Overview: When students form an emotional connection to something that they are learning, they are more likely to remember the content. Use this simple activity with a reading from any content to help students find a personal connection to it so it sticks with them.
To access the video recording of the webinar detailing this lesson, please click here.
Materials Needed:
- Content-specific reading selection or video
- QR Code or link for students to post to Padlet (afsusa.padlet.org/afsusa/truefalse)
- Zoom meeting login (if you want a discussion at the end of the lesson)
Applicable Content Areas: ANY content where students can read or watch a selection with new information for them.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will make predictions based on previously learned content.
Students will reflect on personal impressions of material in the reading selection or video.
Students will consider perspectives that others may have to the same content.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the activity, students will be able to:
- Read and demonstrate comprehension of content shared in reading selection or video.
- Paraphrase personal opinions of the (topics/reading)
Preparation
- Create 4 columns in a Padlet. (Create your own account for free at www.padlet.com). See sample above.
- Label the columns: a. Predictions b. True c. False d. Truly Amazing
- You can color-code any samples that you choose to include as a model for students to keep the information categorized and model what you want from students.
- Select an article or video that has content that you want to introduce to students that allows them to make predictions from a title and consider previously-taught material as well.
Directions:
- Give introduction: Predict what you might expect the (topic/reading etc.) to share with you. What have you learned before that might be true that you expect will be confirmed in the article? Post this information in the BLUE column BEFORE reading/viewing the selection. (Depending on how much you want to moderate the Padlet, you can ask all students to post their predictions before you release the rest of the article or the link to the video.)
- After students have been granted access to the article/video, they should begin to add information in the Padlet to the other three columns. In the YELLOW column, students should write at least one thing they thought was true about (the topic/reading), which turned out to be TRUE.
- In the PINK column, they should write at least one thing they thought would be true about (the topic/reading), which turned out to be FALSE.
- In the WHITE column, students should write at least one thing that they didn’t know about (the topic/reading) that TRULY AMAZES them.
(Both the idea that they predicted something true/false and the seeking of something they find amazing help students have an emotional reaction to the reading/video itself and it may require them to read through or watch it more than once.)
Follow-up Discussion for Students:
- Thinking about everyone’s posts, what common themes or topics do you notice?
- Describe how your idea about (the topic/reading) compare to the reality of (the topic/reading).
- *Consider how someone from another generation or culture may react to the same information that you read. How would you anticipate their reactions or comments be the same and/or different?
(Consider specific prompts here that are most applicable to your area of the country, your community, your school demographics or the culture that students are studying.)
*Indicates an intercultural element in the lesson to help kids think about what they are learning through a new lens/perspective and bringing awareness to the idea that others may perceive information differently than they do based on age, gender, cultural background, etc…”
For more lesson plan ideas, please visit the AFS-USA Teacher’s Toolbox.
For questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].