Engaging Starter Activities PDF

Carole SullivanTLF consultant

CONTENTS:

A Flying Start............................................................................... 4why bother with starters

Show Me ..................................................................................... 6engaging the whole class in closed question and answer sessions

"Most likely to".............................................................................. 8reinforcing key concepts - applying learning

Bingo ......................................................................................... 9accessing and reinforcing prior knowledge

Think, pair, share..........................................................................10collaborating to access and reinforce prior knowledge

Making a "Visual" of last lesson...........................................................12making connections between ideas

Visual stimulus..............................................................................14engaging interest and stimulating curiosity

List, Group, Label..........................................................................15reinforcing key vocabulary and developing classification skills

KWL .........................................................................................16(Know already/ Want to know/ have Learned..)

Odd One Out ...............................................................................18developing conceptual understanding of key terms

Spelling Activities ..........................................................................20working on accuracy

Dominoes ....................................................................................21reinforcing connections between terms

Mind reader ................................................................................22developing familiarity with key information

Definitions ..................................................................................24creating, matching and ‘Pairs’ activities to develop understanding

Sequencing activities .......................................................................25demonstrating and checking understanding

Pupils in Role ...............................................................................26broadening thinking

See also the Brighton & Hove TLF ‘Starters’ webpage athttp://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/site01.cfm?request=c1100883for more information and a downloadable version of this document.

4 Carole Sullivan

A Flying Startwhy bother with starters?

Starters are about lively, engaging openings to lessons. Their aim is to engage all pupils inlearning and establish a sense of pace and challenge within a "safe", fun, learningenvironment.

How can starters contribute to learning?Their flexibility means that teachers can use starter activities to prepare for newlearning, revisit and practise important skills, consolidate knowledge from or make linkswith previous lessons (bridging) and assist memorisation. Because of their short duration,they are particularly useful for "little and often" revisiting of key words and concepts; thevariety of ways of tackling these aspects should enable more pupils to grasp them. (This isoften referred to as "over-learning" which aims to enable pupils to get a better grasp oneach return to an idea or concept.)

Many teachers also find the activities useful as "brain-break activities" to makeconstructive use of time while pupils shift between one intensive activity and another, orwhen a disruption unsettles a class and they need to ease quickly back into productivework.

Importantly, starters contribute to engagement by offering a sense of fun. Theactivities, whether competitive or collaborative, often have the feel of a game; the cleverteacher ensures all pupils feel they are winners at that game. An extra bonus is thatbecause they are often discrete, fun activities, pupils learn that if they are late for thebeginning they are missing something good!

Where's the catch?Because of their essential feeling of fun, the most common problem cited with starters isthat they can take over the whole lesson, often because pupils are enjoying them and maynot want to move on to the main work! Other common problems include starters becomingpart of a stagnant routine - pupils arriving at lessons expecting the word game etc., - withthe result that the starter activity lacks the essential sense of pace and challenge.

In order to avoid these pitfalls, starters need

•• a clear purpose• to be varied and active• clear planning and preparation.

This booklet aims to address these potential difficulties by encouraging teachers to drawon an increasing repertoire of strategies and to select strategies which enhance learningfor all pupils, whether by consolidating something already covered, revisiting an aspect

Lesson Starters 5

which caused problems, or by preparing pupils mentally and physically for the learning tofollow.

Many of the activities in the booklet require preparation by the teacher, but experienceso far suggests it is time well invested if the majority of pupils learn more effectively as aresult. Although there is no expectation that a starter will be used every lesson, it isoften the case that the learning which follows a starter is greatly enhanced by those fewminutes spent engaging pupils at the outset.

Tips for effectively managing the workload of producing these activitiesinclude:1. Develop the practice of sharing starters between all teachers in the department- you

make one activity- you get to use four! Having a regular slot at department meetingsto "share" practice helps establish this quickly.

2. Where it is possible to re-use an activity across groups, for example, dominoes, sort-cards etc., produce the sets on card – or even laminate them - for durability.

