1. OPENERS & CLOSERS IDEAS TO BEGIN AND END WELL UNC Charlotte New Teacher Support Coaches NC New Teacher Support Program

2. Openers • “a short introductory moment that captures what’s interesting and engaging about the material and puts it out front” (Lemov, 2010-Teach Like A Champion). • Warm-up, bell ringer, starter, opener, hook, welcome work, do now • Meant to inspire and excite and prepare students to willingly learn NOT water down material • Length of time doesn’t impact effectiveness • According to Lemov (2010), they are not necessary for every lesson NC New Teacher Support Program

3. Characteristics of Openers • Short • Yields to the instruction • Energetic and Optimistic • Consistent-everyday in a consistent patter • Productive NC New Teacher Support Program

4. Anticipation Guides • An anticipation guideis a list of statements (not questions) that are related to the topic. • Anticipation guides activate students' prior knowledge and set a purpose for the upcoming lesson. • They teach students to make predictions, anticipate the text/topic, and verify their predictions. NC New Teacher Support Program

5. Anticipation Guide Examples NC New Teacher Support Program

6. Opener : Story Creation • When beginning a new concept or unit, have a collection of vocabulary words on the board. • Students should create a story or start of a story using a suggested number of words in a limited amount of time. They should be as creative as they’d like! • Have volunteers share their stories. • Now students are already invested in the words when you begin! NC New Teacher Support Program

7. Story Creation Example Directions: Create an original story, using at least 5 of the following words. Inca Gold Silver Conquer Rainforests Pizarro Horses Brazil Peru 30,000 Soldiers Atahualpa Spain Mountains Andes Explorers Travel Terrain Ocean NC New Teacher Support Program

8. Opener: What’s going on in the Picture?? • Put a picture on the board of a historic event, scene from a novel, or some visual representation of the lesson that you are going to teach • Have students write about what they think is happening in the picture. Give them a time limit and let them be as creative as they want. • This is a great way to get students interested in what’s to come (they want to see if they were correct or not) and it also lets you see who might have prior knowledge based on their responses. NC New Teacher Support Program

9. What’s going on in the picture? Example Directions: Look at the picture below. Write a description of what you think is happening. What year is it? Who is the person in the picture? Where is this and why is he standing there? NC New Teacher Support Program

10. Closers • A way to end your lesson • “establishes a productive expectation about daily completed work (Lemov, 2010). • Cool downs, bell waiters, exit tickets • Helps to measure how well your students learned, not how well you taught • Characteristics: • Quick-One to three questions • Designed to yield data • Reflective and make good Starters for the next day! NC New Teacher Support Program

11. Closer: 3-2-1 Slips • 3 things I learned in class: 1. 2. 3. • 2 questions I still have: 1. 2. • 1 comment about class today: 1. NC New Teacher Support Program

12. Closer: Reflection Journal • Teachers know that reflection is important so we should also teach our students to do the same. • Have students keep an in class notebook that they can pick up at the beginning of class, or have a student pass them out. • At the end of class give students five minutes to reflect on what they learned that day. Feel free to give guiding questions to help them. • Students can put their journals back in a designated spot on their way out NC New Teacher Support Program

13. Closer: Inside-Outside Circle Talk • Involves the entire class moving around the room sharing information. • Students form 2 circles: inside and outside circles. • Students pair up with someone across from them. • They ask each other questions from the lesson. Each student asks and answers one question. • The teacher says rotate and the outside circle moves so new partners are formed. NC New Teacher Support Program

14. Your Thoughts/Ideas? • What are your favorite ways to open and close a class? • What difficulties do you have? • Resources: http://bttoolbox.pbworks.com/w/page/58123415/Teacher%20Toolbox • Questions, comments, or concerns? • We thank you for your participation! NC New Teacher Support Program