Back Pocket Teaching Strategy: The Story Circle
A "back pocket" strategy is a tool a teacher can use in any classroom, with any group of students, with very minimal prep. Whether a lesson went south, you had a pop-in observation, or you have 6 minutes left in the period, having back pocket strategies means you'll never be without a quick teaching solution. Add these back pocket strategies to your teaching bag of tricks for this school year!
Besides the
, my next favorite strategy is the story circle. It's a great way to practice content area vocabulary, use collaborative skills, and can work for speaking or writing.
Model a story circle by choosing a topic. You can use content area vocabulary that you're working on, or have students suggest topics of interest.
is always a fun idea, too, and you can have a student choose a card to start the game. Next, start the story with a one-sentence opener. You can choose to do the story orally (good for a large group!), or write it on an easel (easier with a smaller group). The next person in the circle must say the next line in the story, keeping with the theme or topic. The story continues until the last person, who must end the story with some sort of conclusion. It's really a lot of fun!
I've used the story circle with everyone from kinders to adult learners, and as long as you use appropriate scaffolds, anyone can do it. For example, in the picture below, my ELL students brainstormed words they knew about hot air balloons, and had to choose at least one word from the chart to include in their story sentence.
If you use story cubes, like the ones below, you can have each member of the group add to the story using their own picture prompt. Be prepared for wild and wacky turns!
A story circle offers learners a fun and engaging opportunity to use vocabulary and grammar structures, as well as build community by collaborating with their peers. A story circle can be used in any content area, and takes little to no preparation at all. If you use the story circle as a segue into the
, as I did with this
activity, then you've created an entirely student-centered activity tailored to each student's proficiency level.
Check back soon for more back pocket teaching ideas!
