Tip & Tease

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D

Tip: Use Collective Knowledge

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So is time. By asking your table groups to record everything they already know about the subject at the beginning of a new unit, you’ll learn what they’ve already learned. Thus you can make some quick, if subtle, adjustments to the plans for the day.

This activity will take at least 15 minutes (minus reports), depending on the size of the group. If it’s the beginning of the school year, participants will have a chance to get to know others in their table group and then can introduce themselves via a report that highlights the collective knowledge they possess.

Brainteaser: Improve Concentration

More of a brain-improver, this exercise develops both concentration and rapid thinking. Take five (or ten, for a real challenge) words of five letters each (more, or fewer, depending on the age of your students). Separate the letters in each word and combine them (first + first, second + second, et cetera), as shown below. Have students exchange papers and partner up. Then time them, encouraging them to better their “score” each time they switch papers with a new partner.

Option: Declare as “winner” the student who finishes first.

1. [c a] [a s] [r s] [p u] [e r] [t e]

2. [r p] [e e] [c n] [o c] [r i] [d l]

3. [d h] [a o] [n u] [c s] [e e] [r s]

4. [a f] [n i] [k n] [l g] [e e] [s r]

5. [c s] [o t] [u a] [p p] [o l] [n e]

Answers:

1. carpet” and “assure”

2. “record” and “pencil”

3. “dancer” and “houses”

4. “ankles” and “finger”

5. “coupon” and “staple”