacher announces the topic and the partner’s dialogue about the assigned topic.


Use to review material. Use as a way to ask questions about content material.

14 Human Knot

Have your class form a circle. Have everyone put their left hand in the middle and hold hands with someone in the circle not directly next to them. Have the students repeat with the right hand, instructing them to hold hands with a different person, who is not directly next to them. Once everyone's hand is intertwined, the group works together to untangle without letting go of each other. Variation Students form a circle. Look at the person on your left and then on your right. Play the music, everyone drop hands, and walks around the circle getting out of line order. When the music stops, students stop and look for their left and right partners. (Move very little.) Hold hands and untie the knots. This activity can be time consuming, but very worthwhile for a team activity. The object is to have the group standing in an untangled circle again.


This is a team building activity. Watch to see how the class works together.

15 Jigsaw

1. Assign students to “home” teams of 4 or 5 students. Have students number off within their

teams. 2. Assign study topics to “home” team members by giving them an assignment sheet or by listing

their numbers and corresponding roles on the board. 3. Have students move to “expert” groups where everyone in the group has the same topic as

themselves. 4. Students work with members of their “expert” group to read about and/or research their topic.

They prepare a short presentation and decide how they will teach their topic to their “home” team. You may want students to prepare mini-posters while in their “expert” Groups. These posters can contain important facts, information, and diagrams related to the study topic.

5. Students return to their “home” teams and take turns teaching their team members the material. It is helpful to have team members take notes or record the information in their journals in some way. You may want them to complete a graphic organizer or chart with the new information.

6. Involve the class in a whole-group review of all the content you expect them to master on the assessment. Administer an individual assessment to arrive at individual grades.


Jigsaw helps students learn cooperation as group members share responsibility for each other's learning by using critical thinking and social skills to complete an assignment. This strategy also helps to improve listening, communication, and problem-solving skills.

• It helps build comprehension. • It encourages cooperative learning among students. • It helps improve listening, communication, and problem-solving skills.

16 Just Like Me or Have You Ever? (That’s like me!)

The teacher makes statements such as, “I went to the beach this past summer”, “I have an older sibling”, “I will be playing a sport this year”, or “I am good at math”. Each time a statement is made, students who identify with the statement stand and say “Just Like Me”.


Class builders are critical at the start of the year. Class builders help to build community, students get to know one another, gets students’ voices in the room, and gets students up and moving. This helps students to identify with the whole class and make connections with other students. High school teachers might want to ask about current events, stances on issues, popular movies, or music. While elementary teachers might want to use statements such as “My first name begins with the letter J” or “I have a pet”, middle school students desperately want to “fit in” so it is important to make positive statements and add enough variety to ensure that everyone stands on several of the choices. The final touch to “Just Like Me” is to ask students to think about what they are noticing and what are they learning about their classmates.

17 Line Ups (Value Lines)

Line-ups can be used to improve communication and form teams. The entire class lines up according to a specific criteria (birthday, first letter of name, distance traveled to school, etc.). The end of the line can move to the head of the line and pair up until each person has a partner. This is called "folding the line". Teams of four members can be formed from this line-up.


Have the team line up on a rope or chalk line in order of age, birth month, alphabetical, height, shoe size, etc., without talking.** Add other challenges like a blindfold for some teams. Concepts: Cooperation and communication Objective: Line up by the way told below, either verbally or non-verbally communicating Task:

1. Line up by age: non-verbally or verbally. 2. Line up by height: non-verbally and time them. 3. Do these tasks blindfolded.

You can use this activity as an icebreaker at the start of a new course when students do not know each other or simply as a warm-up at the start of the day. Procedure:

• Ask all the students to stand up and form a large semi-circle at the front of the class. • Now, ask them to rearrange the semi-circle as quickly as possible from left to right

depending on their birthday, with the left end of the semi-circle representing January 1st and the right end December 31st. There will be quite a lot of discussion as they get into the right order. Sometimes a student will find they have a birthday on the same day as another member of the group.

