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Activity
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Methodology
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Resources
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1. Reading, Writing, and Following Instructions
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a. Surprise test
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Motivate this activity, by giving students a "surprise test." It looks like any other test, but is in fact a series of instructions, the first of which is "please read all instructions carefully before beginning." The last instruction is: "Do not follow any other instruction on this test." Discuss how students fared (many will have completed all questions on the test.)
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Surprise Test worksheet camouflaged to look like a regular unit test
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b. Peanut butter and jam instructions
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Place a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a loaf of bread wrapped, a knife, a spoon, a napkin and a paper plate in front of class. Ask students to write the instructions for making a peanut butter and jam sandwich. They should be specific and assume nothing.
After completed, ask a student to volunteer to read their instructions while the teacher follows them to the letter. For example if instruction does not say to open the jar, then dip the knife into the closed lid.
Complete several iterations where students correct their instructions. Using Writing Instructions checklist hand in final copy of instructions, itemized and clear.
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Writing Instructions checklist
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c. Recipe instructions
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Introduce the Traditional Food Recipes assignment sheet. Review with students the format of typical recipe (ingredients with quantities, and method usually itemized). Their assignment is to find a parent, grandparent or elder who knows how to cook a certain type of traditional food (pemmican, moose stew, moose burgers, moose sausage, partridge, duck, etc.), or prepare or dress wild food (filleting a walleye, skinning a rabbit).
They take notes on the process, and write clear step by step instructions. Each recipe is titled, and formed into a Traditional Food recipe cookbook. Use the Writing Instructions checklist as a guide.
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Traditional Food Recipes assignment sheet; Writing Instructions checklist |
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2. The Internet as a Study and Research Tool
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a. Using search engines
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Provide students with a worksheet that asks them to do a series of Google searches using keywords, "AND", "OR", "NOT", "NEAR", and quotation marks for exact text. They record the results of their scavenger hunt on the worksheet. Image searches are also included.
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Search Engine Scavenger Hunt worksheet
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b. Researching a topic
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Provide students with the assignment sheet. Students are given a list of a high-interest topics relating to popular culture, sports, or other matters of student interest. They are then asked to produce a one-page, double-spaced typewritten report on the topic, properly referenced.
Provide instructional input on URL-based references, and how to do in text citations. Emphasize that information should not be copied from the Internet, but instead be put into the student's own words (quotations of text excepted).
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Information Sheet Internet Research assignment sheet
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3. Managing Stress
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Complete a worksheet package on managing stress and answer several questions in paragraph form based on the package.
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Don't Let Stress Get You Down from Who I Am and Who I Want to Be, p. 58-69; Stress Package Questions worksheet
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4. Time Management
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Have students examine where there time is going everyday, by completing a worksheet, and then reflecting on how they could better fit school related activities into their day in several written questions.
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Where is Your Time Going? worksheet from Exploring (Teacher's Resource) p. 178; question sheet on back
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5. Working with Text Materials
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a. Note-taking
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Give students a short lecture, on a subject of interest to them. First, give them instructions about how to take notes (copy down written headings from teacher's outline, and then fill in important blanks using point form).
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b. Highlighting
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Using a 400 word non-fiction passage at more than accessable reading level for the students, practice highlighting. Discuss and exemplify the technique using the instruction sheet.
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Highlighting Instructions sheet; 400-word passage from Timed Readings Book 3
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c. Outlining
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Using the same passage, create an outline of the important information. Discuss and exemplify the technique using the instruction sheet. For example, paragraph topic sentences are often the lead item in an outline.
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400-word passage from Timed Readings Book 3
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6. Studying for Tests
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Introduce this multi-step assignment where students research information then create a test for another group to take, and then mark it. Information about how to write a test is provided on the Write Your Own Quiz instruction sheet.
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Team Test and Study assignment sheet; Write Your Own Quiz instruction sheet
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