HTAV MIDDLE YEARS CONFERENCE:10 TOMORROW STRATEGIES

Kathryn D’Elia

Goulburn Valley Grammar School

deliak@gvgs.vic.edu.au

1. THE DEBBIE GAME

Egypt Introduction To History Medieval Britain Medieval Japan ShowBiz

Variations/Ways I Use

EGYPT

Hieroglypics Papyrus Pharaoh Rosetta stone Nile River

The Debbie Game

INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

Primary Source Century Ancient History Archaeologist Hypothesis

The Debbie Game

MEDIEVAL BRITAIN

Feudal System Knights Jousting Drawbridge Peasants

The Debbie Game

MEDIEVAL JAPAN

Emperor Samurai Shogun Daimyo Kyoto

The Debbie Game

SHOWBIZ

Kate Middleton Glee Hollywood Morgan Freeman Nicole Kidman

The Debbie Game

VARIATIONS/WAYS I USE

Don’t want only 2 or 4 students involved at once

So, I set it up on Smartboard and pairs are working through the words

Then pairs swap position I walk around and assess student

understanding Assess more, test less!

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/bomb-countdown/

2. THE 4-STEP VOCAB ATTACK: STEP 1

List of vocab words on cards Example: ..\7 Humanities\EGYPT\egypt

vocab set ALL.docx Game 1 – “Debbie Game” – words on card, in

partners. Get 2 minutes each, count down on smartboard. Person 1 has to explain concept without using the word. Person 2 has to guess word. If can’t get it, pass. See how many you can get in 2 minutes then swap.

3. THE 4-STEP VOCAB ATTACK: STEP 2

Part 2 – write down the words you didn’t get. Come up with an image or symbol (no words) to help you remember it.

4. THE 4-STEP VOCAB ATTACK: STEP 3

Part 3 – in your partners, write on each card a MAXIMUM of 5 words to describe the concept or help remember it. Collect and keep these cards.

5. THE 4-STEP VOCAB ATTACK: STEP 4

Game 2 – “Taboo” – use cards previously created by kids. This time, they cannot use the word or any of the 5 other words on the card to explain the concept. Again, write down the ones you don’t get and create symbols or images to remember them.

6. LINE UP

LINE UP STRATEGY – get students to line up on continuum of a topic (eg I think Mungo Man’s remains should be returned to the Aboriginal community). Break line in half and have them line up with a partner (extreme to extreme for good class, moderate to extreme if worried!) then begin the strategy. Line 1 speaks for 30 seconds. Line 2 gets 15 seconds to repeat back what partner said (NOT respond, just paraphrase); then swap. Ask at end – what did I take out of this/learn/consider about another perspective?

7. CONCEPT CHECK

Inside-Outside Circle. Kids in 2 groups. Inner circle has a question card with answer on it. Outside circle get asked question and respond. 30 seconds. Then move on. You stand in middle to monitor understanding (or have a know-it-all in middle for you!) Question askers report back if there were any questions that gave significant problems.

8. CELEBRITY HEADS WITH VOCAB WORDS

Who Am I = doesn’t have to be people…. Archaeologist; Strata; etc

Celebrity Heads Card Game – make a set of cards with a person or a concept on them – eg feudalism; crop rotation; William the Conqueror; black plague; the Pope; castles.

Student A chooses card (without showing it to anybody), Student B figures out who they are asking only yes/no questions.

Keeps whole class engaged

9.EXPERT SHOWCASE GROUP WALK

Groups are working on a particular problem or issue (may be same or different between groups)

Once time is up, one student stays behind, rest of group moves clockwise around room.

Student left behind is the ‘expert’ who must explain to other groups

Can rotate expert; can have group return to expert and explain what they have seen.

Worth experimenting with expert role – give to weakest student to consolidate knowledge.

10.WHICH ONE DOESN’T BELONG & WHY?

Centimetre Metre Inch Gram

Black plague Witchcraft Heresy Theft

• Australia• England• Japan• United States

11. ANALOGY ACTIVITIES ANALOGY ACTIVITY -Pick a word AND EXPLAIN THINKING.

Rhythm is to music as ………………. is to flower.

Time is to watch as …………………… is to …………………………..

King is to Prime Minister as …………………. is to ………………………

England is to Wales as …………………… is to …………………………..

Pharaoh is to Peasant as …………………………is to ……………………

Historians are to …………………. as ……………….. are to ………………

12. CHANGE THE FORM

Take any piece of writing – a newspaper article; information from text; movie etc – and write in a different form: eg recipe; comic strip; flow-chart; narrative; poem; song....

Difficult but really helps information “stick”.

13. CHALKWALK

Activity involves several topics on large paper (eg causes of WWI – imperialism, militarism etc).

Students walk between paper and silently write on these.

Encourages quieter students to contribute.

Can then turn into a generate, sort, connect.

14. GROUP INFORMATION REVIEW

To START a lesson In small groups, Person 1 speaks for 1 minute

about a particular aspect of a topic (eg the spread of the plague)

Person 2 adds to this for 30 seconds Person 3, 4, 5 add to this for 30 seconds. Then Person 2 begins a new subtopic (eg the

decline of feudalism around the time of the plague)

Continues on…. Good refresher of information