8 First Day of School MUSTS!

Starting your year off right is a MUST!  I like to make my students' first day of school rich with information but also fun and memorable.  Here are some of my MUST-DO first day of school activities:

1. Hold a Class Meeting

I still remember taking a special ed class in college and my wonderful professor talking about holding class meetings with her students.  This is something I've taken away with me ever since and have used class meetings on the first day of school for the last 10 years.  The kids and I absolutely love them, and I really think these meetings help to set the tone for the year to come.

Here's How:

Have your students sit in a large circle on the floor (sometimes it turns out looking more like an oval, but that's fine).  Explain the rules to the kids.  My rules are as follows:

1.  You may only talk when you have the stuffed animal in your hand.
2.  You do not have to share, but you must listen.
3.  You may not have any private conversations.

Pose a question or prompt

My favorite question to start with is "What would your dream teacher be like?"  I usually start off the conversation with my stuffed chihuahua in hand, and then I pass the chihuahua clockwise.  As students share their responses, I jot down each answer in a personal notebook or post it on the Smartboard.  Jotting responses in a notebook allows me to keep a record of what my students really love in a teacher.
Next, I like to tell students to "Describe your dream classroom."  Again, this gives me a glimpse into what my students like in a classroom community.  This is such valuable information!  Sometimes I guide the conversations a bit if I see my kids are stuck on the same types of answers.  For example, I might ask something like, "Do you like hands on activities?  Do you like to listen to music while working?"
Not only is a class meeting great to hold on the first day of school, but it's also helpful to use when starting off the week, addressing certain problems occurring inside or outside of the classroom, or as a sort of pep talk before important tests or events.

2.  Use Cooperative Learning Structures to Teach Routines and Procedures

Even if you're not big on using cooperative learning in the classroom, it's still great to have your students prepared and ready to participate in different structures should the time come.  One of the first ways to do this is to make sure your students know which table group and seat number they're sitting at.  I like to make it sort of a game/challenge to point to each group one at a time and see if they know which table, and later, seat number they're at.  Then, I speed up my pointing and go out of order to try to trick the students.  They love it as I point faster and faster and try to mix them up!

In my room, students sit in table groups of anywhere from 4-6 people.  I number off my front tables from left to right as tables 1, 2, and 3.  The back two tables are numbered 4 and 5.  As far as seat numbers go, I start with the seat closest to the front, farthest to the left and work clockwise.  The more we practice, the better students get at knowing which seat number they are.  For example, I might say, "Person 4, collect all the rulers from your table.  Person 2, clean up the post-it notes."

Now that students know their group and seat number, I can practice a few cooperative learning structures with them as I teach routines and procedures.  You can always start with the tried and true "Think-Pair-Share" where students turn and talk to their shoulder partner.  Students can elaborate on your homework policy, absent work procedures, assignment collection, etc. as they take turns sharing with a partner.  Before you do this, make sure students know who their shoulder partner and face partner are.  This will help you save time down the line without having to worry about students arguing over who's partners with who.

A Round Robin structure is always an efficient way to make sure all students at a table group get the opportunity to share or discuss a topic.  After you teach a procedure, have students take turns around their table or row, sharing the steps of that procedure.  Or, you can ask students to give an opinion, ask a question, share a comment, etc.  The possibilities are endless, and what's so awesome about this structure is all students have to be involved.

Keeping your overview of your routines and procedures student-involved ensures your class is listening to and learning about what's of the utmost importance to you.

Students are participating in a RoundRobin structure.  They are taking turns to share answers from an activity they had just completed.

3. Play a Game to Review Class Routines and Procedures 

As a kid, I remember how excited and nervous I used to get for the first day of school.  I couldn't wait to see my new classroom, meet my new teacher, and become reunited with my friends.  However, I also remember finding myself quite bored as I sat inside the classroom listening to my teacher spatting off the rules, routines, and procedures of my new classroom.  This is why I realized along the way that kids respond much better to learning this new information when things are engaging!  Why not play a game to make sure your pertinent information is sinking in?

