I’ve always tried to have a variety of strategies and activities for different situations in the classroom. I think of it like my “teacher toolbox” and I have added to it over the years. I have tried to collect different strategies that I love for a variety of situations. This way, if I am ever at a loss for a teaching strategy, I can look at this list and see what I haven’t used in awhile.

In this article, we will look at four different situation areas that I have collected strategies for. These areas are strategies for sharing information, processing information, checking for understanding, and strategies for pairing students up. These are some of my favorites that I use all the time in my classroom. I hope that you will find these strategies useful and can add them to your toolbox.

SHARING INFORMATION 

1.Mixing, Freezing, Grouping 

Steps:

1. The teacher gives a question
2. Students move around the room while music is playing
3. The teacher stops the music and says “freeze”
4. The teacher says “group up” to find the closest partner to share

This strategy can be used as a discussion starter or to review content. For example, you could have the question about students’ feelings in relation to something that has happened in the book the class is reading. The students can have discussions all around the room based off of the question that you have given to them. You could also have students share their knowledge in relation to something that they have already learned. Such as, what are some reasons the civil war occurred?

I love this strategy because it gets the students up and moving. Students also are having discussions with peers that they might not ordinarily have conversations with. Movement with discussion and sharing is a great way to change up your instruction. Students can share their knowledge and opinions in a different way with different people.

2. Gallery Walk 

Steps:

1. Students create something in groups 
2. The groups post or lay their creation around the room 
3. Students are asked to do a “Gallery Walk” 
4. Student Groups walk to each groups work 
5. Leave a comment, questions, or something positive 

This whole activity can be done with individual students as well. The student can put comments on sticky notes, or just have a piece of notebook paper beside however many pieces of work there are. This is a great way to share student work without needing to have them do a formal presentation.   

3. Give and Get 

Steps:

1. Give each student a 3×5 index card with a prompt or question on it
2. Give time for the students to respond to the prompt or question  
3. Then play music and let students mix 
4. Stop the music and have students partner up  
5. Students read cards to one another and record other students’ response and discuss 
6. Repeat 

This activity can be done with content or opinion questions. It is interesting for students to see the variety of opinions and thoughts that they collect throughout the session. You can do a version of this activity that is just for review purposes only. Every time the students partner up, they ask the question and then share the answer. The students give and get in the sharing activity. 

4. Answer Storm 

Steps:

1. Explain you want an answer from every student and when they have one to raise their hand 
2. Ask your question and wait for all hands to raise
3. Then call on one student at a time to give their answer as quickly as possible

Try not to respond to the responses initially but just let the answers all come out as you call on the students. Questions that have short responses are great for this activity. For example, “In one word, describe how you would have felt in this situation.” Call on the students and receive the storm of answers coming your way. This is a great way to share information quickly and involve everyone in the class. 

5. Trading Places 

Steps: 

1. Stand behind desks
2. Ask a question and give students think time
3. Call out a trait 
4. Whoever has the trait must change places and share their answer with their new neighbors 

I tell the students that if the trait applies to them, they have to move to a new spot. Traits can be boy/girl, color of hair, eyes, clothes, shoes, etc. Students really enjoy the movement and a chance to share with other classmates. 

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING 

1.Give Me a Number 

Steps:

1. Ask the students where they are in terms of a skill with numbers one through ten 
2. Students write number on a dry erase board and show the teacher 
3. The teacher can use this informal question to gage student understanding

I recommend explaining what a one, five, and ten would represent if the student selects that number. This is a great quick way to see students understanding on any topic. I sometimes go out of this strategy into pairing students, or grouping students based on their responses.  

2. Plicker

Before using this strategy, you will need to print Plickers for your students and have a device with the Plicker app. (Click here to read our article to learn more about Plickers and how to use this technology in the classroom)

Steps:

1. Create question on the Plicker app 
2. Put up the question on a projected screen 
3. Students will respond to the question by orienting the Plicker in an appropriate way
4. Your iPad or device with the app will scan and grade student responses 

I love to use Plickers because once established, you can receive quick formative feedback on student understanding. I like to do a Plicker out the door to check student’s understanding, but also throughout my lessons to check student understanding. 

3. Take Away 

Steps: 

1. Tell the students you want their major takeaway from the lesson today
2. Give students think time and a post-it note (or piece of paper or 3×5 index card)
3. Have students leave their take away at a designated spot

This strategy is for reflection, review, and formative assessment. This is great for the teacher to see what concepts and ideas students are taking away from the lesson. If you don’t want to use post-it notes, just use paper or something else and have students drop them off in a bin. 

4. 4 Quadrants 

Steps: 

1. Have a poster or paper and draw four quadrants labeled: New Concept, Somewhat Know, Understand, Could Teach It 
2. Teacher gives the concept and ask students to put a post it, dot, or mark in the quadrant they feel matches the concept discussed 

This is a great strategy that will work before or after the lesson. This gives you a snap shot of students’ knowledge of a concept before or after the lesson is taught. You can do it before and after the lesson as well, just use different color markers. 