3. Make each set a different colour to avoid problems with sets getting confused - it ismuch easier for a class to put all the yellow cards into one envelope, the blue in anotherthan to check they have one of each of 16 cards!

4. Produce labels for envelopes (resealable!) so they are easy to locate and use.5. Have frequently used materials to hand. For example, when using mini-whiteboards,

teachers tend to find it helpful to put individual pupil sets - pen, board and wipe- in aplastic wallet, then store class sets in a box for easy distribution. Home-made mini-whiteboards- laminated cardboard sheets- may get you started, but eventually you willprobably want to invest in commercially produced versions to improve the visibility!

6. Try getting a few pupils involved in the manufacturing process so the teacher just hasto oversee the work rather than do the whole thing - the pupils are encouraged tolearn/over-learn material - often useful for GCSE pupils who may usefully be remindedof definitions etc!

About the bookletThe aim of this booklet is to share some ideas for successful starter activities andstimulate discussion about their impact on pupils’ learning. I have tried to includestrategies which are flexible, knowing that teachers are immensely skilled at adapting andmodifying ideas to meet the learning needs of their pupils and confident that they will notstay in this form for long, but evolve organically in the hands of skilled practitioners. Tothis end, the activities are followed by space for you to note how you might modify themor how a strategy might look in your curriculum area.

Enjoy them!

Carole SullivanTLF consultant

6 Carole Sullivan

SHOW MEengaging the whole class in closed question and answer sessions

"Show Me" is a useful way of engaging the whole class in question and answer sessions asall the pupils have to answer all the questions and the teacher can see at a glance who hasthe answer and who hasn't! It is a great alternative to teacher/pupil, teacher/other pupilquestion and answer sessions, when only a few pupils' answers are heard and pupils can "optout" simply by not putting their hands up.

“Show me” is particularly useful in:

• activating prior knowledge – what was covered last lesson, last week or last year, in afun way.• defining the territory of the lesson to help ease pupils into the context of the lesson• non-threatening, fun activities which “test” what pupils have learned and informplanning by identifying what they haven’t! Teachers can then follow up with individuals orsmall groups during the main part of the lesson - i.e. assessment for learning in action!

It requires little preparation on the part of the teacher, and is incredibly versatile.

Organising the activity:

Pupils will need: a mini white-board, a pen, a wipe.

Teacher plans questions/ area of focus and explains learning objective to the class.Pupils use mini-whiteboards to “show” their response in words or drawing - e.g.Teacher says:“I’m thinking of a way of cooking that seals in the juices – Show me”“I’m thinking of a way of cooking that retains the vitamins– Show me” etc.

Some examples:MFL: Teacher holds up flashcard e.g. of a house - pupils write word in the

target language

Geography: Draw the symbol on an Ordnance Survey map for a Youth Hostel / arailway line/ a church etc

History: What was the name of... / When was.../Where did..../ Who led... etc

Music: Pupils draw a stave - teacher says- show me middle C / a crotchet / aquaver etc.

Design Technology: Which tool would I use to ...?./ What material should I choose for achopping board/ window frames/ garden furniture/ a kitchen table etc.

or they can "show" physically,

PE - Show me your quadriceps, triceps, hamstring – do a stretch for that muscle..

Lesson Starters 7

Variations:

Students are given ready-made cards and raise them in answer to questions or definitionsgiven by the teacher in a “most likely to” type of activity

e.g.1. each pupil has pictures of both the flag of Bangladesh and the flag of France:

The teacher asks:• “Which country is most likely to have a large number of patients per Doctor?• Which country is most likely to have compulsory education?” etc.

The pupils hold up the relevant flag. (Or pupils write country name/draw flag either sideof whiteboard and show relevant side.)

or2. Pupils are given cards bearing key words- e.g. “carbohydrate “ “fat” “protein”They raise the appropriate one when the teacher calls out different types of food –Bread, pasta, meat etc.

or3. Revisit grammar points in MFL- e.g. au à la à l’ auxTeacher calls “supermarché, église, mairie boucherie”etc. Pupils identify which would becorrect form of “to the”

or4. Pupils are given cards with “natural” written on one side, “synthetic” on theother – turn page over appropriately as teacher calls out types of fabric/ material – e.g.wood, leather, wool, polyester plastic etc.

