Rationale: This strategy is motivating for students because it’s interactive and social.Through “Find Someone Who…” students can activate prior knowledge and then begin to verbalize it with peers. This strategy can also serve as an assessment tool for both students and teachers alike because the students are realizing the quantity and quality of information they know about a particular topic, and teachers can see the same and plan instruction accordingly.This would also help differentiate instruction because teachers can see who already knows a lot about a topic, and who will need extra support.Teachers may also see misconceptions about a topic, and work to correct those misconceptions through instruction. Courses in which it could be implemented: This could be implemented in any content area since the teacher is in control of what goes on the “Find Someone Who…” sheet students are using.I think it would, however, be most useful in science and social studies. This would also be very useful in an ESL classroom for newcomers to promote oral communication. Diverse learners:
Learners who would benefit the most from this activity would be learners who are motivated by social interaction, who are better at orally communicating knowledge than writing it, and learners who like to move around during the day. This activity would also be a good activity for ELLs using basic words, or friendly greetings.
Procedure:
1. The teacher prepares a form for students to use with six or eight boxes with a statement in each box relating to the content students are about to learn. The box also contains a place for an answer or comments and a spot for a signature.
2. The teacher explains to students that they will be moving around to find people who know the answers to the questions in each box. If they can find someone who knows the answer to something in a box, the person can sign their paper.
3. Student should be given a certain amount of time to talk to each other and get signatures. Students should know that a person can only sign their paper once.
4. The sheets can then act as a springboard for a whole group discussion of what the class knows, and conversely does not know prior to a lesson or unit.
Note: This may be used as a Utilizing strategy as well. Click to see list of blacklines
Potential Issues: There will be students who will know nothing about any of the boxes and will not be able to sign anyone’s sheet.In this case, the students could make a guess about what they think it is.Or, if the teacher knows this ahead of time, students could pair up. If it’s just one student who knows very little about a topic, the teacher may consider pre-teaching the content of some of the boxes to increase confidence and motivation during this activity.
References
Schmidt, K. (1994, April 1). Adapting Classroom Activities for Multiple Needs and Purposes: Find Someone Who... Language Teaching: The Korea TESOL Journal, 2(1). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED378786) Retrieved April 19, 2009, from ERIC database.
This strategy is motivating for students because it’s interactive and social. Through “Find Someone Who…” students can activate prior knowledge and then begin to verbalize it with peers. This strategy can also serve as an assessment tool for both students and teachers alike because the students are realizing the quantity and quality of information they know about a particular topic, and teachers can see the same and plan instruction accordingly. This would also help differentiate instruction because teachers can see who already knows a lot about a topic, and who will need extra support. Teachers may also see misconceptions about a topic, and work to correct those misconceptions through instruction.
Courses in which it could be implemented: This could be implemented in any content area since the teacher is in control of what goes on the “Find Someone Who…” sheet students are using. I think it would, however, be most useful in science and social studies. This would also be very useful in an ESL classroom for newcomers to promote oral communication.
Diverse learners:
Learners who would benefit the most from this activity would be learners who are motivated by social interaction, who are better at orally communicating knowledge than writing it, and learners who like to move around during the day. This activity would also be a good activity for ELLs using basic words, or friendly greetings.
Procedure:
1. The teacher prepares a form for students to use with six or eight boxes with a statement in each box relating to the content students are about to learn. The box also contains a place for an answer or comments and a spot for a signature.2. The teacher explains to students that they will be moving around to find people who know the answers to the questions in each box. If they can find someone who knows the answer to something in a box, the person can sign their paper.
3. Student should be given a certain amount of time to talk to each other and get signatures. Students should know that a person can only sign their paper once.
4. The sheets can then act as a springboard for a whole group discussion of what the class knows, and conversely does not know prior to a lesson or unit.
Note: This may be used as a Utilizing strategy as well.
Click to see list of blacklines
Potential Issues:
There will be students who will know nothing about any of the boxes and will not be able to sign anyone’s sheet. In this case, the students could make a guess about what they think it is. Or, if the teacher knows this ahead of time, students could pair up. If it’s just one student who knows very little about a topic, the teacher may consider pre-teaching the content of some of the boxes to increase confidence and motivation during this activity.
References