Activating Schema Activities

1. Anticipation guides, before starting the lesson you provide the learners with some true
and false statements they have to analyze and explain why they think are true or false. A
modification of this activity can be presenting statements they agree or disagree with.

2. Four corners, the teacher pastes on the four corners of the room statements to which the
students have to show the degree of agreement or disagreement they have. The teacher
must provide a worksheet for the levels of agreement that can go from totally agree to
absolutely disagree.

3. Gallery Walks, the teacher places pictures related to the topic around the classroom and
students have to stand up to look at them and analyze their meaning in relationship with
the topic.

4. Poll, The teacher posts three positions towards the topic on the board and the students
have to vote to choose the best option. This can be done with questions.

5. Dramatic Role Play – Students work in pairs or small groups to act out a situation or
event they will come across later in the reading or subject.

6. Sun diagram, the teacher makes a sun in the board. A circle with some lines coming out
of it. The teacher writes a word in the middle and the students have to write related words
on the lines. Another way of doing this activity is to have the words around and having
students guess the word from the middle.

7. Eyes closed, the teacher divides the class in several teams. She gives students something
to cover their eyes with. Each team opens their eyes to a picture or word and then they
close it. When all teams have seen different words they discuss the topic of the class. Then
team member is chosen to change to share what they saw. They finish giving their opinion
on the topic.

8. Paper pass, the teacher gives the students a paper with a picture, sentence, or question.
Each paper should be different. The students have to work in groups of three. They will
receive the page and they will have to write something about it, then they will change. By
the end students will be sharing what they learned from each page.

9. Word stream, the teacher asks the students to get in trios. In a power-point presentation
she writes as many key words or images as possible. Then she passes all of them in 30
seconds. The students will have to pay attention and try to catch information about the
class and talk about what they saw.

10. Written conversations, the students receive a paper with a question then they answer
it in the fashion of a conversation. They pass it to the next team to continue with the
conversation. This activity can be free or you can have a word to use on each of the
students interventions.

11. Snow ball fight, the teacher write notions of the topic on pieces of paper. The students
receive them and make a ball like a snow ball. The teacher gives students 30 seconds to
have a snow ball fight. Each student will have to pick up a ball and answer or talk about
what is written.

12. Speed date, have half students sitting down with a card with questions. The students
standing will have to sit when the teacher says start, each card will have different
questions. The problem will be that one person has to be standing and he will shout when
to change.

13. Photo sort, the teacher will give groups a set of pictures they have to put in order and
they will explain why they chose the other.

14. Silent video, the teacher will present a video without audio about the topic and the
students have to guess or choose which aspects will be touched upon.

15. ABC brainstorming, students receive a grid with all the letter of the alphabet, Students
will be presented with the topic. And they have to try to write as many words related with
the topic as they can using the words from the alphabet in the grid. Then they can share or
explain.

16. Grouped words, the students will be presented with a bunch of words that represent
the topic and some that are out of the topic. They will have to decide which are connected
and why.

17. Circle words. The teacher makes a circle in the board with the target word. In the circle
the word has to be in disorder and the students have to put up a word.

18. Name five things. The teacher tell the students to say five things about the topic.