In all cases it will be important for the teacher to scan the responses to identify whohas a clear grasp of the concept/information and modify teaching accordingly.

8 Carole Sullivan

"Most likely to"reinforcing key concepts - applying learning

"Most likely to" can reinforce key concepts while introducing some new information whichhelps pupils see the significance of what they have learned.


In pairs, pupils are given cards carrying a range of statements. Category headings aregiven by the teacher. Pupils have to decide under which category/ group each statement ismost likely to belong. The discussion is important to support the move towards higherorder thinking and ensure pupils justify their decisions.

For example, pupils who have studied a country in detail could have a series of factualinformation presented about that country, mixed in with information about a differentcountry, to be sorted using their prior knowledge. So, having studied Japan, an MEDC, theteacher could present cards carrying information about Japan along with cards carryinginformation about Libya.

For example: Tokyo,TripoliMain exports: electronic equipment, ships, vehiclesMain exports: oil, natural gasLiteracy: 99%Literacy: 60% (1985)Religion: Sunni MuslimReligion: Shinto, BuddhistArea: 142,680 square milesArea: 680,000 square milesPhysical: mountainous, volcanic. Over 1,000 islandsPhysical: Desert -mountains in north and southLife expectancy: Men 74, Women 80Life expectancy: Men 57, Women 60

Pupils work in pairs to decide which is Japan, which Libya, and justify their choices.

Debriefing will be important in helping pupils to see the impact on people of differencesbetween MEDC and LEDC and to open up some of the bigger issues the activity raises.

Lesson Starters 9

Bingoaccessing and reinforcing prior knowledge

Another useful tool for accessing and reinforcing prior knowledge, "bingo" requires a littlepreparation by the teacher. Like "Show Me", it offers an alternative to the teacher/pupilclosed question and answer routine when quantities of knowledge need to be embedded/checked, involving all pupils without resorting to the formal "test".


1. A collection of "right answers" (e.g. dates, keywords, people) is listed on theboard/OHP. Pupils select say 7 or 9, for their bingo card, either pre-printed or drawninto books, written on to mini whiteboards etc.

2. The teacher then reads aloud the definition, event etc. Pupils find the correct answerand mark it off.

3. Pupils who call house can be challenged to give back the definitions / events with thedates they cover. (This could be used for "first to complete a line / column etc. just toreinforce knowledge)

Variations

• Teacher gives list of words to an able pupil / pair of pupils to prepare. They then callout the definitions etc. Although this requires a little more planning ahead and monitoring,it offers a useful challenge to able pupils

• Bingo cards can also be prepared and laminated for use with several classes. This isuseful in MFL, for example, to encourage frequent revisiting of the "little words" whichoften cause pupils problems - e.g. au dessus/ avant /puis / quand etc.

silt erosion precipitation

groundwater flow surface run-off infiltration

weathering long profile

10 Carole Sullivan

Think, pair, sharecollaborating to access and reinforce prior knowledge

"Think, pair, share" encourages pupils to work together in addition to accessing andreinforcing prior knowledge. The collaboration in the second and third phases of theactivity can offer opportunities to develop higher order thinking; by encouraging pupils toarticulate their understanding and explain it to someone else, they have to synthesiseinformation. Articulating what they know helps reinforce the learning.

Working collaboratively also offers a safety net to those pupils who lack confidence -often paired or shared answers will be more speculative or tentative than pupils wouldoffer confidently as individuals.

In practice, "think, pair, share" focuses pupils on what they have been learning without anytedious "what were we doing last lesson?" trawling by the teacher. The teacher can scanthe lists by moving around the groups, picking up on what has been recalled by differentgroups and identifying what further reinforcement needs to take place- e.g. what has notbeen remembered!


