Start Your New School Year with Rigor and Relevance
start the school year
As a social studies high school teacher, I faced over 25 years of the first day of school. When I first began teaching, I did usual thing – working through the class list (“do you prefer Patrick, or Pat?), a dry recitation of the class rules, passing out the textbooks. Blah, blah, blah – think of the message it sent to my students.
As my teaching style evolved from the lecture / work sheet model into a more engaged learning environment, I redefined how I wanted to introduce my students to my course. I also came to understand that it was imperative that I get all my students to contribute a few comments to the class during those first few days. Very quickly classes learn which students are the talkers and non-talkers. Once those roles are locked in – it’s very difficult for student for break out of them.
So I did not waste the opening week of school introducing the course – my students solved murder mysteries. I took simplified mysteries and split them into 25-30 clues, each on a single strip of paper. (You can download one of the mysteries and rules from my website.) I used a random count off to get the kids away from their buddies and into groups of 5-6 students. Each group got a complete set of clues for the mystery. Each student in the group got 4-5 clues that they could not pass around to the other students. They had to share the clues verbally in the group and that guaranteed that every student is a talker on day one.
While the students worked to solve the mystery – I concentrated on learning the student names. After I introduced the mystery, I bet them that by the end of the first class, I could go around the room and recite their names. While they worked on the mystery, I circulated getting to know students and their names. Another message – in this class, we’re all learners.
Over the next few days we would process their problem solving skills, group dynamics, differences between relevant and irrelevant information and introduce the idea of higher-order thinking like analysis, evaluation and creating. We might even have time to try another mystery to see if they got better.
By week two, I got around to passing out the textbooks. But by then I had already introduced them to what was most important about my class.
Image credit: flickr/pobre.ch
So why aren’t your students publishing their own books? Part II
How do I put students in charge of thinking in my classroom?
Engage Your Audience with a Response System
In Search Of the Rigorous Classroom
20/08/2009 at 4:39 pm Permalink
Please share some of the other mysteries your have used in your class. It is such a great idea!
21/08/2009 at 3:37 pm Permalink
Hi Beth,
I’ve added a new mystery at this post First Day of School? Don’t Pass Out Books – Problem Solve.
Cheers
26/08/2009 at 8:18 pm Permalink
Hi Peter,
Thanks for posting your material. It looks awesome!
I was wondering what grades you teach. I am an 8th grade science teacher in a fairly rural school district and am wondering if my students would struggle with the clues. Considering your experience with using these mysteries, do you have any thoughts on whether 8th graders are old enough to be the detectives with these clues?
I’d appreciate any advice you can give. Thanks!
27/08/2009 at 9:19 am Permalink
Hi Paul,
I taught high school, but also directed a program to assist at-risk MS students transition to high school. These clues have been used successfully with 8th graders.
You could give them the clues to try it out. If they had trouble, you could always step in and offer some organizing around one of the variables – for example, ask them to create a timeline of the clues.
Best of luck,
Peter
14/09/2009 at 11:49 am Permalink
Peter,
Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea! I’ve translated the bank robbery mystery into Spanish for use with my AP Spanish classes. It worked beautifully. I’ve also recommended your site to my AP Spanish listserv. Everyone wants my translation of your mystery. Would you be willing to allow us to post the translation on our group site, with credit given to you of course? It’s a great way to spark communication.
Andrea
14/09/2009 at 2:25 pm Permalink
Andrea,
Glad it was such a hit! Feel free to post on your list serve. Also, why don’t you send me copy of the translation and I’ll post it on my site with your credit and a link back to you!
Peter