Activities!

1. Friend Bingo

grand-parents || Has not missed one school day this year || Forgot to brush teeth this morning || Scored 100% on a unit test this year || Can juggle ||
 * Has been to Hollywood || Eats fast-food more than three times a week || Has more than one pet || Is part of a sports team || Had a toothache this year ||
 * Is single || Listens to music while studying || Can speak Spanish || Is a party animal J || Has a driver license ||
 * Has a job || Knows how to use Twitter || Has been water skiing || Has been to Europe || Has a younger brother ||
 * Can rap || Has blue eyes || Has met someone famous || Can name two former Prime Ministers || Has seen the Niagra falls ||
 * Has four living

Everyone makes there way around the room looking for a person who can agree to the question and gets his/her signature.

First person who has all 25 signatures wins a prize!!!

2.Creating a Basic Mind Map

1) **Select a topic** (for example “the heart” or “polynomials” or “poetry” or ‘democracy”). v Think of a visual that captures the essence of that topic and place that visual in the center of the paper using colors that will assist you to remember that idea.

2) **Brainstorm for the key ideas related to that topic**. v Record all the ideas that come to you- this can be personal or group brainstorming. Now you can simply pick the most important ideas that will branch out first or you can group these ideas into common categories- give each of those categories a label and then those become the first key ideas. v Draw a picture or symbol that represents each of the key ideas that you brainstormed. Then position those visuals that make sense to you around the outside of the visuals that you placed in the center of the map. Put in the key word and then connect the key words to the center topic with a line or bubbles. v Flow with ideas radiating out from each of those key ideas; again, think of visuals that capture the essence of that idea and place them in a way that makes sense to you. Then, place the word by the visual. Again, connect with lines. v Continue until you have exhausted the topic, the space, the time, or your patience. J

3) Reflect with a partner or with small groups or with the class- perhaps a Three- Step Interview!! v In your mind or with a partner, talk through the journey you took to conceptualize the key ideas related to the topic. Explore the relationships between different aspects of the map.

//These steps are only suggestions; feel free to adapt, add, or extend to make it responsive to your students’ needs.//

//**3. Dictogloss**//

 * Purpose:**
 * To extract key information from a text
 * To clarify ideas not understood in a text
 * To process new information


 * How to Implement:**
 * Explain to students that they are going to **listen or view** the text **twice** to understand its meaning. You can do this with a specific part of a novel, a page in any text, instructions, a math problem, etc.
 * **Read the text aloud to students or view the selected portion of video** (any film, Youtube clip, skit, visual, picture, political cartoon, etc.)
 * **Read the text or have the students’ view the video again**, this time **pausing at appropriate places and have students’ record key words and phrases.**
 * Students **work in pairs to compare notes**, adding or clarifying information with their partner’s help.
 * **Each pair then joins with another pair to share information** as a group. Each group **reads its final version to the rest of the class**.

__ Stage One __ __ Stage Four __

//Listen to main ideas Pairs of partners compare// //notes and share information// __ Stage Two __
 * Students**** à Text xxxx xxxx**

//Record key words and phrases// __ Stage Three __ //Groups share their information//
 * Students**** à Text** __ Stage Five __
 * Groups**** à Class**

//Partners compare notes and share information//
 * xx xx**

** 4. WORD WALL ** A word wall is a great strategy that can be used in **any class** that involves vocabulary and many teachers at Westwood have already dedicated a wall to vocabulary in their classrooms. Basically, you would dedicate a part of your wall and designate it for words that are used in your curriculum, particularly words that your students struggle with. There are a number of ways to use a word wall and it is based on preference.


 * Example**: Have students go through the chapter and identify words that they do not know or words that are unfamiliar. Have each student choose one word to; define, draw a picture of, or put in their own words, have the student explain the term to the class and then post it on the wall. Keep the terms on the wall so that students can be reminded of important vocabulary throughout the term.

There are a number of ways to use a word wall and any teacher with a classroom should take advantage of this resource.