1. Pupils, working individually, jot down 2 things learned last lesson

2. Pairs discuss and develop to make a list of 4 items.

3. Two pairs combine to list 8 items.

(Another use for the mini-whiteboards!)

Some examples:RE: Traditional things which happen at Diwali; reasons why different groups

of people visit Israel etc.

MFL: Recall words for pets, furniture, rooms etc. covered in previous lesson

Geography: Types of rock; ways in which people damage the environment

History: Why Harold lost the battle of Hastings; key points in Hitler’s rise topower

Art: Words which characterise the work of Klimt or Rembrandt; words forshades of blue or green; links between the work of Monet and Matisseetc.

PE: Ways to warm up the hamstring; rules for hockey etc.

Music: Ways to convey tension/ joy/ suspense in music

ICT: Rules of data protection etc.

Lesson Starters 11

Pupils can then feedback the best ideas from their group or ideas which have not alreadybeen mentioned by others. (Keep this snappy!)

• Adding to their own list during feedback helps retain focus, particularly if they thenhave to try to link all the ideas into one paragraph. (Again, working in pairs helps supportpupils to rise to the challenge!)

• Sorting ideas into categories (e.g. small pets v larger pets in MFL, Jews', Christians'Muslims' reasons in RE etc.) further reinforces learning.

12 Carole Sullivan

Making a "Visual" of last lessonmaking connections between ideas

This strategy is useful for consolidating learning and for helping pupils make connectionsbetween ideas. It also helps them to see clearly that they are learning and makingprogress, which can be very motivating!

For the teacher it can assist assessment for learning in that misconceptions are oftenmade visible and the teacher can address areas causing difficulty more specifically eitherwith individuals, groups or the whole class as necessary!


Individually, pupils represent visually what they learned last lesson – as a diagram, mindmap, (They will probably need to be taught to draw mind maps!) drawing, or even usingobjects from around them to represent key aspects. (Remember- novelty aidsmemorisation!). They then explain to their neighbour and compare before adding anypoints they think are important to their own…

Some examples:RE: Why Jerusalem is an important Holy place to different religions

MFL: How are German schools different from our school?

Geography: What they learned about volcanoes

History: In pairs, show what happened during the battle of Culloden using thecontents of your school bag!

Art: What they learned about cubism as a mind map

PE: Ways of blocking tackles as cartoon

Music: Kinds of rhythm as a diagram

ICT: Ways a small business could use spreadsheets

Design Technology: Ways in which germs can be spread in food preparation

Lesson Starters 13

Variations

The strategy can be adapted to cover a series of lessons on a topic -pupils have to distilthe main/key ideas on to one side of paper, making it an ideal revision tool!

As with many strategies, working collaboratively can trigger ideas and the talk itself helpsaid memorisation - think about the way you repeat directions back to yourself - especiallycomplex ones! Getting pupils to work on their own, then add ideas following discussion maybe less effective for complex subjects than getting pupils to work together from thestart. The talking, writing, drawing and moving things around involved in this strategy allappeal to different learning styles, so it should support all pupils' learning - but they mayneed some practice!

14 Carole Sullivan

Visual stimulusengaging interest and stimulating curiosity

Stimulating curiosity and evoking interest, offering a visual stimulus such as an artefact, asymbolic piece of clothing, or even a picture is particularly useful at the beginning of a newtopic or idea. It can also refocus attention when you need pupils to think about somethingfrom a different angle - for example, if you have been looking at geographical causes offlooding and you need to get them to consider the human impact in LEDCs and MEDCs.It can encourage pupils to ask their own questions, allowing teachers to open up discussionabout "good" questions while shifting ownership of the learning back on to the children.The lesson shifts to being about answering their questions rather than the teachers'.Finding the right picture or object is a matter of skill - with a fair degree of luck thrownin - so be prepared to share your gems!


1. Teacher provides picture /artefact/ object of interest related to topic of lesson.(Colour photocopy on OHP is just as effective as data projector image.)

