Forget about those personal resolutions; we all know how they end up! Instead, transform your classroom into one that is fun-filled, engaging, and fully-devoted to meeting state and national standards to start off the new year! But most importantly, work to make it a classroom where your students will NEVER do the same thing two days in a row! Keep them guessing and they will keep coming back for more!
Okay, so they have to keep coming back, but don’t you dream about being that teacher whose classroom is the one all students WANT to go to? Make that your new year’s resolution!
So, here are TEN simple tips to changing things up!
- Instead of introducing content by having students read chapters from a textbook, allow students to take a Walking Tour around your classroom. Buy ready-made Walking Tours or create your own!
- Want students to dig up facts on any topic? Bury them! Use shredded paper and twine to set up an Archeology Dig site in your classroom. Print out the facts and laminate them to use over and over again.
- Place Clue Cards to content topics in envelopes and hide them around the classroom, or place them with other people around the school, for students to “find” and present.
- Use Scavenger Hunts with questions and clue cards for students to investigate. Make it more fun by setting the hunt up like the Amazing Race TV Show.
- Allow students to work in Response Groups where they can discuss topics and share out their thoughts on them.
- Set up your classroom as an Human Board Game to review a reading or to review an entire unit before a big test!
- Review historic figures or literary characters by allowing students to play “To Tell the Truth” and choose who is well representing the character and who is lying!
- Turn your stand and deliver lessons into Interactive Lectures where students can become past of the lesson by taking on roles or performing an impromptu!
- Spend a day looking at pictures! Analyzing Images is a great way to understand content without tiring the eyes!
- My favorite! Do it with tunes! Use Music To Teach a lesson and allow students to utilize their creative talents to share their content knowledge!
I hope these ideas will help you transform your classroom into the one of your dreams!
Happy Teaching!
Michele