• You can go on to get them to rearrange the circle depending on the first letter of the place where they were born, with the left end of the semi-circle representing ‘A’ and the right end ‘Z’.

• The exercise can be repeated several times with different criteria: for example, surnames, middle names, first letter of your street, and so on.

Examples: Dates of famous documents were signed. Give students index cards with math problems written on them resulting in decimal answers. Once the student solves the problem, they line themselves up in order.

**Be aware of including age and/or birth year due to the possibility of embarrassing students.

18 Nursery Rhyme Summary - Elaborate Using Rhyme

Provide each student, pair of students, or small groups of students with a copy of a familiar short nursery rhyme with specific words underlined. Challenge students to think of or use a dictionary to find a synonym or an antonym for each underlined word. Students rewrite their nursery rhymes using the new words and share their revised rhymes with the class. Time limit: five minutes.


It's sometimes a fun and efficient closure to use a specific strategy to summarize the telling points of an issue. It causes a more mindful and creative approach to finding the gist of the issue and presenting the information in a usual way.

19 On A Scale Of 1 To 10 - Justify

This is a student evaluation tool that helps reveal their thinking on the lesson. Students rank the idea under scrutiny. "On a scale of 1 to 10, which cell phone is better and explain why?” Or they might say, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I give our work today a(n)_____because____!” Students continue with a justification for their ranking. By going around the room and allowing each student to weigh in, the teacher has a better idea of what everyone is thinking. This is a more authentic reading of the room’s opinion and support rather than just hearing a voice or two comment on the issue.


This is a nice closing strategy because it requires a summative judgment at that moment. It forces a rating and subsequent justification. When this is used on a regular basis, it creates a sense of urgency. The students realize that the conversations they have matter.

20 “One Word Add On” (Short Term Memory)

The first student (or teacher) will begin by saying one word, like "The". The next student repeats the word and adds their word. The third student repeats the first two words and adds their word. Continue until a complete sentence has been made. If a word is missed, that student is out. Complete several times to improve working memory. Example:

The The dog

The dog went The dog went to

The dog went to the The dog went to the park.


Use either as an oral or written activity.

21 P.A.M. Pause A Moment

Anticipating answers and outcomes improves learning, and when you pause, your students will instinctively predict what you’re going to say next. You can use this instinct to your advantage by pausing before revealing important ideas, words, theories, or points of emphasis. A simple way to correct this problem, and at the same time become a more effective teacher, is to include frequent, and at times even lengthy, pauses in your speech. Also, have students stop after the lesson and pause to share what they have learned with their neighbor.


They’re predictive. Anticipating answers and outcomes improves learning, and when you pause, your students will instinctively predict what you’re going to say next. You can use this instinct to your advantage by pausing before revealing important ideas, words, theories, or points of emphasis. They build suspense. When used strategically, a pause creates suspense and curiosity in the listener, causing him to sit up straighter and lean in closer. It can make the most mundane information seem interesting and worth listening to—making easier a critical skill many teachers struggle with. They add depth and drama. Pausing can be as important as content when presenting lessons. With the right timing and pace—and a bit of attitude—it can infuse your words and the visualizations you create with depth and drama, flair and emotion. It can help bring your curriculum to life, giving it the punch and energy it needs to matter to your students. They discourage misbehavior. Speaking without intentional pausing sounds like droning to students, who are quick to lose interest, grow bored, and misbehave. An occasional two or three second pause breaks up the familiar tone of your voice, keeps students on their toes, and helps them stay checked in and on task. They allow you to adjust. A pause gives you a moment to quickly assess your students’ understanding. It allows you to make eye contact, stay in touch, and make adjustments to your teaching along the way. It trains you to be sensitive to student needs and attuned to their nonverbal reactions to your lessons. They help your students retain information. An occasional pause, if for only a second or two, breaks ideas, theories, and directives into chunks, allowing them to sink in before your students are rushed along to the next thing. This improves memory and understanding and gives your students a framework from which to build upon more learning.