2. Pupils list 4 questions they would want answered –

3. Pupils share questions

4. Then they can work in pairs to see which they can speculate on/ which they cananswer/ what other information they would need etc.

5. The questions can be revisited at the end of the lesson/ topic to ensure all can beanswered by the pupils!

Some examples:RE: The Sikh 5Ks

Geography: A (smelly) piece of volcanic rock / a picture of an African village underfloods (and later an English village under flood to highlight issues aroundeconomic development and engage pupils emotionally)

History: Old photographs, picture of leg irons / artefact used in slave trade

Art: A piece of sculpture/ work in an unusual medium / picture of a famouswork at an early stage of development

PE: Video clip of unusual technique / piece of dance etc.

Music: unusual instrument/ manuscript of section of famous oeuvre / extractfrom recording of unfamiliar work - e.g. Threnody on Hiroshima - whatdoes it evoke?

ICT: a cassette recorder - how is it related to ICT?

Design Technology: odd kitchen gadgets / tools etc.

Lesson Starters 15

List, Group, Labelreinforcing key vocabulary and developing classification skills

“List, Group, Label” is very simple to set up and needs little preparation beyond the list ofkey terms, which are frequently part of the medium term planning anyway.The sustained focus on the terms and discussion in groups helps pupils become confidentwith their meanings and aids memorisation, especially if this is part of a "little and often"routine.


1. Pupils list all terms relevant to a topic, or brainstorm them onto the board or OHP,

2. Pairs or threes sort and group them,

3. They devise a title for each group.

As with lots of these activities, debriefing about how they sorted and grouped words willbe important to help develop deep level learning and enable pupils to transfer the strategyeffectively to other contexts.

Providing small pieces of card or post-it notes to help pupils physically to move/sort theterms really helps maintain the focus during this activity.

This activity is adaptable for any subject and any topic which has its own specialistvocabulary list.

16 Carole Sullivan

KWL(Know already/ Want to know/ have Learned..)

KWL is a good way of activating prior knowledge and developing pupils’ sense of progress.It enables the teacher to see clearly what has been learned already so time is not wastedrepeating, thus aiding motivation. It also allows pupils to see that the teacher does notdismiss work done previously, but values it, plans to build on it and develop it further.Again, getting pupils to ask the questions offers opportunities for them to take control oftheir learning and for good questions to be modelled, thus supporting the move towardsgreater independence as learners.


1. Working in pairs on a grid, pupils list in column 1 what they already know about a topicsuch as castles or Islam or volcanoes

2. In column 2 they list questions they would like answers to.3. These are then shared and used to inform the learning objectives of the lesson.4. At the end of the lesson/ sequence of lessons, as part of the plenary, pupils complete

the third column.

Some examples:RE: Easter, Diwali

MFL: How are French eating habits different from mine?

Geography: Earthquakes, map skills

History: The industrial revolution, The Second World War

Art: Picasso, Impressionism

PE: Health and fitness

Music: Indian music, samba

ICT: Desk top publishing, using a scanner

Design Technology: Food hygiene, the design process

Lesson Starters 17

Know already Want to know Have Learned

Volcanoes often have flattops

Do all volcanoes have flattops?

There are lots of activevolcanoes in Italy

Where else are there lots ofvolcanoes? Why are theythere?

18 Carole Sullivan

Odd One Outdeveloping conceptual understanding of key terms

Odd One Out reinforces ideas of similarities and differences and encourages pupils to seepatterns/ connections between terms, as well as forcing them to think about the meaningof all the words, not just gloss over any unfamiliar terms.

This version of Odd One Out has been simplified for "starters" from the more complex"thinking skills" version of the activity. Some teachers have found it productive to useOdd One Out as a main activity in one lesson, with groups of pupils making their own setsat the end of that session, which are then used as a starter activity by other groups nextlesson.

Matching the sets to the ability of the pupils will obviously be very important, but thecollaborative nature of the activity means that pupils are supported in completing the taskand most teachers report that all pupils remember the terms much better as a result ofodd one out activities.


