White Boards Ideas!

Reading

Vocabulary- Students can quickly draw or jot down a definition for a given word.

Main Idea- Students can identify the main idea for a selection.

Comprehension Questions- After a question is posed, the students can write the answer on the white board. For example, Write a summarizing sentence using 10 words or less, Where did the story take place?, What happened in the beginning, middle, or end?, What was your favorite part of the story?, etc.

Predicting- Students can make a quick prediction about a passage or story.

Writing and Grammar

Pre-Writing- The white board can be used to plan a piece of writing.

Graphic Organizers- Graphic Organizers can be drawn to help the students make meaning of the text or plan for writing. For example, use a Venn Diagram or the Four Square Writing box.

Writing - Word choice- The teacher gives a verb (run) and the students write a stronger verb to describe the verb (sprint)

Sentence Dictation- The teacher will read aloud a sentence for the students to write down. 

Editing- When the students are given a sentence to correct, it can easily be done on the white board for example, use Daily Oral Language (DOL).

Contractions- Give the students two words (is not) and they have to write the contraction (isn’t).

Ending Punctuation- The teacher reads a sentence aloud and the students write the ending punctuation on their white board.

Spelling

Spelling Review- Practice spelling various words.

Penmanship- Practice correct letter formation.

Word Work

Word Families- When practicing word families, have the students continue       adding words in the given word family to the list.

Word Wall Activities- Be A Mind Reader: This game can be played once there are enough words on the Word Wall.  The teachers will think of a word and give students five clues one at a time to narrow it down to only one possible word. Everyone should get it by the last clue, but did anyone “read your mind” and get it on an earlier clue?

Guess the Covered Word- The teacher will show a sentence with one word covered up. Have the student use context clues to guess what the word could be. Then reveal the onset of the word and have the students adjust their guess if necessary.  When all the guesses which fit both meaning and beginning sounds have been written, the whole word is revealed.

Rounding Up the Rhymes- After reading a text with rhyming words, the students will write the words that rhymed.

Word Ladders/Word Chains- Word Ladders the teacher will give the letters to change, for example: Change the “l” in like to “b” write the word.  In word chains the students will change one letter at a time on their own.

Reading/Writing Rhymes- Children practice using patterns to decode and spell hundred of words.  Children generate rhyming words and then write a silly rhyme using the words.

Mathematics

Representation of numbers – Students can draw the number of items associated with a number and/or write the numeral associated with a set.

Numeral formation – Have students practice writing numbers.

Number words – Ask students to write number words and draw a picture of a set to match the word.

Number facts/practice – Ask students to write addition, subtraction, multiplication or division facts.  Can be checked quickly for understanding.

Computation – Problems can be assigned to individuals or groups to solve.

Steps to solve a problem – Ask students to list the steps necessary to solve a problem.  For example, ask what operation(s) would be needed to solve a word problem.

Problem of the Day – Use white boards to have students solve a bell work problem or Problem of the Day at the beginning of math class.

Grouping/Division – Ask students to draw pictures showing a given quantity divided into sets.  For example, draw 15 oranges and circle sets of three.

Tens and ones – Numbers can be represented with lines and dots to show groups of tens and ones.  For example, the number 23 would have two lines on the left and three dots on the right to show the place value of the numerals.

Representation of fractions – Ask students to draw fractional representations.  For example, a circle could be divided into halves, thirds or fourths.

Rounding – Ask students to write a number and then show it rounded to the nearest ten, hundred, etc. 

Estimating – Ask students to write an estimate of quantity (in an estimating jar, for example), length or mass.

Math maps – Have students create a graphic representation of how a problem is solved.  For example, use three circles to represent an addition problem: two for the addends and one larger one that shows the sum.

Guided practice – Use white boards during instruction for students to do problems.  They can be quickly checked for understanding.

Graphs/Diagrams – Ask students to graph class data or create tables of relationships.  This could be used for algebra input/output tables or T-charts of algebraic relationships.

Geometric figures – Ask students to draw representations of geometric figures or pictures of what geometric figures would look like combined.

Symmetry – Have students draw symmetrical figures or do drawings of what a figure would look like if it was rotated or reflected.

Clocks/Time – Ask students to draw pictures of a clock at various times of day.  Could also be used to figure elapsed time.

Measurement – Use rulers to draw lines of various lengths. For younger students, unifix cube trains could be created and traced on the white board.  Use to develop vocabulary such as longer than, shorter than, equal to.

 Science

Observational drawings – Use white boards to do drawings of leaves, rocks, etc. with or without hand lenses.  Can also be used as a preassessment by asking students to draw what they think an item might look like.

Classification – Ask students to list or draw pictures of items correctly classified in groups.  For example, inner and outer plants, animals with and without backbones, plants and animals.

Comparing – Have students list characteristics or do a Venn diagram to show similarities and differences among two or more groups.

Data collection – Students can use white boards to represent data collected during an inquiry activity.

Draw/write about cycles – Ask students to draw and label representations of cycles, for example, water cycle, rock cycle, moon phases

Drawing models – Students can draw and label models such as parts of plants, the Solar System, human body systems, parts of a cell.

Food webs/chains – Have students do drawings with or without labels to show simple to complex food chains and webs.