Anchor Activities

Brought to you by Charlotte Daugherty and Trisha Brown

MEANINGFUL work for students that can be completed independently (or in small groups)

Why are they useful?

• a student may have finished early
• transitions or stations
• allow time for you to work with a certain group of students
• provide reflection opportunities
• can be a teaching tool, especially for the kids who need help on basic skills

Work best when:

• Directions are clear
• Students are held accountable in some way
• Students are given some options

I know all that... Why are we here?

• to show you ways to utilize your Xtendas for anchor activities
• (while giving information to the Xtendaless as well)

Website of our Anchor Activities: http://york.conroeisd.net/library/anchor

A list of resources used to create this list is available on the webpage.

Sites we looked at during the meeting:

• FreeRice – http://www.freerice.com
• FunBrain – http://www.funbrain.com
• StudyBlue – http://www.studyblue.com
• Anything else you'd like to explore :)

Ways to hold students accountable:

Note: These are only suggestions. You know your kids...

• Use a Tic-Tac-Toe board to choose which Anchor Activities a student will do.  Example to the right (and linked on webpage)
• Learning journals
• Learning contracts – Example on website
• Random checks

Tips to manage online anchor activities:

• Monitor the students
• Only one person per computer
• Post acceptable websites. Don't let them deviate.
• Don't let them listen to music, even with headphones. You never know what else they may be doing.
• Limit the time each student can spend on the computer: 5-10 minutes maximum.
• Offer credit for a certain number of Anchor Activities completed, possibly to replace the lowest daily or quiz grade,
• Monitor the students.

Poll Everywhere ( www.polleverywhere.com )

This professional development was created by Heidi Pousson and Kate Halm:)

1. Model cell phone usage for opening poll.

• Take out your phone.
• Turn it on and lay it down on your desk.
• Do not pick up your phone until we have gone over the directions, and I tell you to pick it up.
• If you do not follow these directions, you will not be able to participate.

2. Respond to the poll.

3. Log onto: www.polleverywhere.com

4. Click on “Create Your First Poll” or sign in if you are a member.

5. Type in: What is your favorite color?

6. Click the 3 small bars to the right.

7. Choose “Convert to Multiple Choice” or “Continue” for open ended responses.

• When responding as an open ended response, you have the option to process the answers as a wordle or upload the answers to a spreadsheet.

8. Preview your options and make changes to your multiple choice answers.

9. Click “Continue” to generate your poll.

10. Click on “Edit” to the right to change the number of times a person can respond.

11. Click on “How People Can Respond” to view the different options for responding.

12. Click on “Views” to view the different options.

• To check participants, click on “Visual Settings” (shaped like a gear), click “Messages”
• This option is only available for open ended responses.
• It allows you to view the last 4 digits of their phone number.
• Before hand, you may want to have the students give you their name and number prior to participation.

FYI-

• A onetime text message confirmation is sent the first time you use polleverywhere.com.
• You will not receive any spam.
• With the free membership, you have 30 responses per poll.
• You can generate unlimited polls.
• Polls are deleted after 30 days of inactivity.
• With the free membership you have 30 responses per poll.
• You would have to create a poll for each period to utilize this.

Video showing the same things shown in the PD session.  The video states that you can create an account and it will allow 32 responses.  If you create your account here, you can have up to 40 responses...free:)
Another video - this mentions the 40 response limit.