Please look at the following key for the slides opposite:

Starters and Plenaries = S and PStarters = SPlenaries = PMini-plenaries = MP

Starters, Mini-Plenaries & Plenaries

Toolkit Resources

Question CatchThe teacher throws a bean bag

when asking questions. This makes questioning a kinaesthetic activity and can engage pupils who don’t normally volunteer to answer. You can give the pupil the option of throwing the ball to someone else if they don’t know the answer. It can also be played in teams. The teacher throws the bean bag to each team in turn. If the person who catches it can answer the question, they score 3 points for their team. If they can’t, they throw it to another team to score 2 points, if they can’t it is thrown again for 1 point.

Think, Pair, Share

Pupils write down as many answers or ideas they can think of on their own (Think). They then pool their ideas with a partner (Pair), and finally the teacher opens up the discussion for contributions from the class as a whole (Share).

Heads TogetherThis is an excellent way of promoting

discussion and dialogue (strategy 2) in your classroom, and moving away from the ‘Hands Up / Relying on 1 Person’ approach. 1. Put pupils into groups of 4 with each pupil numbered 1 to 4. 2. You then ask a question which the pupils discuss in their groups. Once they have been given sufficient thinking time, they write their answer on a mini-whiteboard and share with the class.

You can use points to increase the sense of competition. You then repeat the process with increasingly difficult questions.

1. Divide into groups. Each group numbers its members from 1-4 or 1-5, depending on group size.2. Teacher poses a question, think time is given, teacher then says 'Heads together.' 3. Pupils stand up and lean into the centre of the table to decide upon the answer verbally. 4. When they all know the answer they sit down. When all teams are sat down you can tell that the whole class is ready. 5. Spin your spinner to choose a number (or merely say any number from 1-4 or 1-5. The pupil from each team must pick up the whiteboard and pen on their table and write the answer and stand up. This must be done in silence. 6. Give a signal and each team shows you their answer at the same time. A team point can be awarded for each right answer.

Classtools Fruitmachine random number picker

1. Divide into pairs.2. Write three statements, one of which is false.3. Give your 2 true and 1 false statement to another pair.4. Second pair reads and discusses the statements, guessing which statement is false.

Students work together in groups of three:

The SPEAKER explains the topic (or expresses their opinion on an issue) as directed by the teacher.The QUESTIONER listens carefully and asks for clarification or further detail.The NOTE-TAKER observes this process and provides feedback to both "speaker" and "questioner".

(A "numbered heads" approach can be used to allocate roles - and these roles can be rotated (either now or subsequently).)

Listening

Triangles

Student 1 has half the information on a piece of paper.

Information Gap

Student 2 has the other half on a piece of paper.

Pairs come together to teach each other their half (without showing it on the paper)

Pairs feed back to the class.

Qu

Question Envelopes

Write 2-3 questions (related to the learning objectives) on envelopes. Do multiple copies of each so that each student will have one to work on. Distribute, so that each student has one. Give 2 minutes per envelope: student records name and answer on a post-it note; students pass envelope on after 2 minutes until all 2-3 questions are answered by all. Collect in and read some responses (anonymously); class responds to accuracy of answer.

Participants are given a list of issues and asked to discuss and agree which are the most important items. Each item is placed on a large, diamond-shaped grid. The most important item is usually placed in the top of the diamond and the least important at the bottom of the diamond. Items in each row are of equal importance. (Some groups prefer to put the most important card in the centre - either approach is fine, as it's the discussion surrounding the group's decisions that is important.) The diamond shape enables the group to encompass a range of priorities and perspectives.

Diamond 9

The classroom could have a question box where students drop questions at the end of a lesson. These are then addressed at

the start of the next lesson.