22 People To People

Pick a caller and have students team into pairs. The caller calls out "head to toe", “knee to head", "elbow to ear", etc. After you call out, the pairs must touch the called body parts. The teams should ask each other content area questions. After three calls, yell "people to people" and everyone must switch partners. This is the caller's chance to grab a partner. The odd person out is the new caller.


Use as a way to build content knowledge, prior knowledge, and reviewing.

23 PMI (Plus-Minus-Interesting)

PLUS – Something that I liked MINUS – Something I need more time to think about INTERESTING – Something that is interesting


PMI may be used as an Exit Slip or end of class discussion.

24 Prediction Pennies

Students work in teams. Using 10 real pennies, students get chances to make predictions using a penny for each prediction. The teacher tracks the results. Before you tell the students an answer to a question, let them predict the answer by show of hands, and at the end ask, ‘What’s your favorite prediction strategy?”.


• We need to use predication as an attention/motivation strategy to build curiosity. • We need to teach students to make logical, reasonable predictions (processing/sequencing

skills).

25 “Skinny” and “Fat” Questions

“Skinny” and “Fat” questions is a strategy to teach students the differences between factual questions and complex thought questions and promotes inquiry and investigation. A “skinny” question is a question that asks for a yes or no answer or has a one or two word answer. “Skinny” questions require lower level thinking and are the type to ask when you want simple recall of facts and information. A “fat” question is a question that is open-ended. It asks for a multi-word thoughtful answer. “Fat” questions require higher order thinking skills, and are reminiscent of Bloom’s Taxonomy type of questioning and require more detailed answers.


“Skinny” Questions:

o will be short answers “Fat” Questions:

o will be answered with lots of information o gets to the main ideas of the story or book o may be about feelings, opinions, or experiences o may be used to clarify understanding of content o may generate predictions or explanations o foster connections or comparisons

Skinny Question Words Fat Question Words

What is… Give three reasons why… Who is… Explain why… When did… Why do you think… Name… Why do you believe that… Did… How would we describe that… Don't you agree… Predict what would happen if… Can… What if…

Practice this strategy with the students. When you think they know the difference between the two, let them apply this technique to literature, news editorials, research articles, or magazine articles.

26 Stand Up, Hand-Up, & Pair-Up / Brain March

1. Students stand up with a hand up in the air. 2. Students walk around the room with ahand in the air. 3. Students put their hand down once partner is found. 4. Teacher designates which partner will begin. 5. Teacher asks question. Example – “What is your favorite book?” 6. Students share with partner.


Ask questions as a review, building knowledge, or team building.

27 TAGI - That’s A Good Idea Because…

TAGI – “That’s a Good Idea” is a discussion strategy. It is a response stem that dictates a positive look at the idea. “That’s a good idea because _________” requires that the listener finds aspects of value in the idea being presented.


After the concept is taught, have the students turn to their partner and say TAGI and share the skill they just learned.

28 Three Amigos – ‘Teepee Grouping For Sharing’

This energizer is for group formations of three. Ask each person to raise one hand and find two others to form a teepee of sorts with their hands. Once they have a group of three, instruct them to put their hands down and introduce themselves to the group or say hello to their new partners. Now, as the teacher, you have a new team to do the next task or interaction. Have them work together as a team and revisit this group throughout the workshop by having them return to their “Three Amigos” group for various debriefings or reflections.


Ready made groups can be used across the curriculum.


Each person thinks of two things that are true (and interesting) about themselves and one thing that is not true. Each person tells their list to the others as if they are all true. The team tries to guess which one is a fib.


These can be used across curriculum, or when reviewing concepts in a story, or facts about a subject. Guess which answer is wrong and turn it into a truth! Use to review before a test or summarize learning.