1. Pupils are given a sheet with sets of terms/ vocabulary etc related to the topic/unit.2. Working in groups, pupils identify which is the odd one out and justify their decisions.

Ideally, the teacher should choose sets with some ambiguity to encourage pupils to seethat there may be multiple answers and the important thing is the reasoning!

Some examples:Geography: Drainage basin, groundwater, surface water,

vegetation, lake, deforestation

MFL: gomme, trousse, crayon, stylo,

pupitre, chaise, fauteuil, table

Art: azure, sapphire, cerulean, blue,

impressionism, Monet, Matisse, Dali

Design Technology: pencil, china-graph pencil, chisel, scriber,

plywood, MDF, pine, chipboard,

hair, loose clothing, goggles, tie

Pupils developing their own sets, especially in pairs, encourages thinking skills developmentand could easily be set as a homework task when pupils have tried the activity and arefamiliar with what makes a good Odd One Out set!

Lesson Starters 19

Variations:

• At stage 1 pupils are given a numbered keyword-sheet connected with the topic and aseparate list with the sets as numbers to work from. (However, some pupils may find itdifficult/ time consuming to switch between the two sheets so this may needdifferentiating!)

• Pupils add one word to a set, keeping the odd one out the same

• Pupils add one word to a set which changes the odd one out

• Pupils are challenged to find reasons for each word to be the odd one out (encouragesdivergent thinking and discussion)

• Pupils swap partners and identify ways in which their odd ones out are different

• Pupils sort all the words from all the sets into 4 to 6 groups

20 Carole Sullivan

Spelling Activitiesworking on accuracy

Lots of these activities are helpful for reinforcing key vocabulary and injecting a sense offun at the beginning of lessons or when the class needs a "brain break" to bridgeactivities. However, in planning it is vital to consider the intended learning outcomes andallocate time accordingly. It is very easy to let them run beyond the few minutes theirlearning value merits!

1. Puzzles

Quick games and puzzles such as jumbled words, word-searches, finding other wordswith same/similar first/middle morpheme etc. help reinforce spelling of key words. UsingOHP transparencies allows them to be reused with other groups. It is often helpful to seta target of how many words in 4 minutes and build this up as a challenge to avoid thembecoming too dull.

2. Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory aids, such as "Rhythm has your two hips moving" to remember thespelling of rhythm, or "he decided to report the incident to the CID to avoid pupils using ‘s’for ‘c’ in those words.

Getting pupils to make up their own mnemonics for sequences or spellings helps themmemorise information, particularly if they focus on the part of the word that causes mostdifficulty.

For example, a History essay on the Civil War has highlighted frequent misspelling ofbelieve and parliament. The teacher suggests a mnemonic for believe - e.g. "believe it eventhough there is clearly a lie in it" and asks them to develop one for parliament.

Lesson Starters 21

Dominoesreinforcing connections between terms

Cards with key words are created by the teacher and divided between players/teams.Pupils compete to get rid of their cards, matching associated words. Pupils have to be ableto read, understand and interpret a range of technical terms or vocabulary to be able tomake associations. In addition, pupils/teams have to be able to explain the links they aremaking and either the teacher or another pupil can be appointed judge. All of thiscontributes to the development of speaking and listening skills.

The game could be played in table groups or as a whole class using "dominoes" cut out froman OHP transparency. The game is probably equally valid as a plenary activity.

e.g.MFL Dominoes -

une souris un animal quiaboye un chien il nage bien un poisson coquerico!

RE Dominoes –

Community Jesus Christianity Synagogue

Muslim Worship Belief Islam

Mosque Belonging Baptism Qur'an

Font Jew Holy Rabbi

Cross God Allah Symbol

Judaism Prayer Prostration Torah

Crucifixion Church Vicar Bible

Festival Humility Respect Mecca

Ark Light Easter

Pilgrimage Tallit Purity

22 Carole Sullivan

Mind readerdeveloping familiarity with key information

In addition to reinforcing key terms relating to a topic, "Mind Reader" encourages pupilsto think about the nature and amount of detail required in order to show fullunderstanding. This is perhaps especially true in Humanities subjects where high qualityanswers will typically refer to several features of a character/ object, while a poor qualityanswer will mention only one or two. It can also be used in MFL subjects as an alternativeway to practise vocabulary.