Question Box

Students write Questions

For example –

·About what you would like to know on a new topic·To ask the teacher or other students in order to assess their learning ·To demonstrate learning/misconceptions/areas you would like to further explore

Lower ability students can be encouraged to ask "What" questions and higher ability to ask "What would happen if..." questions)

Wait time allows students time to think and therefore to produce answers. Also, not everyone in the class thinks at the same speed or in the same way – waiting allows students to build their thoughts and explore what has been asked.

2 types of wait time:

·Teacher speaks and then waits before taking student responses.·Student response ends and then teacher waits before responding. This gives the student space to elaborate or continue – or for another student to respond.

Wait Time

Traffic LightsUse traffic lights as a visual means of showing understanding.

e.g. ·Students have red, amber and green cards which they show on their desks or in the air. (red = don’t understand, green = totally get it etc.)

·Students self-assess using traffic lights. The teacher could then record these visually in their mark book.

·Peer assess presentations etc. with traffic lights

Articulate then AnswerGive students the

opportunity to articulate their thinking before answering –

·30 seconds silent thinking before any answers·Brainstorm in pairs first for 2-3 minutes·Write some thoughts down before answering·Discuss with your neighbour first

Tell your neighbourStudents ‘tell their neighbour’ as a

means of articulating their thoughts.

·Ask a question, give thinking time and then ask students to tell

their neighbour their thoughts.

·Tell students what the new topic is and then ask them to tell their neighbour everything they know about it.

ThumbsCheck class understanding of what you are teaching by asking them to show their thumbs.

Thumbs up = I get it

Thumbs half way = sort of

Thumbs down = I don’t get it

Idea Thoughts

When you have received an answer to a question, open up the thinking behind it by asking what others think about the idea.

e.g. “What do others think about _________’s idea?”

Basketball QuestioningBounce answers around the room

to build on understanding and have students develop stronger reasoning out of misconceptions.

E.g.“Jimmy, what do you think of Sandra’s answer?”

“Sandra, how could you develop Carl’s answer to include more detail?”

“Carl, how might you combine all we’ve heard into a single answer?”

Make laminated, student-friendly assessment criteria cards.

Laminated Criteria

A B C D

Laminate a set of cards so every member of the class has four, with A,B,C and D written on them. Ask questions with four answers and pupils can show you their answer.

Encourage them not to look at other people’s response so as to copy.

A

B

C

D

E

F

Working with a partner, rank the following factors in terms of _____________ e.g. value,importance

Alphabet Line

We need 5 volunteers for our starter / plenary!

Using consecutive letters of the alphabet they need to come out to the front & take it in turns to shout out key words linked to

our topic __________________

It's very easy - if we were doing the Middle Ages, you could start with

A - ArrowB - BattleC - Conqueror

Alphabet Line

Topic:_______________________________________

What do I know?(starter activity)

What would I like to know?(starter activity)

What have I learnt?(plenary)

True or False: Test your knowledge of the lesson so far by deciding whether the following

statements are true or false

Test your Knowledge:are the following statements

TRUE or FALSE?

You have 30 seconds for each...

Tell your partner one fact from your research.

Turn to your new partner and tell him/her your old partner's fact.

Discuss whether you think it's accurate.

Write down any accurate information you think we need to

know for this topic.

Ten Questions!Your teacher will select one

student and put a post-it note with a keyword on their forehead - they have ten questions to ask the class to which they can only

reply YES or NO!

BOTH

Write down everything you know under the right heading:

Starter: Your challenge today is to make as many small words from our key word today which is

_________________________________________

ConstantinopleConstantinople

How did you do?

Excellent: 10 words or more

Good: 8 words or more

Not Bad: 6 words or more

Mystery Object - Write down 5 questions about this object:

DO NOT ASK: What is it?

INSERT IMAGE HERE

Living Photographs

Create a freeze frame from one of these images:

Place images here

What is the "bigger picture"? What can't we see?Imagine you are the _______ in Picture _______ . What would you be thinking?

CA B

Green hat - CreativityWhat ideas do I have?What alternatives can I come up with?Write down things that are new and different. Blue hat - Overview

What have I discovered?What is still left to discover?How can I discover it?Have I worn all of the hats?Write down your overall view.

