I'm looking for fun ideas/activities that you've tried in your classroom.
2006-06-08 07:53:07 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
All of your ideas are great! Keep them coming! They will really come in handy! Thanks!
2006-06-20 06:53:56 · update #1
I always thought that fun things were great to do with whole class readings with books.... but too much can be found on the web that does their thinking and answering for them --- even this site has kids asking for answers to books they are suppose to have read.
They need to know how to understand and apply what is being learned. Real life writing and comprehension for jobs or college.
In my career working with HS kids I found that most couldn't understand the basics to living their own lives... SO....
Having them read the newpaper or navigate the web to find a job, fill out applications, WRITE cover letters, resumes, ect.. employers look for those who can clearly express themselves.
Having them do the same to find a place to live, then research the company and price for all utilities, including their cell phones and internet (don't forget to include all the costs for downloads of ring tones, music, etc.)
Having them make a budget for all their expenses... including those that mom, dad, or other caregivers pay for (car, ins, medical etc)
Don't forget haircuts, highlights, nails, health and beauty supplies. Don't forget toilet paper, etc....
Movies, fast food, stops for a soda, etc.... all adds up!
Do they actually know how much food costs to feed them for a month.... what would they give up to meet budget?
Maybe keep track of little expenses for a month.. soda, candy bars, movies, DVD rentals, gas ....
Having them estimate yearly earnings - % taken from gross...then try to fill out a tax form (requires lots of comprehension for this!)
Class discussion (or write a paper) about if any have a new appreciation for their caregivers or any eye-opening experience with the actual cost their caregivers have of supporting them, or of the amount that they spend on "little" things during the month.
Write a paper about what they learned from the experience and how it will help them in the future.
2006-06-08 08:24:55 · answer #1 · answered by curious 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am a Special Ed major and the oldest kids I worked with were 14, but I do have some ideas for you.
You can allow the students one extra credit point for every grammar error they see in a publication, like a mass mailing or even their English book. Or, in a similar way, you can collect materials that you know have errors and they can fix them. It helps students become more cognizant of errors in their own writing.
Another idea to teach vocabulary is to have them write a story using all their vocabulary words. This tends to be a lot of fun for most students, and it is good practice at using vocabulary words in context.
2006-06-09 11:47:07 · answer #2 · answered by secret name 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a substitute teacher several years ago I found that the more relevant English assignments were to the real lives of students, the more interested they were in it. In one class, while they were reading "Othello," for example, I tied it into the on-going O.J. Simpson trial by writing "O.J.ELLO" on the board and seeing how the students would react. That got a few laughs. One of my favorite assignments as an actual student was creating a newspaper in the style of whatever play or period we were studying. The most fun was coming up with cartoons or advertisement that also applied to the play/period. I met someone a few years ago who did group poetry by having students draw rocks with words on them out of a basket and then they had to write poetry using those words as a theme or a title or in the poems themselves.
2006-06-08 16:59:59 · answer #3 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scrabble Fridays were always a hit in my classes. I allowed them to "cheat" by using the dictionary.
They get to learn new words, practice using the dictionary, and strategy. I would ask them for their best word at the end of the game, and the definition.
WARNING: "gay" and "f@g" will show up on every board. I ignored it.
2006-06-18 11:56:40 · answer #4 · answered by Robsthings 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One good idea for vocabulary is to associate words with colors
For eg: Use Red pen for writing words which express negative emotions, green pen fo words with positive meanings and yellow/white for neutral words.
Eg: Ebullient (means high spirited/very happy) - Use green pen
Sarcastic - Use red pen
2006-06-08 15:00:40 · answer #5 · answered by Great Guy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not an English teacher but i have recommended this website to English teachers: readwritethink.org
2006-06-08 15:23:38 · answer #6 · answered by bristow 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use the words of popular songs to show correct (and incorrect) grammar.
2006-06-08 14:59:38 · answer #7 · answered by tracy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
same-language subtitling on movies has been shown as a great way to learn languages!
2006-06-08 14:58:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask your students to start blogs.
2006-06-08 14:56:15 · answer #9 · answered by Jeremy M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