 May the fourth is coming, do you have any special plans for your students? Over the years we have had the pleasure of reading Star Wars books in school, participating in cross curricular activities and enjoying special “Stars Wars Days.” In this post I would like to explore some ideas for celebrating May the 4th. Star Wars Themed Door Decorating: Kids love making themselves into mini Darth Vaders, Luke Sky Walkers and Princess Leia. We have students use Death Star Themes, JEDI and my favorite, the Yoda Door. All the kids to come with and idea and each student can customize their door Avatar. Sith Versus Jedi Challenges: Split up your students into two groups. The Sith (bad guys) and the Jedi. Give your students simple academic challenges or play a game like kickball. Who ever wins will rule the universe. Jedi Training: Jedi’s require skill and ability to use the force. Walking on balance beams, crossing swamps, there are a variety of opportunities here. Interested in some more? Over the years I have incorporated many of these ideas into the following products.
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 In our previous post we talked about general tips for Working with Middle School Classes. In this post we are going to dig deeper into the concept of Bell Ringers.
Anticipatory Set, Bell Ringer, Warm up, there’s many different names but the concept is the same. Get the kids working as soon as they walk into class. The sooner you classes are engaged, they less behavioral problems you’ll face. In addition you communicate to kids that you have work for them to do. Establishing this routine early in the year or at the beginning of a new class paves the way to an effective learning environment. Class transition time: Be sure to greet students as they come into class by name. Especially those students who you know could be a problem. It’s important to establish positive communication. I generally will greet them and let them know what they will need (notebook, computer, book etc.). Additionally, this is a good time to ask about last nights band concert or todays Volleyball match. These few minutes are vitally important to establishing a positive climate. During this time, your bell ringer activity should be posted, either on the board, on paper or projector. A portion of the class will begin to read and think about the question or activity right away. This is an important point, if half the class is reading your bell ringer, that means there are less kids to redirect at the start of class time. Bell Ringer Types Content Review Questions: These are simply lesson objective questions from the previous day. Generally low order questions (we want a quick start with lots of success). The goal here is to engage lots of kids in yesterday’s work. For example, reviewing parts of Photosynthesis in a science lesson. I created an Ecology Bell Ringer Pack for this purpose. Content Preview Questions: Sometimes we’re looking to see where a class is at. For example, does a class understand absolute value, providing a few sample problems. News Events: I like these because they instantly engage student. For example, The Chinese Space Station Crash. Kids hear about these items and want to share and talk. I like to tie these into content areas to make class more meaningful. Physical Challenge: Sometimes its fun to have kids just build something simple. I have some classes with very active students, so I use physical challenges that get them thinking hands on. Draw a box, build a cube, make a quick tower. I created a Science Stacker Series for this purpose. Grading: I like to have students keep a section of notes dedicated to bell ringers that I can check at the end of a section or quarter. Additionally, if they are doing something that you want to engage them a little more, use a stamp to grade their work. This allows you to circulate the room, spot checking work with a stamp letting everyone know they completed the work. The key to bell ringers is using them. Be sure to have something up everyday. The more teachers in your school that follow this procedure, the more productive your classes can become and the less behavioral headaches you’ll have to deal with. |
AuthorWelcome to my Blog. This is my online home to share thoughts and life as a teacher, dad, coach, and instructional designer. Archives
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