COVID has changed the way we do Science, but students still need and want to be engaged even if they can’t do traditional labs.
I
like to use a combination of videos, notes and cut and paste activities.
For
our Tides lesson we started with a video (Brain Pop, StudyJams, or Brain Stuff).
Next,
students filled in Cornell notes using the information from the video as well
as their textbooks and some direct instruction.
During
our “lab time” students completed a Cut & Paste Activity (Google Drag & Drop for online students). I used a template to differentiate
for students that needed extra help organizing their facts.
While
students were cutting and sorting their pieces, I played music from Mr. Parr. I had time to go to each student to check their
mastery of the learning goal.
Students
enjoyed the activity. It could be
completed individually or as a group. In
our case everyone completed their own copy for their notebook but were able to
talk to their group to review the information.
Other uses for Cut and Paste Activities:
- Warm-up/bell ringer
- Homework after a lesson
- Exit ticket
- Formative assessment or quiz
- Review before a summative assessment
With cut and paste activities students are engaged and I can easily see who needs more instruction and who is ready to move on.