Yellow hat - PositivesWhat are the good points?What are the benefits?What do I like?Write down the positives.

Red hat - HunchesWhat is my gut reaction?What do my instincts tell me?Write down what you think.

Black hat - NegativesWhat are the bad points?What are the problems?What don’t I like?Write down the negatives.

White hat - FactsWhat information do I have?What information do I need to get?Write down only what you know.

De Bono's Thinking Hats: 6 ways to look at this text/picture/research/ (delete not applicable)

Use the blue hat for feedback after all other groups

Washing Line

Arrange these words from to

Fill in the missing words, using the example as a guide:

Metal is to Car as ..............is to Furniture.

Wood

_____ is to ______ as ..............is to _______.

Teacher to input subject-related analogies

_____ is to ______ as ..............is to _______._____ is to ______ as ..............is to _______._____ is to ______ as ..............is to _______.

Speed Dating!Sit with a partner - one of you must sit facing the

whiteboard and the other facing the opposite way

The first person has only 30 seconds to describe the key word(s) featured below before moving onto their next partner - your teacher will keep

writing down the keyword to be explained

Your keyword is:

Post-it Note

Groups

A B

CD

Here's how it works:

1. Each group is given a worksheet. They read the question/topic and add facts on Post-its to answer this (in 2 minutes).2. When the time's up, they pass the worksheet clockwise to the next group and start adding Post-its to their new sheet.3. The task is completed when all groups have added notes to all sheets.

REMEMBER:

You may not repeat any facts or

information that has already

been added by

another group.

You have one minute to explain each of the following key words from today's lesson, without using the word itself:

USE SCREEN SHADE OVER KEY WORDS NOT DONE YET

USE THIS SLIDE WHEN YOU ARE DOING THE PLENARY AS A WHOLE CLASS

Just a Minute!Using the words in your envelopes, you have one minute to explain the key

words from today's lesson, to the 2 other people in your group:

USE THIS SLIDE WHEN YOU ARE DOING THE PLENARY IN GROUPS

Without using the word itself

One key word out of the envelope at a time

The first person to guess, is next to choose a key word and explain it to the others!

Topic Tennis

Score: 1 point every time the other person can't think of the next word

OR use Tennis scoring (15 - love, deuce, etc)

You have been grouped into 3s: 2 players and a scorer/scribe

When I say the topic, 2 of you take it in turns to say words related to that topic, until one of you can't go.

The 3rd person notes down the words and decides the score.

Sentence Finish

Complete the following sentence: Today I learnt.....

When you come to the front you will be

asked to say your sentence and your classmates will ask

you questions to test your knowledge

about what you have learnt.

Some question stems for testing someone's knowledge

Why....How do you know that...What evidence do you have for...What do you think....Do you agree that.....Can you explain....What would you have to do in order to....

The Room is a Map!

door

windows

The class has been labelled with grid references from a map. Using the grid references provided, see if you can find a specific location in the room.

Indicate grid references here

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

Noughts and Crosses

Rules:1. Team 1 (Noughts) chooses a number from the grid.2. Teacher reads question related to that number.3. Team 1 answer correctly: get nought in that square. Team 1 answer incorrectly: Team 2 (Crosses) gets chance to answer question and get a cross in that square.

Rules

Pupil 1: announces the day's main headlines (ie

stage of cycle, event), providing a

"dong" of a bell sound between each

one

Pupil 4: witness who is interviewed by

the roving reporter

Pupil 3: roving reporter;

provides the details of the story while

broadcasting from where the event is

taking place

Pupil 2: newsreader in the television studio; summarises the main news story

Roving ReporterIn your groups you will be recreating a TV news broadcast for ............

(eg water cycle, battle of Hastings, etc)

Ready...Steady...Teach! You will each be given a

bag of "goodies" to help you teach your given

topic. You have 5 minutes to plan the

activity.

