Before

To help students engage fully with each topic, we need to make sure that they are familiar with and can use the language of that topic.
=Before: = == || Int roduce topic briefly – visual aids such as pictures or artifacts can help here to trigger thinking. Ask students what they know about the topic. Begin to create class brainstorm on whiteboard || Allow students to continue brainstorming in teams using [|Mindmeister] Or get students to continue brainstorming individually in [|Mindmeister] as homework and use this as diagnostic assessment – showing what students know now
 * || **How ** || **Using Technology ** || **Why? ** ||
 * **Check prior learning **

Another idea is to use [|etherpad] to gather class ideas. Students will need to work in groups of 3-4 || Asking students to reflect on what they know about a topic helps: · Set the scene · Kick start surface and deeper  thinking around the topic · Students to build on each others <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> knowledge and understanding <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· The teacher to understand class <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> learning and misconceptions <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Students to focus on, use and <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> understand subject specific <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> vocabulary <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· By providing diagnostic or baseline <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> data <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· To provide formative assessment <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">· Show students where they are at <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and what next steps might be || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Set up a wall of words in the classroom that links to the topic being studied <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Use key word games as starter activities: Bingo, Matching exercises, crosswords, word finds || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Begin to assemble key words with definitions on [|wallwisher] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For ideas on using wallwisher see: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Encourage students throughout the topic to add topic words that they do not understand. Any student can find a definition for the unknown word and add || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Students need to have many opportunities to see and use key words in subject areas to familiarize themselves with them, to feel confident using and spelling them correctly ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Give students an [|entry slip] as they enter the room, have new topic on board, ask them to write down what they know about the topic ||  ||^   ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Provide students with a [|K-W-L] chart, get them to write down in the K column what they know about the topic ||  ||^   ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Key words ** || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Talk about key words that are linked to the topic
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Key questions: ** || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Teams of students can think about what is important to know about the topic. Ask – What do we want to know? Why? What can we do with it? || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Can be added into [|Mindmeister] brainstorm or displayed on sticky notes in classroom wall or/and added into W section of KWL chart || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 11pt;">Develops the ‘big picture’ for the students and answers the ‘where are we headed and why’ questions they might have. Lets students understand what is important in the topic ||