Story Corps
The Power of Active Listening
Listen up! The game of Telephone launches a study of active listening. Class members watch a short video that demonstrates active listening and tips on practicing active listening. Pairs then interview each other and practice their...
University of Tennessee
Listen Actively
Listening is a skill, and with the help of the communication activities in this packet, class members improve their active listening skills.
Conneticut Department of Education
Instructional Strategies That Facilitate Learning Across Content Areas
Imagine 28 instructional strategies, appropriate for all subject areas and all grade levels. Directed Reading-Thinking Activities (DRTA), Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) activities, KWL charts, comparison matrixes, classification...
Curated OER
Non-Verbal Communication
Many developmentally disabled students struggle with accurately conveying messages and interpreting those of others around them, especially when they are non-verbal. This instructional activity contains fun activities and exercises, such...
Curated OER
Communicating at work: Listening strategies and skills
Students play a game of "Gossip" to explain the importance of active listening skills. They learn active listening skills through group discussion, lecture and small group exercises.
Curated OER
Inner Circle/Outer Circle Debate Strategy
Arranged in facing concentric circles, half the class discusses an issue. The other half of the class takes notes which are then used to fuel a class discussion and to prepare editorial opinions on the topic at hand. So much emphasis is...
Curated OER
2 Ball Bop
Use this creative activity to get your young athletes moving! Many baseball and softball coaches use this type of skill drill at practice. It improves hand-eye coordination and timing. If you are planning to use it in your PE class, use...
Curated OER
Performance and Reflection on Listening and Speaking
Students prepare for and evaluate their performances in poetry slams. In this literature lesson, students write personal narratives about their poetry slam experiences.
Facing History and Ourselves
Citizen Power Makes Democracy Work
Eric Liu's formula "power plus character equals citizenship" and his three strategies to making change happen model for high schoolers how to develop citizen power, how to get involved and participate to make democracy work. Class...
Ontario
Critical Literacy—Media Texts
Media texts convey both overt and implied messages. As part of their study of media, class members analyze the language, form, techniques, and aesthetics in a variety of media texts.
Boys Town
More Tools for Teaching Social Skills in School
Put an end to wasted instructional time with this lesson on responsibility and preparedness. After completing this series of activities students will learn the importance of these social skills not only in the classroom, but at home and...
Curated OER
The Book Thief: Discussion Questions
Expand your study of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak with a question for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. These questions focus on part four of the novel; each is paired with at least one quote from the text for context and teacher reference.
Manchester College
Spain – Culture and Famous Landmarks
Introduce your class to Spain and liven up the class period with some Spanish pop music! Learners view a presentation about Spain and take notes on the information before watching a couple of music videos in Spanish. They use listening...
Curated OER
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) in the History Classroom
SAC is a specific approach to discussing history and controversial issues. Rather than adhering to an either/or debate-style paradigm, it fosters speaking and constructivist listening to enable learners to build consensus through...
K20 LEARN
HOT Questions: Creating Meaningful Questions
Scholars examine a list of questions and sort them into corresponding groups based on similarities. A gallery walk allows peers to see how their peers sorted questions and leave notes. Costa's Level of Questions is the topic of a...
John Wiley & Sons
Games, Role Plays, and Exercises
Whether you're lost at sea, lost in the woods, or testing communication skills, teamwork is always important. Build your middle and high schoolers' cooperative and collaborative skills with four activities that prompts groups to compete...
K20 LEARN
Move, Flip, and Slide! Building Relationships and Community In the Classroom
Here's a fresh take on those first days of school introductions. Learners use Flipgrid to create a video that introduces themselves to their classmates. The richly detailed and carefully scaffolded lesson provides specific directions for...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Frederick Douglass’s Narrative: Myth of the Happy Slave
The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...
Curated OER
Using Pictures to Promote Conversation
Students initiate and sustain a conversation of three or more exchanges on a topic while exploring a collection of large photographs pertaining to that topic. The teacher creates a comfortable setting and provide a variety of books...
California Education Partners
Glass Menagerie
As a reading comprehension assessment, ninth graders are asked to use evidence drawn from The Glass Menagerie to support an analysis of how Tennessee Williams uses specific lines to develop Amanda's character as well as her relationships...
Learning for Justice
The Color of Law: Developing the White Middle Class
The final lesson in the "Color of Law" series explores the government's discriminatory economic policies. Young scholars watch videos, read primary source materials, and examine images to gather information. They discuss how what they...
3C Skills Collaborative
Skill 9: Converse One-on-One
In one period, your class can gain a better understanding of the importance of quality conversation. To begin, they brainstorm a list of what makes for a good conversation, and then work in pairs to present a skit of a hypothetical...
Curated OER
Organizing a Speech
Students discuss the elements of an effective speech. They use Inspiration to create a graphic organizer or map of how to effectively organize a speech. Students share their graphic organizer/map with the class.
Daughters of the American Revolution
Lesson 1: How Do Society’s Expectations Influence Education?
The history of women's education can be traced back to the delicate stitching of student samplers from the 19th century. Modern-day pupils examine and analyze four primary sources, three of which are images of embroidered samplers, which...