1. Teacher writes list of words on board/OHP

2. Pupils, working individually, write the numbers 1-8 down the side of their sheet. Theythen select one word from the list and write it down

3. Teacher gives clues -for example saying,

"I'm thinking of a person/place/thing. Change your word if you want."

"This word has at least two syllables. Change your word if you want."

"This word is a tool. Change your word if you want."

"This tool is used indoors and out. Change your word if you want."

"This tool is made of metal and plastic. Change your word if you want."

etc.

4. At the end pupils say at what point they were able to be sure they were correct intheir guess. Points can be allocated to each guess -e.g. 8 if right on first guess, 7 onsecond etc. to add to the game.

5. Teacher points out how much detail is necessary to ensure you have the correctanswer and makes link with amount of detail needed by teachers/ examiners to be surethey get maximum marks!

Lesson Starters 23

Variation:

No names/ words listed - teacher gives clues, beginning with very general information/obscure details. Pausing between details allows time for pupils to assimilate information,which can be reinforced in the debriefing by asking about the most helpful clues, whichpieces of information were new etc.

e.g.

"For 10 points - I'm thinking of a character from World War 2.

For 9 points - He is rumoured to have forced some of his enemies to eat live toads

For 7 points- He invaded Abyssinia in 1935-36

For 5 points -He entered World War 2 in 1940, supporting Hitler

For 4 points- He was known as Il Duce

For 3 points- He made the trains run on time - allegedly!

For 2 points- He led the Italian republic from 1922

For 1 point - His first name was Benito

24 Carole Sullivan

Definitionscreating, matching and ‘Pairs’ activities to develop understanding

Clear understanding of key terms and concepts is essential in all subject areas. Shortactivities which focus on making definitions clear and accessible are really useful, but aswith most starter activities, overuse quickly breeds contempt, so consider their usecarefully!

1. Creating definitions

Pupils make up definitions for key words/ concepts in pairs. Pairs join to make fours,compare and agree best definition, which can combine elements of each. This can open updiscussion about use of examples to illuminate complex definitions or whether concisenessis always effective etc. It can also illustrate that four brains are often better than two!

2. Matching

Pupils are given definitions - they have to identify the words to which they belong. Thisoffers opportunities to explore subtle differences between terms. Pupils can then workwith a partner to illustrate/ exemplify a term/ feature.

3. "Pairs"

Groups are given a number of cards, some bearing words and some definitions to match.These are then spread out, face down on the table. As with the card game "pairs", twocards are turned over by each group member in turn. Others have to remember wherewords or definitions are and aim to collect as many matching pairs as possible. When a pairis found, that player has another go. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

Variation:

(This requires dice or spinners - ask the Maths department!)Pupils are divided into groups of 6. Each player has a number, 1-6, and when the di isthrown the person with that number turns over two cards, trying to find a matching wordand definition. The benefit of this variation is that pupils never know when it's going to betheir turn, and so stay more alert and focused!

Lesson Starters 25

Sequencing activitiesdemonstrating and checking understanding

Sequencing activities build on pupils' ability to make and remember patterns and stories.They are useful for reinforcing prior learning and for showing the teacher which partspupils are least clear about so those areas can be addressed.


This can be done in groups or as a whole class activity.

1. The teacher prepares large cards with key words/events/ steps in a process.

2. Pupils take a card each and move around in the correct sequence.

3. Other pupils can challenge placements, describe or question what happens at eachstage. The teacher will need to ensure everyone is involved by choosing participantscarefully, switching roles and by employing strategies such as hands down questioningto sustain interest.

