More Ideas for Task Cards

For related posts, click on the 'Task Cards' label in the right-hand column.

I've been using task cards for a long time now, and I've come to love them. For some reason, students never tire of them and the fact I can get students physically moving as they learn is an additional bonus to the differentiation, student choice and variety they allow for.


In a previous post I outlined some ways I've used them but I realised an update was well overdue. So, in no particular order, here are some other ways you can use task cards in your classroom.

Try this!
Give one card to each student to face down on the table. The first student turns over the card, reads it aloud, and each team member takes a turn to respond. When the card has been thoroughly discussed, the next student turns another card over.

Or this!
Give the cards to students who are early-finishers.

Or this!

Give each student one card. If your class has more than 20 students, divide the class into 2 groups so each student within a group has a unique card. Students individually complete their card producing a written response. When done, they partner with another student and swap cards. Repeat the activity. When both students have completed their responses, they then compare and discuss. Repeat the activity until all cards have been explored, or the time limit has been reached.

Or this!
Print off the cards 2 or 4 sets to a page (i.e. 8 or 16 cards to 1 sheet of paper). Give the miniature cards to students to stick into their notebooks and respond beside / under.

Or this!
Use one of the cards as a whole-class starter activity at the beginning of a lesson.

Or this!

Create stations around the room with the different task cards. In partners, students spend a specific time (e.g. 3 minutes) discussing the prompt on the card. When the time has elapsed, they move on to the next station and repeat.

Or this!
Leave a set of cards printed and ready-to-go in case of sickness or absence.

I hope this has given you some ideas, and if you come up with more, do share.

Happy teaching!

The Learning Network from NY Times

The Learning Network from this popular newspaper is jam-packed with teaching resources and materials. From lesson plans to discussions, it is worth exploring to see what you can find to enhance teaching and learning in your own context.

Integration:

• Sign up to receive weekly lesson plans for your subject area via email; a different learning area each day
• Access the Lesson Plans categorised by subject area
• Use the Test Yourself page to improve vocabulary in a quick 3-minute activity
• Guide your over-13s to express their thoughts on Student Opinion
• Use the Poetry Pairings to get your learners making links between the creative medium and the world around them
• Have groups take part in the Reading Club to extend their exposure to non-fiction readings and other media
• History groups may be interested in following On this Day as a starting point for any lesson
• The daily News Quiz could be used to encourage the skills of skimming and scanning large quantities of text
• The Student Crossword page has printables organised by topic
• In collaboration with SnagLearning, there is also a page of Film Documentaries on various world events

Boggle's World / Lantern Fish ESL

"Jobs, Worksheets, and Flashcards for the ESL and TEFL Teacher. The new home for bogglesworld.com"

This site is packed with outstandingly good resources, many of them cross-curricular. While sometimes it can be difficult to locate the best of what's on offer, taking 10 minutes to wander through and discover what's available definitely turns up some gems. If you've got EAL/ESL learners in your classes and you're struggling for materials, there is plenty on here to help you.

Integration:

• The ESL Science section contains a few resources including common language patterns for discussing and writing about scientific exploration
• Learners can find out about oceans and continents with these flashcards, wordsearches and worksheets
• The Writer's Workshop will be of use to teachers from a range of subjects and year groups
• Reported Speech Soccer will help even native speakers perfect their skill of changing direct speech into reported speech
• A Business section is more geared toward preparing learners for business transactions than theory but very useful for role-play and communicative practice in general
• And if none of the above floats your boat, the extensive menu of boardgames can be used 'off the peg' or downloaded and customised for your needs

Types of Film Shots

One of my classes is preparing for a festival of short film. In preparation, they are creating storyboards to plan the shots so they need to be familiar with the different types of camera angles. Using Easy Notecards, I created a set of cards using images from this website. I use them in the following way:

1. Learners have 10 minutes to individually view 'both sides at once' and take notes on the different camera angles.
2. They then view 'front side only' or 'back side only' (depending on their learning style) and see if they can name or sketch the shot.
3. Any that they get wrong they should make a note of and use the view 'both sides at once' to revisit the definition.
4. In pairs, learners can then test each other by sketching and asking their partner to name the shot, or by giving the name of a shot and asking their partner to draw it.
5. The notecards can be accessed at home for further revision, but I follow this up by watching a film extract or short commercial to see if they can name the shots in practise before creating their own storyboards.