30 WIIFM - What’s In It For Me?

A WIIFM can be expressed in a variety of different ways, both implicitly and explicitly. Beginning a lesson by simply saying, “By the end of this hour, you will be able to ______” is far better than simply starting. However, the WIIFM is not to be confused with setting out lesson aims or objectives. It is rather more intangible, as it has more to do with marketing than formal teaching. Have students talk to their partner after the introduction of a lesson and explain “What is in it for me?” to learn the material.


This will help connect meaning to the lesson by explaining why they need this information. Establishing relevance helps students attach value to the learning objectives. Overall, relevance is used to show why the knowledge and/or skills that students are learning are important to them. This helps motivate them to learn and to think about how they can apply what they are learning.

31 Write, Read, Fold, Tear, Share

1. Number each person in your group as 1, 2, 3, or 4.

2. Each person in the group now takes a piece of paper and numbers the page in equal sections as shown above. (Portrait Orientation)

3. Write the numbered question on the corresponding numbered section of your paper. (1 to 1, etc.)

1. What is something that you agree with in this article?

2. What is something that you do not agree with in this article?

3. What is something that you need more time to think about?

4. Write a metaphor or draw a picture of something that will help you to remember a concept or idea from this article.

4. Read the selected article.

5. Answer each question on your paper.

6. When you finish writing all 4 answers, fold and tear each question.

• Give all of the #1 question papers to person #1 of your group. • Give all of the #2 question papers to person #2 of your group. • Give all of the #3 question papers to person #3 of your group. • Give all of the #4 question papers to person #4 of your group.

7. Each numbered person reads all 4 of the responses they have and will summarize for the group, taking turns.

8. When everyone has completed their reading, process and reflect on this activity and give each person back their numbered squares.


Use after reading a short article on content. Use to help summarize a story, give an opinion, or ask questions and draw a picture.

NONDISCRIMINATION NOTICE

It is the policy of the School Board of Brevard County to offer the opportunity to all students to participate in appropriate programs and activities without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, or age, except as otherwise provided by Federal law or by Florida state law.

A student having a grievance concerning discrimination may contact:

Dr. Brian T. Binggeli

Superintendent Brevard Public Schools

Ms. Cyndi Van Meter Associate Superintendent,

Division of Curriculum and Instruction

Equity Coordinator

Dr. Walter Christy, Director Secondary Education

Ms. Sue Carver, Director ESE Program Services

ADA/Section 504 Coordinator

School Board of Brevard County 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way Viera, Florida 32940-6699 (321)

631-1911

It is the policy of the School Board of Brevard County not to discriminate against administrators or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, participation and membership in professional or political organizations, marital status, age, or disability. Sexual harassment is a form of employee misconduct, which undermines the integrity of the employment relationship, and is prohibited. This policy shall apply to recruitment, employment, transfers, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment.

An employee or applicant having a grievance concerning employment may contact:

Ms. Susan Standley, Director

Office of Compensation & Benefits

Ms. Joy Salamone, Director Human Resources Services

and Labor Relations

School Board of Brevard County 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way

Viera, Florida 32940 (321) 631-1911

This publication or portions of this publication can be made available to persons with disabilities in a variety of formats, including large print, Braille or audiotape. Telephone or written requests should include your name, address, and telephone number. Requests should be made to Kim Riddle, Exceptional Education Projects, 633-1000, extension 535, at least two (2) weeks prior to the time you need the publication.

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Act # Activity Name Activity Description Page

1 321 3-2-1 is an Exit Slip strategy. It provides an easy way for teachers to check for understanding and to gauge students’ interest in a topic. 4

2 Ball Toss This is a semi-review and wake-up exercise when covering material that requires concentration. This can be used across all curriculum areas and modified for grade levels. 4

3 Carousel The strategies for carousel sharing are applicable for several different topic areas, such as reading, math, and social studies. This brainstorming creates a structure that allows students to freely express their opinions and work with others.

