A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively
engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.
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Phase:
Before/Engage, After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:
1. Students will be divided into groups of four to six.
2. Each group will be given a set of A-Z Paper Plates.
3. The teacher will discuss expectations (noise level, scoring, participation, etc.)
4. The teacher will explain the following rules:
The answer must be formed so that the teacher can read it from left to right.
The answer must be spelled correctly.
If the answer requires multiples of the same letter, the students must move from spot to spot (in order) Ex. The desired answer is BABY. The student holding the B must, while the teacher/judge is watching, either move their body from the 1st B position to the 2nd B position or pass the B plate to another student who is standing ready in the 2nd B position.
The teacher will observe the first group that signals they are ready. If they are not correct the teacher will move to the next group until someone gets the answer.
5. The teacher will display questions/prompts for the students.
Plural/Possessive Nouns-Ex. I need the plural form of the word CHILD. Students would spell CHILDREN. I need the singular possessive form of BUSH. Students would spell BUSHES.
Regular/Irregular Verbs-Ex. Please complete the following sentence. The players have _______ (play) their last game. Students would spell PLAYED. She ______ (see) an airplane yesterday. Students would spell SAW.
Parallel Structure-Ex. Change the underlined word to create a parallel sentence structure. I enjoy golfing, reading, to cook, and hiking. Students would spell COOKING.
6. The teacher can pull questions from any appropriate source, i.e. the text, internet, tests, teacher-created materials, etc. to find appropriate questions.
Assessment Strategies:
The teacher will ensure each team is spelling each word correctly and the correct form of verbs and nouns are used.
Advanced Preparation:
The teacher will need to supply the following materials: 1 package of 150+ white paper or styrofoam plates (8" or larger).
Plates will be divided into stacks of 27. Each stack will contain a plate labeled with each letter of the alphabet (A-Z) and one apostrophe. Use a different color marker to label each set as it will be easier to manage later. (Those colors may serve as team names.)
Write each letter on the plate using a clear, bold print.
Variation Tips (optional):
Number sets could be created for math problems.
Upper and lowercase sets could be created (or a "capitalizer" plate) to review capitalization rules (proper nouns).
These plates can be used for reviewing any subject or grade level content. You could ask a question and have the teams spell out the correct answer for science, history, math, etc.
Younger students could use plates to practice spelling or vocabulary words.
Since students are reviewing in teams, you could award bonus points for the winning team(s) or you could give points for participation.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
Students will quickly learn that they must work together to spell the answers in order (especially if multiples of a letter is involved) and that they should communicate quietly to avoid being overheard.
Students will get very creative while trying to devise ways to answer faster than the other groups.
Expect intense competition.
For more durable plates, you could use vinyl lettering, etc. on styrofoam instead of markers on paper.