Sharing Good Practice
10 Lesson Starters
Every Teacher Should Try
By Alona Ballard
M
any educators would agree
that a great lesson should
be like a great meal. When
you sit down for an evening
of fine dining, one might expect
an appetizer to start, a filling main
course and perhaps a palate cleansing
dessert.
In the same way, lessons also include
three parts, a starter, the main lesson
and a closing (also known as plenary).
When it comes to getting the students
engaged initially, it’s true what they
say, ‘you never get a second chance
to make a first impression.’ Hook them
early to keep their attention to the
end. The following starters are aimed
at the 21st century learner.
Using Visual Images
Technology is fully integrated into the
lives of students. It is not uncommon
to see two year olds navigating their
way through apps on a tablet. For
that reason, Using Visual Images is an
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effective starter to capture students’
attention. The visual image, which
relates to the subject at hand, could
be as simple as a photograph followed
by open-ended questions, or videos,
which may tell a story that helps
activate prior knowledge on the topic.
Create
This starter could be as simple as
giving every student a piece of paper
and asking them to draw or write
something. Another activity could
be to give each student play dough,
cardboard, blocks or some material to
make something three-dimensional.
This starter will definitely engage your
tactile learners and those who have
natural abilities in art.
20 questions
There’s a reason this tried and true
starter has lasted for decades and
works in a variety of situations. The
teacher picks a key person, event,
Class Time
place, etc. that is connected to the
topic. The class is allowed to ask 20
Yes or No answer questions to try to
discover the answer. This starter is a
simple icebreaker and requires little
planning or materials.
Mystery Bag
The teacher brings a bag into the
classroom that contains an object
with a connection to the lesson. Then
it is passed around and students try
to determine what is in the bag just
by feeling it. This starter can create a
light and humorous atmosphere, as
guesses range from the plausible to
the ridiculous.
Pass The Parcel
Similar to Mystery Bag, Pass The Parcel
also features a box or bag passed
around the class, but this time, it’s
filled with statements about the topic
you will be studying in the lesson. The
student must pick out a statement,