Some of the best ideas I have come up with as a teacher have been on the spot. If a reformer gets their hands on this, they can cart it out as further evidence that there are bad teachers abound. Thinking on your feet, not preparing every moment of your time with the kids using a painstaking formula which includes critical thinking, test prep and exit tickets is clearly why we as a nation are failing to compete with Finland or Japan. We all know that. Gates is still working on the magic formula.The Danielson model is being put into place to make sure bad teachers like me are rooted out and punished. We can all learn from the Salem Witch Trial. The hunt continues. Enough said! Following is a collection of my best filler activities. Activities that keep an over crowded classroom calm, activities that were often carted out in desperation, activities that turned out to be fun and interesting despite the fact that I hadn't thought them through, that I hadn't figured out what exactly my goal was, ones that showed their worth after the fact in a pleasant surprise that can come from a little spontaneity. Please use what I came up with and add your ideas to the list. Just don't let this get in the hands of those witch hunters. To be continued
One of my favorites which I call 30 sentence challenge. It is very simple and I do it in rooms that range from new language learners to 5th grade readers. I teach deaf and hard of hearing students in a public high school. Using 30 common words, write 30 sentences. Everyone can do it and it's amazing how much students reveal about themselves.
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