Think! Play! Write!
Differentiate writing & grammar instruction through games.
Poor grammar is everywhere...
...while it is funny....
...it's no wonder our kids are confused!
Choose groups of 4 (Table groups)
• Students pick up two additional random snowballs and toss them.
• After tossing three snowballs, students pick up a fourth snowball, read it, and share it with their group of four.
• Cooperative groups evaluate their four analogies and select the best to share with the class.
How can you use that snowball activity with your students?
You can get your own template here:
or...
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Writer, Eric Jensen says that we discard 98% of everything that comes into our brains.
It's about the thinking!
Berryism:
If you can think it, you can say it.
If you can say it, you can write it.
Whose TEK is this anyway?
Discuss at your table:
What do you think?
What if they are pre-writers?
Drawing & speaking come before writing.
Appreciate their Approximations!
A learner must be able to connect to what is being taught!
Choice is important!
The first key to writing is to write!
What was I supposed to remember again???
Bite-sized Writing Instruction is best!
* Every writing activity does NOT have to go through all stages of the writing process.
"We don't write in that class... we use index cards." 10th grade student
Chunk & Check!
Students need practice without penalty!
How important is practice? It takes 24 times to acquire a skill!
Mix it up & spiral the practice!
It takes 20 hours of deliberate practice to show mastery!
Frequent retrieval is necessary!
If it feels like play, it is!!
How can this activity provide differentiation for your special needs students?
Info shots - Write Around
I created this game based on sample analogy patterns for Infoshots – Created by Gretchen Bernabei
Musical Chairs - Write Around
Let's try it with the info shots. Think about your subject area. If you teach social studies maybe you want the students to describe the Texas Revolution.
The music stops and the student is near poster #3.
The student could write: Sam Houston can be described as a leader.
The music plays again and the student is near poster #7.
The student could write: A group of volunteers transforms into an army.
.... and so on.
You could also use dice with the info shots.
Gamify the Grammar!
Turn & Talk - How could you use that activity to differentiate for your students?
24 hour Google History
This activity can be quick and entertaining:
1. Thimbles
2. How to remove blood stains from fabric.
3. DIY sewing machines
The Proper Noun Taboo Game
How could you use Taboo in the content areas?
Discover Adjectives through mentor texts!
Ask students what they notice.
Application!!
Because learning doesn’t usually stick the first time, students need multiple opportunities and a variety of experiences that provide both the time and the context for the ideas to be internalized. All the studies show that we remember very little of what we read and a whole lot of what we do. In light of this research, which is more effective? Reading and lecturing or creating a real-world simulation?
USE THE STUDENTS' OWN WRITING TO TEACH & REINFORCE THE SKILLS!
Students need to do, to participate, and to create!
Grammar Proofs & Star Points
Give them an audience and you give them reason to produce quality work!
Allow them to contribute and/or manage the class blog.
The Grammar Olympics
Have the students create the games!
It's not about what we are putting down, but about what they're picking up! (Berryism)
When students learn the material for themselves, it becomes their learning, not our teaching, and because it is their learning, they own it. They will remember it, they will be able to apply it, and they will be able to use it as the foundation for new learning and creating.