5

4 Clapping Rhythms The teacher or leader claps a rhythm and the students repeat the rhythm clap. This is a good ritual/technique for getting students quiet. 5

5 Corners Corners is a class builder strategy which is a way to get the entire group to stand, move around, and engage with others throughout the room. 6

6 Expert Interviews This is a strategy in which small groups of students become experts in one aspect of the larger topic being studied. This activity can be used across curriculums to review or teach concepts. 6

7 Exit Slips Exit Slips are written student responses to questions teachers pose at the end of a class or lesson. These quick, informal assessments enable teachers to quickly assess students' understanding of the material.

7

8 Five Minutes Of Metacognition Five Minutes of Metacognition is a reflection strategy between two students. Use this to summarize. 8

9 Four-Fold Diamond The four-fold activity is a strategy to build vocabulary and develop a concept. It can be used with an individual student, pairs of students, or a small group of students. 9

10 Gist Statements This summarization procedure assists students in “getting the gist” from extended text. 10

11 Give One Get One This strategy provides a great review and enables students to gather information from each other. 11

12 GLP Walk Students take a walk and take turns telling what are grateful for, what they have learned, and what they promise to do after learning. 12

13 High Five Partner Walk A High Five Partner Walk is a movement activity that helps the team to change partners, change the energy, and change the dynamics of the discussion. 12

14 Human Knot The purpose of the human knot puzzle is to gain team building skills, problem solving skills, and communication skills. 13

15 Jigsaw Jigsaw is a well-established method for encouraging group sharing and learning of specific content. This technique can be used as an instructional activity across several days and is best to used when there is a large amount of content to teach.

13

16 Just Like Me Class builders help to build community, students get to know one another, gets students’ voices in the room, and gets students up and moving. This helps students to identify with the whole class and make connections with other students.

14

17 Line Ups – Value Lines Line-ups can be used to improve communication and form teams. You can use this activity as an icebreaker at the start of a new course when students do not know each other or simply as a warm-up at the start of the day.

15

18 Nursery Rhyme Summary Research shows that students benefit from direct instruction on rhyme recognition paired with fun activities that target this skill. 16

19 On a Scale of 1 to 10 This is a nice closing strategy because it requires a summative judgment at that moment. It forces a rating and subsequent justification. When this is used on a regular basis, it creates a sense of urgency. The students realize that the conversations they have matter.

16

20 One Word Add On Start a sentence and each student adds a new word. 17

21 P.A.M.

Pause A Moment

Anticipating answers and outcomes improves learning. When you pause, your students will instinctively predict what you’re going to say next. You can use this instinct to your advantage by pausing before revealing important ideas, words, theories, or points of emphasis.

18

22 People To People This energizer is used as a way to build content knowledge, prior knowledge, and reviewing. 19

23 PMI

(Plus-Minus-Interesting) PMI may be used as an Exit Slip or end of class discussion. 19

24 Prediction Pennies Can be used as an attention/motivation strategy to build curiosity or to teach students to make logical, reasonable predictions (processing/sequencing skills). 19

25 “Skinny” and “Fat” Questions “Skinny” and “Fat” questions is a strategy to teach students the differences between factual questions and complex thought questions and promotes inquiry and investigation. 20

26 Stand Up, Hand-Up,

& Pair-Up / Brain March The teacher asks questions as a review to build knowledge or encourage team building. 21

27 TAGI - That’s A Good Idea This energizer is used as a discussion strategy. 21

28 Three Amigos

‘Teepee Grouping For Sharing’ This energizer is for group formations of three and established groups to be used across the curriculum. 21


This energizer can be used across curriculum, when reviewing concepts in a story or facts about a subject. 22

30 WIIFM

What’s In It For Me? First and foremost, you need to make a connection with your students. Let them know right away the WIIFM—what’s in it for me! 22

31 Write, Read, Fold, Tear, Share This energizer can be used after reading a short article on content and used to help summarize a story, give an opinion, or ask questions and draw a picture. 23

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_building

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

energizers to drive student engagement

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