#41 How to make Call and Respond (even more) fun
Ideas from a primary colleague that older students will love too
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💡 A tip to try in class this week 💡
Regular readers will know how much I love a bit of Call and Respond - where the teacher says the first half of a statement, and in unison, the students chant back the second half. I have written previously about how I use Call and Respond to:
This week, I want to share a lovely idea from a primary colleague about making Call and Respond even more fun, whilst also benefiting from some extra response opportunities.
Let’s imagine you have introduced students to the following strategy:
To solve a quadratic equation, we first make it equal to zero
You could begin with a classic Explain, Frame and Reframe:
Explain: To solve a quadratic equation, we first make it equal to zero
Frame: To solve a quadratic equation, we first…
Reframe: Which type of equations do we first make equal to zero?…
But to really hammer it home, you can then ask students to respond again, but in different ways. For example:
Again, but this time louder…
Again, but this time whisper it…
Say it in the deepest voice you can manage…
Now in the highest, squeakiest voice…
Say it like you are sad…
Say it like you are surprised…
There is a danger that Call and Respond can seem a bit cringey, and there is no doubt that these variations ramp up the potential cringe factor a few notches. But I have found that if you are positive and enthusiastic, you persist, and get enough kids on board initially, the power of social norms kicks in and before you know it even the most reluctant of teenagers is chanting QUADRATC EQUATIONS! back at you as if they have just seen a ghost.
What do you think of this idea?
What would you need to change to make this tip work for you?
When could you try it for the first time?
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