Here's How:

1.  Put a list of routines and procedures together that you want your students to know about right from the start of school.  

2.  Now that you've put together a list, create questions about these routines and procedures.  Since I have a Smartboard, I use the Smart Notebook software to create a multiple choice quiz.

3.  Decide how you want your students to answer these questions.  Are they going to work in groups?  Partners?  Independently?  Whole group?
4.  If students are working in groups or with partners, you can have them play a board game at the same time, or simply award table points, a round of applause, a cheer, etc. for correct answers.  I like to use the free game board I found online.

      Board Game:  To play the board game, provide each group with dice.  One dice for each group will suffice.  Put up the first question on the Smartboard.  Person 1 in each group will need to answer the question.  I then check to see that all groups have a thumb up which means they've answered the question.  Next, I reveal the correct answer or poll the class.  If Person 1 gets the answer correct, they get to roll the dice and move ahead on the game board.  If he or she was incorrect, he/she does not get to roll the dice.  Now it's Person 2's turn, and I then move on to question 2 on the Smartboard.  This continues until all questions have been answered.

Sample question I ask my students.  I DO NOT let students use my sharpener! LOL!  Those things are way too expensive! :)

Here's what the game board and game pieces look like.  I like to laminate the boards and little cars.

*** To find free game boards, simply search for "Free Game Boards" on Pinterest or even online.  If you'd like this game board, please email me at: kimberlyssmith10@yahoo.com

4. Engage in a Getting to Know You Ice Breaker

Many kids come back to school nervous and afraid of change and the unknown.  I know I still get that way myself at times, so a good ice breaker is always a fun way to get kids to communicate with others and get to know their classmates a bit better.

I have a few for sale which you can find using the links below.  You can also find many free versions online.  I have a Give One Get One in the first link below, and in the second two links I've bundled various engaging activities which include different ice breakers along with the prompts of Depth and Complexity.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Classbuilding-Find-Someone-Who-1622973”>Back to School Classbuilding Find Someone Who

This bundle introduces each of the original Depth and Complexity icons with the use of a worksheet, activity, or game.  It even includes a "Getting to Know You" page for the first week of school as well as a Give One Get One.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Depth-and-Complexity-and-The-New-Year-2940762”>Depth and Complexity and The New Year

This pack includes lots of fun activities, like the one below, to get your students using and practicing the prompts of Depth and Complexity.  These activities will challenge, yet engage your students even if they have no prior knowledge of Depth and Complexity.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Games-and-Activities-Pack-2645396”>Back to School Depth and Complexity Frames, Games, and Activities Pack

5. Create Your Class Rules Together

If you've read any of my previous blog posts, then you might have figured out that I really love cooperative learning structures! :)  A student favorite is called "Jot Thoughts".  What I like to do on the first day of school is combine Jot Thoughts with the creation of our class rules.  This way, the kids have a buy-in into our rules of the classroom because they feel like they are part of the process--which they are!  The good news is you can totally work your magic and make sure that your most important rules are included in the final draft, even if they weren't mentioned prior.  You are the teacher, after all...  ;)

Here's How:

1. Seat students in small groups.  I like groups of 4-6 kids best.
2. Hand each student a small slip of paper.  I love the colored packs of lined slips from Dollar Tree, but any paper will do.  You can even use lined paper and have students cut or tear it in half, and share the other half with a neighbor.
3. Model how to tear the paper into small pieces large enough for students to be able to write a sentence or command on.  Explain to students that they'll be brainstorming class rules for the classroom and writing each individual rule down on each individual piece of the torn paper.
4.  Explain to students that as they write down their rule, they must state what it is to their teammates so that no one else in the group will come up with the same rule more than once (it will still happen no matter what, but this helps a bit).   For example, a student might write and say, "Raise your hand to speak." After they write the rule down, they will push the piece of paper to the corner of their desk, or you can have the group form one big pile.
5.  When time runs out (you can set a timer), or when you see that most groups are slowing down, you will ask each group to figure out the rules that they think are best and be prepared to share some of them with the rest of the class.
6.  From here, I take turns calling on each group and asking for one rule that hasn't been mentioned yet which they feel should be part of our class.  As each group shares, I record these ideas either on the Smartboard, white board, or a piece of paper.
7.  Finally, after I've heard from each group once or twice, we vote on our top 5-7 rules.  It's up to you how many rules you'd like to have in your classroom, but that's about how many I usually choose.  Again, if you notice the kids forgot something important, you can ask them about it.  For example, "I noticed that we haven't mentioned anything about being on task at all times.  How many of you think this is important for our classroom?"  I then write it on the board.
8.  Sometimes we combine two ideas together if the voting is close and they fit together nicely.
9.  Now you can either write down the rules on your poster while the kids are busy, or wait until after school and post it for the next day. :)

Another way to figure out your class rules is to try this Depth and Complexity Frame FREEBIE!  Not only will your students come up with class rules, but they will also respond to other prompts.  Click on the link below to get your FREEBIE!

Freebie Link:

https://teach2learncoach.blogspot.com/2016/07/back-to-school-depth-and-complexity.html

6. Give Out a Student Interest/Reading Interest Survey

Getting to know your students' likes and dislikes is so imperative, so why not start on the first day of school?  I love to give students an interest survey to get to know them better right off the bat and have something tangible with me that I can refer back to when creating lesson plans and activities.  For example, if I know my students love a certain song, I may play it during transitions or even during Mix-Pair-Share.  If I know my kids love Pokemon, I may mention some of the characters in my math word problems or examples.  The possibilities are endless!

Here's one from Scholastic:

https://teachables.scholastic.com/teachables/books/student-interest-survey-9780439303026_028.html

7. Teach a Quick Lesson About Kindness/Acceptance/Diversity/etc.

This doesn't have to be done on the first day of school, but I feel like it's a great way to build a sense of unity, compassion, and community in the classroom.  My personal favorite is to read the story Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes to my students.  In the story, the main character, a little mouse named Chrysanthemum, gets bullied because of her long and unusual name.  The activity is detailed below.

Here's How:

1. Locate, print, and cut out a picture of Chrysanthemum.

2. Gather a pair of scissors and some tape.

3.  You'll need the book for this part.  You can find a recorded reading of the book on YouTube if you don't have it already. Read the story to your students.  As you read, cut Chrysanthemum with your scissors every time a character makes fun of Chrysanthemum, but don't tell your students why you're doing this.

4.  Each time a character is nice to Chrysanthemum, put a piece of tape on one of her wounds.

5.  When the story's over, explain to your class that even though you covered Chrysanthemum's wounds with tape, they were still visible and don't disappear.  Relate this to the real world to really hit home.
6.  Keep the Chrysanthemum cutout hanging as a reminder about kindness.


Here's a YouTube reading of the story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2pCR8YHszM

8. Close the Day with a FUN Classbuilding Activity

After perusing proteacher.net years ago, I came across an awesome forum all about first day of school activities.  This is where I first learned about the super fun classbuilding activity, "Saving Fred".  I read how students always raved about and remembered this engaging challenge, so I decided to give it a try.  Boy were those teachers right!  On the last day of school, when my students fill out my teacher created yearbook pages, most always list "Saving Fred" as their most memorable moment for the year.
 Kids work in teams (I use table groups) to get Fred, a colorful little gummy worm, back into his life preserver (a gummy saver).  The catch is that the students can only use paperclips and teamwork to make this happen.  To find this activity, simply search "Saving Fred" on Pinterest or on the Web.  You can even find free flow maps students can use to record and illustrate the steps they took to "save Fred".  After each team is finished, we always have a nice talk about teamwork and cooperation.