5. 3,2,1 

Steps: 

1. Teacher tells students to reflect on today’s learning and provide the following on a piece of paper:
2. 3- Concepts they have a good understanding of 
3. 2- Questions they still have 
4. 1- Concept they think they could teach to someone else 
5. Have students turn in or collect 

This method is a good way to collect different aspects of your students’ understanding. You can change the 3,2,1 options to be whatever you want. You could ask for three reasons for the Civil War, or direct the 3,2,1 strategy to whatever your discussing that day.  

PAIRING UP 

1.Double Circle 

First, make half your students form a circle facing out. The other half of your students forms a circle facing in or facing the students in the inner circle. Once the circles are formed, have one of the circles or both practice rotating before adding discussion or content. Example: Inner circle rotate two people to the right, or outer circle rotate one spot to the left. 

Steps:

1. Once the circles are formed, have students rotate to a new position
2. Then have a question for the inner student to ask the outer students or vice versa 
3. Rotate and repeat with multiple prompts and questions  

I like this strategy because it gets students up and moving and interacting. No student is left out. If you have an odd number have a designated spot in the circle for the group of three or save for another day. This also makes a great review strategy as well if you give the inner and outer circle review questions to ask each other at each rotation. 

2. Similar Partners 

Steps: 

1. Ask a question on a concept or topic
2. Teacher says “Type of Shoe, Eye Color, Shorts, Style, etc.”
3. Ask students to look around the room for the item or trait that is similar to them and pair up with that student
4. Students finds a partner that has a matching trait 
5. Once they find their similar partner, they discuss the concept or topic 

3. Stand-up, Hand-up, Pair-up 

Steps:

1. Ask a question on a concept or topic
2. Have students stand-up and walk around room with hand up 
3. Teacher says stop and students give a high five to someone close and that is their partner 
4. When students find partners, hands go down and discussions start 

4. Mixing and Matching 

Before you start this activity, you need some sort of matching cards. Words and definitions, problems and answers, or anything else that can be matched

Steps: 

1. Hand out one card per student
2. Have the students “mix” or walk around the room
3. The Teacher stops the mixing and whenever they find their match, the teacher gives a discussion or content question
4.  Students find match and discuss answer to the teacher’s question

5. Even or Odd 

I give my students numbers at the beginning of the year which correlates with the student roster. I have my students write this number at the top of their papers because it makes for easy organization and grading of student work. If students have their number established, this is a great partnering strategy. 

Steps:

1. Tell your students they are about to find a partner based off of their student number 
2. Teacher gives the question on a concept or topic 
3. Then the teacher says even or odd and the students find a partner with the appropriate number 
4. The students meet and discuss the question 

Use some of these strategies when you need to pair up your students in different ways. 

PROCESSING INFORMATION

1.Instant Graphic Organizer 

Steps:

1. Tell students to get out a piece of paper and draw a circle, triangle, and a square 
2. The square is for student thinking (What squares with my thinking?)
3. The triangle is for three summary statements (What three points do I need to remember?)
4. The circle is for any questions (What questions are still in your head?) 
5. Have students summarize important information, and make sense of information for concepts and texts 

This strategy can be used for a lot of different subjects and information. The students catch on quickly and have time to process a story, book, text, concept, or topic. 

2. Noting and Reading 

One of my middle school teachers used this strategy and I used it for myself personally as I went through school. She would give a text and say when you start to question put a question mark, when you get exited put an exclamation point, when you make a connection put a check mark, and etc. She taught us to record our thoughts so we could better analyze and evaluate any reading.   

Steps: 

1. Go over expectations for Noting and Reading  
2. Give students a story, chapter, article, or text that is printed
3. Have the students make their notes 
4. Have group discussions about the notes 

3. Round Robin

Steps: 

1. Students are grouped typically in groups of four 
2. Teacher asks a question 
3. Teacher designates which spot or student at each group will respond to the question first
4. Students share answers one at a time in a clockwise manner 

This is a great way to get all students participating and engaged. This is one of the most frequent strategies that I use. Kagan has a lot of strategies that are great for classrooms. I would recommend his books and materials. Check out our article on a few of my favorite Cooperative Learning Structures here.

4. Shared Reading 

Steps: 

1. Pair Students 
2. Assign Paragraph(s) 
3. Have students explain paragraphs to each other 
4. Repeat

5. Heads Together 

Steps: 

1. Teacher asks a question on topic or concept 
2. Have students turn to shoulder partner or group
3. Discuss the question or topic together 

Students are so much better at processing information when they are given opportunities to process it. I find myself rushing my students through the teaching process without giving them opportunities to think about and consider the new information. Many students process information in a deeper and better way when they are involved with their peers in a discussion. Give your students opportunities to process information with these strategies.   

I hope that you have found a new strategy that you can add to your teacher toolbox! Hopefully you can implement a new strategy for pairing, sharing, processing, or checking for understanding.  

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Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah