Showing posts with label activity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activity. Show all posts

Five Ways to Use Memes to Connect With Students

Five Ways to Use Memes in Class  - from www.traceeorman.com

Pin It

Students love funny memes. Here are five ways you can bring that humor into your classroom (and school) to connect with students:

Use memes for your class rules and expectations  {from www.traceeorman.com}


1. Class Rules, Expectations, and/or Procedures: Instead of your traditional class rules poster, use memes to deliver your message with humor. Better yet, have students create what they think proper rules and regulations should be. In memes, of course. You or your students can use a website like http://memegenerator.net/. You can also download full-quality already-made prints HERE.

Use memes for an ice-breaker activity  {from www.traceeorman.com}

2. Ice-breaker or "Get-to-Know-You" Activity: Memes are perfect for getting to know your students better. Break the ice with a "What I Do" meme or funny eCard. For a full lesson with printables and digital templates you can share, click here.

Promote your curriculum in your classroom using memes {from www.traceeorman.com}


3. Promote (and Reinforce) Your Curriculum: Generate excitement with memes or use them to spark discussions. Posted around your room, they are sure to catch your students' attention. You can find hundreds of images on Pinterest.com with a search in your subject area. Or create them yourself.

Have your students create a meme relating to your unit of study. {from www.traceeorman.com}


4. Creative Activity: Students will practice both creative and critical-thinking skills while creating a meme related to the unit you are studying. It seems very simple, but coming up with appropriate wording to convey the right tone is definitely a higher-order skill. Then students have to make sure they use the right meme correctly. Without even realizing it, they will be making connections with the material while having fun. To read a more detailed post about making memes a class assignment, read more here.

Use memes for orientation, open house, or advice from graduates.  (from "5 ways to use memes to connect with students")


5. Freshmen Orientation (or Open House): One of my colleagues came up with the brilliant idea to have our current students create memes for next year's incoming freshmen for orientation. The meme content varied, covering advice, warnings, and plain old high school humor. The eighth graders and their parents perused the memes during their orientation in March. The images always seem to generate questions they may not have asked otherwise. You could also use this for an open house discussion-starter. Graduating seniors can also leave legacy memes with words of wisdom for future seniors.

However you use memes in your classroom or school, one thing is certain: your students will love it!


You can find high-quality teacher meme prints for your classroom (or to place in presentations) here: Classroom Memes Posters for Classroom or Presentations
Teacher Memes Classroom memes traceeorman.com

Try my End of the Year Advice Memes - Students create "advice memes" for your future students.

End of the Year Advice Memes traceeorman.com


Enjoy!

Five ways to use memes to connect with students...

Five ways to use memes to connect with students...

Five ways to use memes to connect with students... (from www.traceeorman.com)

Five ways to use memes to connect with students (from www.traceeorman.com)

Five ways to use memes to connect with students (from www.traceeorman.com)

Five ways to use memes to connect with students (from www.traceeorman.com)

Five ways to use memes to connect with students (from www.traceeorman.com)


The following images are from our most recent freshmen orientation, created by students:
High school memes - www.traceeorman.com
When teachers tell you there's a test today - classroom humor

What is it called when you don't have to study? Imagination.  (classroom humor)


Classroom humor - high school memes - www.traceeorman.com

So a senior said hi to me... high school humor

Why are you packing up already? Classroom humor

We trust you on your laptops...said no teacher ever. Classroom humor

Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare humor

High school memes - classroom humor


Back-to-School Activities to Inspire Creativity

Back-to-School Activities to Inspire Creativity from http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

 This summer seems to have flown by and I find myself debating different activities for back-to-school. No matter which ones I choose, I do love to inspire creativity in my students from the first day. It's important for them to see that I value and encourage creative thought. So here's a list of some great back-to-school activities you can share with your students.
Pin It

ICEBREAKERS

Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

1. I just uploaded a new freebie today, which is based on an old favorite: Create a Caricature {South Park Style}. In the past I've had students create caricatures from the novel we were currently reading. But why not have them create little miniatures of themselves? Last year when we started our class blog, my students created their caricatures but most were unable to upload their pictures on Blogger because of some filters on our school servers. I created a work-around in a Google Doc that should allow my students to not only share their caricatures, but collaborate on some additional activities. This is also included in this back-to-school free download.

Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html
Pin It
The download has a student information planning guide so they can write information about themselves before creating their image. I always learn a lot about my students when I see their "mimi-me" creations. You can share them with parents on Open House night, as well.

Journalism connection: You can also have students create the caricatures for the yearbook or school newspaper. Have all the seniors create their own caricatures and use them for quotes or shout-outs throughout the book. The newspaper staff could have these figures as their head/mug shots rather than the standard staff picture.


And students aren't the only ones who should have fun creating caricatures: you can make a welcome back sign in your likeness, as well. Have fun with it!

Pin It

Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

2. Another free activity is my Back-to-School Top 10 Lists. Have your students come up with positive reasons to be back in school. The lists my students have come up with over the years are hilarious. I included some samples in the download, along with additional ways you can incorporate the activity into your curriculum.



Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

3. And who doesn't love BINGO? This is a variation from the traditional, and I certainly did not come up with the idea. I am sure I picked it up early in my teaching career somewhere, but I've included a couple of templates that I did create. And because each of us differ, I also included a blank template.

Pin It


The Collage Mobile - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.htmlThe Collage Mobile - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.htmlIcebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

 4. Last year I blogged about my collage mobile activity, which actually takes longer than a traditional icebreaker and it is a priced item. But it is another great activity my students have enjoyed.



Create a Meme - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html
 
5. Create a Meme: This is a new activity I uploaded this week to guide students to create their own meme. (It is priced.) The lesson goes over what a meme is, characteristics of memes, and loads of examples--most that are hilarious! It includes a 55-slide presentation and several student templates. I want teachers to be able to use my activities more than just once a year, so this has additional ways to incorporate the meme into your curriculum: research project, literature/history connection,  and so on. Updated: Here's an entire MEME Bundle that includes icebreakers, research project, presentations, and more!

Pin It

Use Tagxedo or Wordle - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

6. Welcome to Class Word Cloud:  In the spring I blogged about using your class list to make a nice end-of-the-year word cloud (On Wordle.net or Tagxedo.com). Though it was an idea for graduates, why not make a word cloud of your new group of students' names to welcome them to your room?


Use Tagxedo or Wordle - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.htmlUse Tagxedo or Wordle - Icebreaker ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html

7. "Me" Poem Word Cloud: In April 2011 I showed you how to make a character word cloud on my other blog, Hunger Games Lessons. In my poetry unit I have my students create "me" poems (or "I am", "bio" poems), then have them paste their poems into Wordle or Tagxedo. Instead of doing this during the poetry unit or for a character, you could have your students do this activity as a way to get to know one another. Have them print and hang in the room for their classmates to see.
Pin It

CLASSROOM RULES & PROCEDURES

See another post I have on this topic HERE.
8 Awesome Ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html
Pin It
8. Can I Chew Gum in Class? How many times have you heard that question on the first day of school? I always hated going over the rules and procedures because it always took so long and students were zoned out. I would explain that cell phones were not allowed and a minute later a student would ask if she could have her cell phone. Ugh!

8 Awesome Ideas for back to school. From: http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/07/back-to-school-activities-to-inspire.html
This prompted me to create an activity that was student-led and more fun as we go over the rules and classroom procedures. I like to have students read the statements aloud, then they search the school handbook for the answers. If it's something not in the handbook, I'll have them guess the answer, or give it to them to record on the handout. (Writing it out helps them remember. Then they keep it in their class folder so if they forget and happen to ask if they can have gum, I'll tell them to refer to their notes from the first day.) I always have plenty of volunteers to read the statements because I wrote them in "teenage" lingo--basically quoting questions my own students have asked year after year. However, it is editable so you can customize it for your classroom and school. And because I am always curious about how others are running their classrooms (am I too strict? too lax?), I included the answers I give my students. If you are a first-year middle- or high-school teacher, this will be very helpful.

9. Meme posters: Use memes to convey your class rules and procedures! Students LOVE these!

Use memes to go over class rules and procedures.

Teacher and student meme posters bundle.


I hope you find some useful activities for your first week of school. And make sure you enjoy the rest of your summer! :)

Check out more activities and ideas in my teacher store on Teachers Pay Teachers:

Pin It

Similar Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Total Pageviews