These are just some of the engaging things you can do on the first day of school.  I'd love to hear some of your ideas too!  Please comment below about your favorite activities for the first day of school. :)

Ecosystem Excitement

When I was younger, I loved learning about ecosystems and biomes.  Now that I'm a teacher, it's one of my favorite things to teach!  With the help of Pinterest, there are so many creative ideas out there.

Ecosystem Foldable and Simultaneous RoundTable

Something my class tried out was an ecosystem foldable.  The kids loved making them, and it was a more exciting way to keep our notes together.  They even had an opportunity to illustrate quick pictures of each ecosystem.  Because I love to use cooperative learning in the classroom, I decided to try a Simultaneous Roundtable with my students.

After their foldables were filled with notes about each ecosystem we were learning about (some was done in class and some assigned for homework), I handed each student a different colored small slip of paper (I love the small packs of colored paper they sell at Dollar Tree).  You can see the small slips of paper in the pictures below. Up on the Smartboard, I had a key that notified students as to what ecosystem their colored slip of paper represented.  For example, if they received a blue slip of paper, they were instructed to write "Freshwater Ecosystem" at the top of the paper.  If they received orange, they wrote "Desert".

After all students wrote the name of the appropriate ecosystem at the top, we were ready to begin the Simultaneous Roundtable.  I next explained the rules and directions of what I expected.  Students were to take one detail from their foldable about the particular ecosystem on their slip of paper, and write it on the small slip of paper.  After recording that detail, they were to pass their slip of paper clockwise.  In return, they would receive another colored slip of paper from the person next to them.  Now they would need to read the title of that paper to know what ecosystem they were supposed to record a detail about.  They also had to make sure they were jotting down a detail that wasn't written down yet.  This continued until I felt students had enough time to fill up each slip of paper.

Once students stopped writing, I called on each table group to share a detail about an ecosystem. If the other table groups didn't have that detail, they then jotted it down on the matching slip of paper.  The kids had a great time, and learned some new facts about ecosystems.  This also helped them to regurgitate what they'd learned and kept them constantly rereading what had already been written about each ecosystem.

Looking for ecosystem activities?  The first link below incorporates Depth and Complexity, and the second pack does not.  The third pack also contains an Adaptations pack.  You can also purchase the frames, games, and activities separately.  Thanks for stopping by!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ecosystem-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Games-and-Activities-2680092

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ecosystem-Comprehension-Questions-Writing-Games-and-Activities-Bundle-2691413

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ecosystems-and-Adaptations-Depth-and-Complexity-Activity-Bundle-2694821

Introduction to Depth and Complexity

Using the prompts of Depth and Complexity in my classroom has really changed my students' thinking as well as my own!  I find myself constantly thinking about the icons when creating lessons in all the content areas.  That's what's so great about these prompts--they can be used across the board and across any grade level!  I've even used them with kindergartners!

When I used to teach 4th grade GATE students (as well as kids who were not identified as GATE), I got pretty lucky because the teacher who had the group of kids before me did a fantastic job introducing the icons and their meanings.  At our school, the GATE kids stay together year after year with the exception of 6-7 who get regrouped.  However, now that I'm teaching a group of 4th grade math kids who are not part of the GATE cluster, I realized that I would have to introduce the prompts to the kids.  I thought it might be best to do this using 1-2 icons at a time.  Another fabulous way to do this is to use a depth and complexity frame.  You could have students answer prompts about their own lives or read a popular story to them and frame the story with different prompts.  You can find a step-by-step tutorial on how I use this with math in my blog post "Using Depth and Complexity Frames in Math."http://teach2learncoach.blogspot.com/2016/07/using-depth-and-complexity-frames-in.html

Here's How:

A great way to do this is to first show the picture of the icon and see what your kids already know about it.  If they have no knowledge about the prompt, then define it.  You're going to want to find a way for your students to make a connection to the icon and it's meaning, so you'll want to discuss why the icon looks the way it does.  For example, the details icon is a flower, so you'll want to explain that each petal contributes to the flower as a whole.  These petals represent the details which make up the big idea.  After you define it, you'll want to link it to something students can relate to.  In other words, something in your students' prior knowledge, or schema.  Let's say I was talking about the "Details" icon, I would first define it, and then ask students to give me details which define who they are.