Some examples:PE: Following a lesson on the body system, the teacher wants to consolidate

what was learned. Cards are prepared carrying the key terms which werecovered - e.g. heart, lungs, red blood cell, white blood cell. Pupils organisethemselves into appropriate sequence, one child moves around as “oxygen” –Pupils describe what happens at each stage

Geography: Diagrams are cut up into steps/stages (e.g. the rain cycle, layers of rock.)Groups reorder into the correct sequence. The OHP is used for debriefing.Time is given to address any common mistakes and to discuss how the ordercould be remembered most effectively- e.g. mnemonics etc.

History: A series of pictures of people working are sorted by pairs/threes intochronological order. Pairs /groups then combine, explain their decisions andreorder as necessary.

Art: As part of a sequence of lessons on perspective, a series of paintings fromthe thirteenth to the twentieth century is ordered by groups of pupils.Groups then move around to identify similarities and differences andquestion decisions.

Music: The opening section of the score of a familiar tune is cut up into bars.Pupils have to use their ability to read music to put it into the correctorder. Access to keyboards may be required for some!

Design Technology: Elements of the production process, seen as a flow diagram in a previouslesson, are put on cards. Pupils hold cards as a "washing line" at the front ofthe room. Other pupils direct them to move until an appropriate sequence isagreed. Teacher then asks class to consider any problems if key elementswere switched around

26 Carole Sullivan

Pupils in Rolebroadening thinking

Getting pupils to empathise may not always be a desirable end in itself, but often it helpsengage pupils' interest in a positive way, appealing to their emotions. It can also help themsee how their learning relates to "the big picture" of life beyond the classroom. Gettingpupils to put themselves in other people's position can encourage them to think differentlyabout issues and move beyond received attitudes.

These activities often require the teacher to take more "risks" in classroom managementterms, but the more experience they have of doing them and identifying what "good" worklike this looks like, the better it becomes. Try to draw on the experience of Dramadepartments and work done in drama to tune pupils in to what you expect. Most teachersfind any risks are more than repaid by the quality of response of the pupils.

Some examples:

RE: Following work on why Israel is an important place to people fromdifferent religions, teacher shares a newspaper photograph of the scenefollowing a bombing in Jerusalem or of the killing of a Palestinian. Pupilswork in small groups to recreate the scene, paying attention to details ofexpression etc. In role, pupils prepare statements about how they feel,who they blame etc. In debriefing, teacher begins to open out some ofthe issues about conflict and belief.

Geography: Pupils work in groups to physically recreate a picture (e.g. of peoplebegging on a street in Manchester or Madras, or of people standing up totheir waists in flood water in Lewes or Bangladesh. Pupils, in role,answer questions from their peers about the impact on their lives, whothey feel is responsible, what could be done etc.)

History: Pupils prepare questions to ask character e.g. King John, Adolf Hitler,Oliver Cromwell (photo/ portrait could support). A pupil or group ofpupils assumes role and answers. This strategy will require some initialmodelling by the teacher in role, as well as discussion about the kinds ofquestions which will get beyond the stereotypes to a deeperunderstanding of motivation etc.

Art: A class is studying portraiture. The teacher prepares a collection ofportraits on a printed sheet. Working in pairs, pupils recreate/ sculpttheir partner into the stature/pose of one of the portraits. (Modiglianinudes are not recommended!) Other pupils try to identify the portraitfrom the sculpture and choose appropriate vocabulary to describeexpression etc.

Lesson Starters 27

Pupils in role, cont.

Music: Pupils "walk" a few bars of a piece of music, using the score as a guide.They will need to look at pace and pause, length of notes, what the bassline is doing alongside the treble etc. Different groups can be allocateda few bars each to work on. They can then try it out with the musicplayed by the teacher or from a recording. Does the timing work?

Dance: Twelve task cards describing different movements are spread aroundthe studio/ hall. Pupils throw two dice 5 times. They then go to thecards with those numbers and put the movements into a sequence.

Documents

Engaging Starter Activities PDF