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Types of Software

Starters / Plenaries

 

Consider all reasons

This starter is designed to encourage higher order thinking skills.

Students are given a very open-ended question for which there could be any number of answers.

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Countdown

Starter activity

Students are given a set of jumbled up words related to this topic. They have to unscramble each of the words within 30 seconds.

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starter

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word sheet

30 Seconds

Starter activity

Students are shown a number of terms for exactly 30 seconds. They need to memorise as many as possible. After 30 seconds, the terms are hidden and they need to write down as many terms as they can remember along with at least one fact about that term.

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Running

A set of terms or statements are shown on the screen. Students have to decide whether they are related to systems software or applications software and run to the correct side of the room.

Any students which get it wrong are 'out'

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starter

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wall signs

 

Sort a Sentence

Starter activity

Students work in pairs to reconstruct a cut up sentence about this topic.

Requires preparation before the lesson.

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10 Questions

Starter activity

A volunteer (either a student or class teacher) is given a slip of paper so they know 'what they are'.

The rest of the class can ask up to a maximum of 10 questions to guess what they are. The volunteer can only answer 'yes' or 'no'

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ppt

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subject

 

Teach me about

Lesson starter

Students become the teacher! One student is tasked with preparing a five minute revision starter about this topic for the beginning of the following lesson.

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Draw me a picture

Starter or plenary

Students are given a selection of key terms and are asked to illustrate one of them in a diagram.

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Three Facts

Students are asked to write down three facts that they can remember off the top of their heads about the topic.

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Give me ten

A starter or plenary task

Students work in pairs to come up with ten words related to this project before joining up with another pair to expand their list.

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Just a minute

Starter or plenary task

Students are asked to talk to a partner about this topic for 60 seconds whilst abiding by a set of rules

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Lucky dip questions

Starter or plenary task

Every student is given a number at the start of the activity. This is used to help pick who will ask and answer questions about what has been learned during the lesson.

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task

One, Two, Three

Can be used either as a starter or a plenary task.

Students are given a sheet to complete firstly on their own, then with a partner and then joining up with another pair

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Pass the buck

An excellent starter or plenary for involving all students and getting them to identify a large number of facts about the current topic

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task

Teacher talkabout

Starter or plenary task

The class 'test' the teacher on their knowledge of key words related to this topic

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What if ...

Starter or plenary activity.

Students work in pairs to discuss a number of 'what if ....' questions

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Word association

Can be used either as a starter or a plenary task.

Students are asked to write down all of the words they associate with this topic. They then work with a partner to categorise them.

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Mastermind

A plenary activity which is loosely based on the game show 'Mastermind'

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Taboo

A plenary activity.

This task follows the traditional Taboo game. Students work in teams with one student from each team having their back to the board. A word is displayed on the board and teams take it in turns to describe the word to the student without actually mentioning the word itself.

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4-4-2

A plenary activity where students are asked to summarise the lesson and pick out the main key words related to the topic.

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Corkboard

A great plenary idea both for AFL and for getting feedback from every student

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I predict

This task acts as the plenary from one lesson and the starter for the next lesson

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task

Lesson summary

This plenary provides students with an opportunity to evaluate the lesson and their learning and an AFL opportunity for the teacher.

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Pyramid

A plenary activity.

Students are asked to complete a self assessment sheet to indicate what they have learned during this lesson

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task

Text me

A plenary activity where students are asked to write a text message to explain what they have learned during the lesson

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Tasks

 

Theory Notes Task

Students read the theory notes on the mini website and then answer the questions on the task sheet.

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task

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answers

Tick the Answers Task

Students are given a list of different items. They have to identify which category each item belongs to.

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task

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answers

Mind Map Task

Students are given the basic structure of a mind map for this topic. They are asked to complete the mind map by adding extra branches.

Mind maps are a useful tool to use as a revision aid.

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task

Exam question - what is wrong with the answer? (utility software)

Students are given a genuine answer written by another student in response to an exam style question. They have to determine what is wrong with the answer and then write a better one themselves

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task

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answers

Crossword (differentiated)

Students are given a crossword to solve with clues relating to key words for this topic.

There are three differentiated versions to allow students to choose the best level of difficulty for themselves.

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version 1

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version 2

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version 3

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answers

 

Correct the Teacher Task

Students are given a piece of text written by a teacher. The text contains a number of mistakes. They are asked to read the text and correct any mistakes they find.

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task

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answers

Prioritise Task

Students are given a set of terms related to this topic. They are asked to prioritise them in order of importance.

NOTE: there is no one correct answer. The aim is to encourage higher order thinking skills and to get students to think about and justify their decisions with a partner.

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task

Agony Aunt

Students are put into the role of an agony aunt who has to answer a set of letters about technology related problems.

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task

100 words

Students have exactly 100 words to summarise the key points about this topic

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Construct an answer

Students are given an exam style question to answer. They are also given a set of key words to incorporate into their answer.

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In the style of ....

A fantastic kinaesthetic activity which is bound to produce some amusing results whilst at the same time reinforcing the main concepts of this topic.

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Key Terms

Students are asked to provide a definition and example for key terms related to this topic

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Podcast

Students are given instructions about creating a revision podcast based on this topic

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task

Word cloud

Students write a set of notes about this topic and then use them as the basis to create a word cloud. Their work can be used to create a classroom display.

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task

You are the teacher

Students work in small groups to prepare a lesson on this topic. They are provided with information and tips about the tasks they need to prepare.

Because all students will be working on this task there is no real need for them to actually teach it the following lesson

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task