The next step is to take the new learning and apply it.  Maybe they're sharing these attributes with a partner or group.  Maybe students are participating in a Give One, Get One, where partners exchange details about themselves.  Students could even come up with details to describe other students in the room or something you're studying in class.

Finally, students extend their learning by applying the icon to the real world.  Now that they've given details which define who they are, you might have students pretend to be talk show hosts and interview each other about specific details which make them who they are today.  Another example would be to have students read about someone famous, like Martin Luther King Jr., and highlight or underline the details about his life which made him so special or helped him to become a Civil Rights leader.  You could also show students a video about Dr. King and have them focus specifically on the factors in his childhood which lead to the impact he had on others.

If you're looking for a reference for the icons and their meanings, you can click on any of the links below:
http://kmesgiftednews.edublogs.org/files/2012/11/Kaplan-Depth-and-Complexity-1y4xdgk.pdf
http://www.newdesignfile.com/post_depth-and-complexity-icons-meanings_22376/

Other Ideas:

When my class first started using the icons, I liked to have the kids use them to close read.  For example, when my students were learning about animal and plant adaptations, I had students looking for the details, big ideas and the language of the discipline icons.  We had already discussed each icon at length a bit, but they were still new to each prompt. Finding words like camouflage or mimicry were helpful examples of the language someone working with animals, such as a zoologist, might use to discuss adaptations.  As students would read, they would annotate the text and draw the icons in the margins or by the sentence they found them in.  Afterward, I gave students a blank sheet of paper and asked them to transfer their findings onto the paper.  They could showcase their proof however they'd like.  Below are some examples:

In the next example, my 4th grade students were learning about function tables in math.  After practicing a bit, I gave the students a group project.  The picture below shows the directions I gave.

There wasn't much to my directions, but they did a wonderful job!  Creativity and novelty are key!

After students became more familiar with each of the icons, students were instructed to independently take notes from their science books using the Depth and Complexity icons.  Next, I asked the kids to collaborate with their classmates about what they read in their science books, and perform a Give One Get One.  This allowed students to take turns sharing one thing they wrote down, and they got to see and hear things from their classmate's perspective.  Here are some examples below:

There's so much more you can do!

I've created a pack which includes activities or worksheets for each of the 11 original icons.  There's even a game and reading task cards, too, not to mention depth and complexity frames!  Each icon is introduced with it's very own activity.  This will help students become more familiar with each icon and its meaning.  Some of the activities reference the new year or the past year, but duplicate pages without the year are also included, so the packet can be used again in the future.  You can find out more by clicking on the link below.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Depth-and-Complexity-New-Years-Edition-2940762

I also have a Back to School Freebie!  Click on the link below to see it!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Freebie-2646559

Bullying FREEBIE and Bundle

Bullying is something that goes on far too often in our schools today.  It's a topic that I feel needs to be addressed and taught every year no matter what the age group.

Each year I have always shown my students a great video about bullying on United Streaming, and they seem to really enjoy it.  After the video's over, we talk about our feelings, and we make connections by relating it to our own lives and what we've seen on television.

As I became more familiar with Depth and Complexity, I decided to create a frame on bullying.  When I revisited my old Depth and Complexity frame, I realized it could use some updates, and before I knew it, I had created a whole bundle of frames, games, and activities all about bullying.

Apply the Prompts of Depth and Complexity

In the bundle, you will find three different Depth and Complexity frames with 12 different prompts all about bullying!  These frames are included with and without embedded cooperative learning structures.  More information on how to use these cooperative learning structures is included in my "Depth and Complexity in Math" blog post and in my "Back to School Freebie" post.  Along with the frames, task cards which mimic the prompts, can also be found.  These can be used instead of the frames, or as a way for students to work collaboratively beforehand in order to discuss each prompt.  Furthermore, task cards can be used in cooperative learning structures such as Quiz-Quiz-Trade, which is enjoyable for the students because they get to move about the classroom and talk to each other.

