Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1500904
Creative activities that can help students make sense of new material—and have fun in the process By Andrew Boryga POWERFUL WAYS TO END YOUR LESSONS W H I L E C L E A N I N G U P and going over homework assignments often take up those final moments of class time, effective closing activities allow you to make better use of them by checking for understanding, correcting misunderstandings and putting a little fun into the process to motivate your students to make sense of what they 've just learned. Closing activities don't need to happen every day, and they don't always require lots of advanced planning. They can occur at the end of a chapter, or even at the end of a large learning unit, and can also take various forms — incorporating move- ment, technology and even components of social and emotional learning to build a stronger classroom community. Here are 10 creative and fun closing activities from experienced teachers that you can try: 1. TWO-DOLLAR SUMMARY: Ask students to write a two-dollar (or more) summary of the lesson they 've just learned. Each word they use is worth 10 cents. For extra scaffolding, ask students to include specific words in their statement. Or ask students to explain something as if they were teaching it to a first grader. This will push them to simplify complex ideas for themselves and therefore understand them better. 2. CLEAR OR CLOUDY: Ask students to identify what is clear about what they 've learned (what they understand) and what is cloudy (what they 're having trouble understanding). Try creating a simple "Clear or Cloudy " handout that students can use to record something clear and something cloudy before turning it in on their way out. 10 Mr Elementary Math 39 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 3 Teaching & Learning