Active Engagement Ideas

Below are a list of suggestions for keeping the rest of your students engaged with the lesson while one or two students are using the SMARTBoard.

Whole Class Response Techniques
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Response cards
  • Use colors to represent different answers (Ex. Red=Agree, Green=Disagree; Red=short vowel, Green=Long vowel)
  • Pre-printed cards
Whiteboards
  • Students complete work on individual whiteboards while student is working at the SMARTBoard.
  • Compare answer with partner.
  • Say, "Show me" and students hold up whiteboards so you can see their answers.

Whole Class Activities
Think Pair Share
  • Verbal Prompts
  • "Turn to your partner and repeat..."
  • "Turn to your partner and predict..."
  • "Turn to your partner and tell them...."
  • "Turn to your partner and see if he/she heard what you heard."
  • "What connections can you make to..."
  • "Summarize in your own words..."
  • "Answer this question..."
  • "What do you think is the most...?"
Think Write Share
Manipulatives (Students use manipulatives while student works at the SMARTBoard with virtual manipulatives)
Brain Bark (For 1 or 2 minutes, each student turns to a partner and "barks" all they know about what has been learned so far.)