Be Creative

Many different activities regarding bullying are also part of this bundle. Students will draw and write about how to make their school bully free and how one person can change another person's life.  Kids can walk around the room during a Mix-Pair-Share, stopping to talk to their peers about things like: cyber-bullying, making personal connections to bullying, proving to others how destructive bullying can be, and more.  They'll design their own t-shirt and/or pennant using the Depth and Complexity icons and Content Imperatives (a chart is included which explains the meanings or helpful verbs associated with each icon).  Why not give small groups a particular bullying behavior and have kids create some kind of presentation about the behavior?  Bullying behaviors and a presentation page for students to fill out are included.  Students can produce a public service announcement, a short skit, or even something on the computer or iPad (if they have one).  They can design posters, or even write some type of song!  Allow your students to explore their creativity!

Hold Students Accountable

I think sometimes our children don't know they're being mean and lots of times haven't had anyone teach them what's appropriate and what's not.  Hold a discussion with your kiddos about what it means to be different.  When you're different, does that mean you're weird?  Talk about being unique using the "Differing Depths" page.  There's even an activity called "Is it Bullying?" in which students must circle a thumbs up or thumbs down picture and explain why each scenario is or isn't considered bullying.  Students will also role play "What would you do" type scenarios to prepare themselves should those situations ever arise.  Teach students the impact bullying can have on its victims as they look for details, patterns, and changes over time after reading two short student descriptions.

Build Up Self-Esteem

Three activities are included to aide in class building and self-esteem.  One allows students to choose three students to receive a special award who have shown special qualities or characteristics or for doing something positive.  They then get to read what they wrote to each of the three students and even give the student the award if time permits.  The second activity is a way for your class to write kind things to as many different students in the class as possible for as long as you'd like!  Each student will leave school with a paper full of warm fuzzies.  Your students will even banish negative self-talk in order to build a positive growth mindset using the "Banish Bullying...Yourself" page.  You can find this bundle by clicking the link below.  It is also offered without the Depth and Complexity frames, task cards, and games which you can find below too, or there's a set with only the frames and task cards which you can find in my store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Games-and-Activities-2746111

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Depth-and-Complexity-Activities-Only-2752686

FREEBIE

Along with the bundle, I also created a freebie which includes the "What Do You Do" cards with real life situations in which kids must explain what they would do if they were in that situation/scenario (as mentioned above).  For example, "While walking home with a friend, you witness a physical fight.  Your friend tells you to record it with your cell phone.  What do you do?"  This allows kids to role play tough situations where they have to make decisions about bullying and/or peer pressure.  Additionally, the freebie also includes a ribbon for the kids to decorate in honor of standing up to bullying.  I've included two different sets of directions for this activity.  One set asks students to use one or more Depth and Complexity icons or Content Imperatives to make a creative statement or slogan.  The other set of directions doesn't mention using the icons (in case students aren't familiar with Depth and Complexity yet).  You can find this freebie below.  I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Scenarios-and-Depth-and-Complexity-Activity-Freebie-2790630

What do you like to do to teach students about bullying?

Back to School Depth and Complexity FREEBIE

Returning back to school can bring forth so many mixed emotions.  There's the anxiousness and the overwhelming feeling of having so much to do.  There's the excitement of meeting your new class and decorating your classroom.  There's the nervousness of the unknown and wondering how your students will behave and abide by your rules and procedures. Instead of worrying about behavior, you can incorporate your class rules and procedures into the "Back to School Depth and Complexity Frames Freebie!"  This freebie is part of two of my other packs.

Here's What's Included in the Freebie:

Box 1--Rules

In the top portion, your students will need to think about some of the rules they think should be established in your class (you could also add in procedures if you'd like).  This gives the kids buy-in because they're actually part of the process.  In the future, you could even remind them about their part in the process.  "Danny, remember we decided to listen while the teacher is speaking?" Ha ha!  

