WWII

Activators spark ideas. They get students thinking about a topic or idea before the lesson has started, focusing on the task ahead.

An activator can be as simple as a picture shown or a question posed before the lesson begins. They're often accompanied by a formative assessment, checking in to see what prior knowledge students are bringing to the table.

KWL (Know - Want to know - Learned)

Before the lesson, write down what students think they know about a topic. Then write down questions that they want to know. As you research, keep track of what you have learned.

Essential Questions

These questions directly idea of what you want a student to know at the end of the lesson. Pose these questions at the beginning of a lesson and see what answers you get, then return to the question at the end - did students' answers  change?

How do you get a discussion started? How do you spark independent thinking? Use these tools to get your students think about a topic.

Think Pair Share

Present an idea or topic to your students. Ask them to think about a specific aspect or to answer a question. Then turn to a partner and discuss their responses. Did they agree? Disagree? The teacher can then expand the share to the whole class.

Jigsaw

Create small groups. Have each group research a specific question or topic and become an expert. Then rearrange the groups to there's one expert from each topic. The experts share their findings and gather information about the other topics. Then, reform the original group and share what you learned.

Carousel

Create several stations with different questions about a topic. In small groups, have students move from station to station, putting their answers to the question on a sticky note or written on a sheet next to the question. As they move on, they can respond to the original question, or react to their classmates' contributions. Share the results with the class.

Cold Call

Important steps in using this technique:

• Ask the question before naming the student who will answer it - this gets all students thinking about the answer
• Call on students randomly - draw names out of a hat or use an online randomizer