Teach Middle East Magazine Issue 1 Volume 3 Sep-Oct 2015 | Page 37

read it and decide whether it is true or false. The statement can then be placed in a corresponding hoop – true/false or agree/disagree, etc. This can help reinforce prior knowledge by providing questions they SHOULD know, or introduce new concepts that begin to rev their critical thinking engines. Graphic Organizers Most teachers are familiar with the KWL Chart (three circles in which to write what we know, what we want to know and what we have learned) but there are a number of other graphic organizers that can also be effective starters. For instance, you could start with a letter writing graphic organizer, which could lead to a writing lesson or perhaps a history lesson, as you write a letter to an historic figure. Another innovative graphics organizer could be one that shows procedures to follow which lends itself well to science lessons. The Answer Is What Is the Question: In this starter, the students see the answer on the board, perhaps a picture as well. For example, the answer is water. There is a picture of water on the board. The students must come up with questions in which the answer would be water. Perhaps they will ask, ‘What fills the ocean?’ or ‘What is 60 per cent of our body made up of?’ Odd One Out The student will look at, for example, four pictures or four numbers. Three of which have something in common and one is the odd one out. This exercise could work as low as the KG objectives (i.e. three capital letters and one lower case) all the way up to cycles 2 and 3 (i.e. which one is not a prime number?) The Memory Game The students are shown a picture with many things in it or a list of several words. The catch is they are shown it for just a few seconds. The students are then asked to recall what they saw and write it down. Game Shows Nearly every game show that has appeared on TV can be converted into a classroom starter. Imagine using key vocabulary words for a game of Wheel of Fortune, draw something related to the lesson (Pictionary), answer questions about previously learned material (Jeopardy, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), try to move things with different types of force in just one minute (Minute To Win It), or teaching money, math or estimation (The Price Is Right). The options are numerous. Give some of these a try, modify them for your grade level and keep those young, agile minds engaged.