The freebie includes two frames which have the same prompts of Depth and Complexity, but one of the frames is embedded with cooperative learning structures.  It's up to you to choose whether or not you'd like to use the structures during this activity.  I truly prefer to use these cooperative learning structures because the kids get to work together and verbalize their ideas.  

If you do use this embedded frame, the students would start off in a Round Robin fashion, which means all students would take turns answering the prompt one at a time, and then writing their answers down.  These directions are also included in the packet.

Box 2--Language of the Discipline

In the next section of the frame, students would need to think about language both a teacher and student may need to use in the classroom (lips icon).  You can be creative on this part.  Maybe they're listing words like "please" and "thank you" or maybe these are words having to do with curriculum.  Whatever you do, discuss each prompt with the children first because as you know, sometimes they come to be a little lost when we don't explain things to them!  Using the embedded frame would instruct the kids to work with a partner in a Rally Robin ping pong fashion, in which they'd list their answers by sharing back and forth, back and forth and writing down answers after each partner takes a turn.

Box 3--Details

For the next part, I like to have students jump directly across to the details icon (flower).  Now students need to write down details that their teacher should know about them.  This information can be really helpful because we all need to get to know our students!  On the embedded cooperative learning frame, this can be performed using a Give One Get One fashion or a Mix-Pair-Share.  If you feel like this may be too personal for students to share, you could have students use these structures during the bottom portion instead.

Box 4--Multiple Perspectives

Finally, students work in the bottom section of the frame to think about multiple perspectives (glasses icon).  They'll need to write about what both a teacher and student need to do to make the classroom a great place to be.  I think this may be one of the most important questions of all because it takes every person in the room to make the classroom special.  We want our students to feel safe when they come to our classrooms and also to want to be there too.  If using the embedded frame, this box can be done independently, or you could have kids work with a group or partner.

Task Cards

This freebie also comes with two sets of task cards which match the prompts from the frame.  Suggestions for how to use these cards are also included in the "Suggestions for Use" page.



Here's the link:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Freebie-2646559

I hope you like it!  In my other packs, I offer two more frames (and two more embedded frames) which also feature some of the Content Imperatives and the new prompts of Depth and Complexity.  Additionally, you'll receive many activities such as:

• Create and write about your dream classroom and teacher (something I do every year the first week of school)
• A note taking page on rules and procedures 
• Task cards for all frames
• A class building activity featuring Mix-Pair-Share
• A design your own Depth and Complexity t-shirt page
• A chart featuring the icons and imperatives with their meanings
• A game about the icons where students need to match different prompts and scenarios to the icons
• A board game (in black and white or color)
• A two page questionnaire/inventory to get to know your students better (questions about home life and educational needs are included) 
• Goal setting pages 
• A page to assist students with planning a presentation on a particular rule or procedure for your classroom

Here's the link if you'd like to check it out:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Games-and-Activities-Pack-2645396

Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!  Let me know what you think by commenting below or on Teachers Pay Teachers.   Please feel free to also ask any questions!  I'm always happy to hear from you!

Group Investigations Using Puzzlements

While becoming GATE certified, I learned some really helpful and engaging strategies, activities, and ideas.  One of these activities is called a Puzzlement, which is a form of group investigation.  Students have to observe, analyze, question, research, and synthesize information during a puzzlement. I fell in love with puzzlements instantly!  What made this form of group investigation even better is that I was able to tailor it to meet my students' needs.  

How A Puzzlement's Done...

Ignite Questions:

Basically, you show your students either a picture, poem, illustration, phenomenon, math problem, video, a work of art, etc. that strikes interest and confusion at the same time.  Students then pose questions about this topic (not knowing exactly what's going on).  I like to record these questions on the Smartboard, so we have a nice list forming.  