Pupil 1: you will have the questions with the answers on the back. Ask each one without giving clues. Only give clues when it is clear pupil 2 cannot give you a full answer.

Pupil 2: you will answer the questions in full. If you cannot answer a question, you can ask for a clue.

Coach Player

Each one of you must write down 5 questions related to what you have learnt today. Each question must start with a different question word:

WhatWhoWhenWhereWhyHowWhat would happen if....

Groups of 4: ·Leader reads questions given to your group·Group members write answers on mini-whiteboards and hold thumb up to indicate they are ready·Leader says "Showdown" and all reveal answers·Discuss misconceptions in groups (if still no consensus, feed back to whole class

Individuals:Write down 5 questions (one on each card, with the answer on the back) to ask your classmates.

Swap your cards with another group

Heads Together·Discuss the answer to your question quietly so your neighbours don't hear·Your teacher will then select a number 1 - 4·Whoever matches that number will be called upon to answer·A great way of ensuring discussion and differentiation takes place

Show Me!Here are some sentences with a selection of words to

choose from. When I count to 3, hold up your mini-whiteboard with the right word for each sentence.

We'll do each sentence one at a time.

Practice: The pupil what/who/which gets the most correct

answers will win a prize.

Let's go!1.2.3.4.5.

Which is the odd one out?

Why? Use this sentence in your

answer: Both... and ... are ...., whereas ....

is .....

A B C

What is the difference between these two?

Why? Use this sentence in your

answer: ... is ..., whereas .... is .....

A B

Insert images or key words here

Memory GameHere are the key words we have learnt today/ over the last few lessons.You have 2 minutes to memorise

them.

You will then need to recall them from memory in a limited time in your groups/pairs.

Prizes for the most right answers - correct word and correct spelling!

Insert keywords here

Memory GameHere is the sequence of events we have learnt today/ over the last few

lessons.You have 2 minutes to memorise the sequence.

You will then need to recall them from memory in a limited time in your groups/pairs.

Prizes for the group who gets the sequence right first!

Memory GameYou have been divided into groups.

You will need to think about the following:

·What strategies are you using for remembering the diagram and the text?·How are you organising yourselves to work effectively?·What are you finding easiest or most difficult about the task?

When I say "Go!", one person from your group must come up to my table

and try and memorise as much as they can of the map/diagram/chart/packaging/storyboard/painting/graph/sequence (delete not

applicable)

before going back to the group to record the information.

Rules:

1. Only one person from each group out of their seats at any time.2. You may not write down anything when you are at the table.3. You may not shout information to your group when you are at the table.

Memory SequenceA good way to remember a sequence is through repetition.

The cycle/sequence/series we will be memorising today is: _______________________

Pupil 1: Firstly.........................................Pupil 2: Firstly...................................... Then............................Pupil 3: Firstly...................................... Then............................ After that.........................Pupil 4 onwards : Start at beginning and add another point.

Who can complete the cycle/sequence/series?

Here's how it works:

Classroom Object ModelsEach group is going to reproduce the cycle/system/map (delete not applicable)allocated to

them, using objects in the box.

Things to consider:

·What shape should the cycle have?·What can we use to depict this shape?·How will we represent the main points?

Adding Detailed Ideas

In teams you are going to be extending sentences to show off your newfound knowledge. The team with the best sentence, ie accurate and detailed, wins the prize!

Example Original Sentence: The Second World War started in 1939.

Example Extended Sentence: The Second World War, which occurred between 1939 and 1945, started when the Germans invade Poland

and Britain declared war on Germany

Guess the Question....Here are some answers to questions.

What are the questions?

1 2 3 4

5

6

789

10

Topic Key WordsWhich of these words are related to

________________________________?Word Bank Our Topic

Place topic words here, with unrelated words in between as "red herrings"

Key words will be dragged here

Attachmentsfruit_machine.htm