You then weed out the weak questions or questions that are completely off topic.  You may be wondering which questions would be considered weak or off topic?  Well, when I look for a puzzlement photo, I have to ponder about what I want my students to learn since they'll be researching this unknown phenomenon or situation.  Therefore, if I put up a picture of animals and people involved in a drought, I may not want my students researching the phrase "the end of the world."  In other words, sometimes you have to help steer your students' questions in the right direction.  This is why you don't want your topic to be too vague, or you pose the risk of having students all over the place during your lesson (although this could be okay too if you're just having fun with the lesson).  Here's an example below:

During one of our puzzlements, I showed the students this peculiar looking insect.  Different students took turns raising their hands and coming up with questions.  I was still fairly new to this activity, so I wrote a bunch of the questions on the organizer I made.  I no longer write all these questions on the organizer, but instead, I write them on a blank Smartboard slide, and then we choose 3-5 questions for the kids to research.  Actually, I allow them to choose 1-2 of their own, and then as a class, we choose the rest (although I'm the one with the final say). :)

Above, you can see the puzzlement I mentioned about animals and people involved in droughts.  This time I decided to use multiple pictures because I wanted my students to be on the right track with their research.  I also knew we were going to be learning about how people can affect ecosystems, and we were also participating in a water poster contest about saving water, so I wanted my investigation to revolve around water.

Many times I use puzzlements to begin a new unit.  This invokes curiosity about an unknown topic or an unanswered question, and now you have your students wanting to learn more and more about your upcoming learning objective.

Researching

After the questions are formed and chosen, students are now to investigate these questions in some way.  I've done this several ways.  We've used textbooks, posters in the room, laptops, and iPads.  They're all sufficient, but the kids surely get a kick out of using technology.  No technology in your room?  If you have a computer lab, you could save the researching part for the lab.  If you don't have any technology, you could use textbooks and articles off the internet.  I know I mentioned using posters; I only used posters as a resource once when teaching the order of operations in math.  I even had a song about PEMDAS (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally--Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction). It was really entertaining to watch kids explore around the room looking for clues.  Here are some pictures:

I also allowed my students to work with a partner if they chose to do so.  Before my class was given iPads, we shared a laptop cart between four classes.  That cart didn't have enough laptops for each of my students to have his or her own, so I paired each student up with a partner.  Students had to learn to take turns and work together to find what they were looking for.  As you know, this is not always a dream scenario, but when I reminded students that they might lose their laptop if they're not following directions, they were VERY quick to get back on task! :)

Using the Prompts of Depth and Complexity & Content Imperatives

 When I initially tried this activity, the organizer I created was only one page, but as the investigation went on, I realized I could add more to get a bigger bang for my buck!  I decided to embed the prompts of Depth and Complexity and some of the Content Imperatives.  Although it does take students awhile to complete both sides, I still found it worthwhile.  I've even given parts of the back side for homework or continued the puzzlement over a few days depending on how much time I had each day.  The most important part of the activity is to answer the questions that were posed at the beginning of the lesson.

In the picture below, students had to figure out the significance and relationship between the oxpeckers and the impala.  I thought this was a good way to lead into "Interactions of Living Things."

Great For All Ages...GATE or Not

I've since updated the organizer even more.  The students go wild for puzzlements!  Again, I've used these group investigations with GATE and general ed students, and they both LOVE it!  I recently demoed a puzzlement in a 6th grade GATE class and the topic was on early man.  The students used their textbooks one day to research and the internet the next.  This was their first social studies topic of the new school year, so it was a good way to motivate them into wanting to learn more.  We even used a video clip instead of pictures to get the questions started!

Discussion

After students are finished researching and arriving at their answers, a discussion should take place to highlight the new learning.  This is a great time for those collaborative conversations!  I've created a puzzlement organizer with no pictures on the top, so you can find your own pictures and paste them on.  There's also a second organizer which doesn't leave room at the top, so you can post on the board instead (especially if it's not a photo). You can find my puzzlement organizer by clicking on the link below:


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/GATE-Puzzlement-Group-Investigation-Activity-Organizer-1874532

Maybe you could even try this with a back to school discussion on learning and the brain!