Materials to Print

 

Need to Know Activities Guide

Session 06

 

For every activity, the focus of discussions should be on how students will apply that information or those skills to their experience in college.

 

Note to facilitators: In each session, the timing of the activities is less than the 2 ½ hours of the session. This allows for time for transitions between activities, a short break, and time to just talk to students about your experiences, along with their questions and expectations. You may find that some activities take more or less time depending on the group, so be aware of timing and make adjustments as needed. Early sessions have more activities. If you don’t think you will have enough time, use discretion and choose the ones that best meet the needs of your group. Make sure to read over ALL session guides before starting the workshop to get an overview and to plan for the best approach. Then re-read each session guide before you meet with students. Make sure to have needed materials. You might be able to carry some activities over to later sessions if you run out of time.

Note: In Session 7, Activity 03, students will be asked to rate planning and scheduling apps. You can assign that this week, and ask them to come prepared to discuss at the next meeting.

 

01.               Critical Thinking

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: For the first part of the activity, you can develop definitions as a whole group or have students work in small groups or individually. For the second part of the activity, hand out a different colored pad of Post-It notes and a marker to each group. Have a board at the front of the room divided into columns labeled “Fact, “Inference,” and “Opinion.” Ask students to copy the statements and decide as a group where on the board to post them. Discuss how students came to their decisions and what the placement of statements demonstrates about their understanding of the concepts.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students differentiate between facts, opinions, and inferences

·       To help students understand the role of these different types of knowing in building critical thinking skills

·       To make students better able to judge arguments made by others

·       To help students build better arguments

 

Materials: Post-It notes, writing utensils, markers, board with three columns marked “Fact,” “Opinion” and “Inference.”

 

Notes: Fact: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fact?s=t a truth known by actual experience or observation

Answers in order: fact, inference, opinion, opinion, fact, inference, fact, inference, opinion.

 

 

02.               Analyzing a Source

 

Timing: 30 minutes

 

Description: The facilitator can choose an article for all students to analyze or students can choose an article individually or in their groups. This exercise works well as an individual or group exercise. It can be conducted as a discussion with the whole group as well. To do so, have all students read the article and then go through each question and discuss the answer, having students write down what the group decides. Otherwise, after students read their article, they can write down their own answers to the questions or discuss the questions in small groups of about 3 members, and each write their answers on the sheets. If time permits, discussion afterward can focus on how to use this type of analysis in their classwork.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students learn that different sources have different levels of accuracy and credibility

·       To help students learn the elements of an article that contribute to credibility

·       To help students differentiate between strong sources and weak or biased sources

·       To help students understand how to use sources to build a strong argument

 

Materials: article selected for exercises, writing utensils,

Smartphone, tablet, or laptop for reading article, unless hard copies are provided (make sure to follow copyright laws)

 

 

Notes: As a variation, some students can be assigned an article that is strong and some students can be assigned an article that is biased or weak, either individually or in groups. If students don’t know which type of article they have been assigned, discussion afterward can focus on the different ways they uncovered the nature of their article.

 

 

03.               Student Court

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: Assign the roles of Student 1, Student 2 Mediator—the rest of the students will make up the panel. Have the mediator describe the situation briefly and then let each student present his or her perspective. Allow the panel to offer their insights into the situation and develop a course of action. In the end, all participants can vote on the best solution.

 

Objectives:

·       To have students uncover their beliefs about talent v work

·       To help students consider what goes into determinations about their grades

 

Materials: writing utensils

 

Notes: Encourage all students to participate in the discussion. Discuss what underlying beliefs about teamwork might inform their ideas.

 

 

04.               Understanding Homework Questions

 

Timing: 15 minutes

 

Description: This is a good activity to do as a whole group, demonstrating on the board how you would break down the questions.

 

Objectives:

·       To demonstrate the importance of paying close attention to questions in students’ classwork

·       To show students how to apply their reading skills to the work they are assigned

 

Materials: writing utensils, highlighter, board with dry erase marker for writing out questions and demonstrating to students how to break them down OR projector to project questions onto dry erase board, so you can use a marker to show students how to break down questions.

 

Notes: Use the discussion in the chapter to help students understand what they should be working toward. Discuss how it can be applied to their classwork.

 

 

 

05.               Academic Arguments

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: Discuss the difference between an opinion, a claim, a claim supported with evidence, and a claim supported with evidence and a counterargument. Have students choose one of the opinions listed or assign small groups to do one or the other opinion. Have students write their own examples of how to develop their arguments. Students can make up their evidence or use their smartphones to find evidence.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students formulate the types of arguments that will serve them in their coursework

·       To help students differentiate between strong academic arguments and weak ones

 

Materials: writing utensils

 

Notes: Discuss how they should apply this knowledge to coursework, class discussions, and writing assignments. This is a very challenging activity and may be too difficult for some students. You can work through the exercise guiding the students if neccessary.

 

 

06.               Asking Questions

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: Have students work in small groups to develop questions. It’s a good idea to have some topic ideas available in case students can’t think of any.

 

Objectives:

·       To demonstrate to students how questions and curiosity drive academic research

·       To help students hone their ability to formulate questions

 

Materials: writing utensils

 

Notes: You can always make a game of it and have students pull topics from a hat. Providing an example might also be helpful. Discuss how students will apply this information to their coursework. This is a very challenging exercise and may be too difficult for some students. You can guide them through generating a list of questions about a provided topic without following the examples provided if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07.               Online Classes

 

Timing: 10 minutes

 

Description: Online classes in college are different from those in high school, often with higher expectations. To help students understand their level of preparedness for online classes, have them answer the questions individually. Use the poker chips as a visual to give them a concrete idea of how they will fare.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students understand the expectations for online classes

·       To help students determine if they are well-suited to online classes

·       To help students consider the skills and attitudes they must bring to succeed in online classes

 

Materials: writing utensils

Red, yellow, and green poker chips or chits

 

Notes: Online classes are an option that many students assume will be easier. However, they usually have specific guidelines that make students participate and learn in determined ways. Although most students will take some online classes, especially because they work well with busy schedules and travel restrictions, they will get to decide the proportion of online and in-seat classes, and understanding how well suited they are for online classes will help them make that decision. Also, understanding what online classes in college entail may help them prepare and perform better.

 

 

 

08.               Wrap Up: Gist and List

 

Timing: 5 minutes

 

Description: Students should be able to summarize what they learned in the session under the “Gist” column. Then they can pick out specific points that are important and list them under the “List” column.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students digest and think about material

·       To serve as a memory aid

 

Materials: writing utensils

 

Notes: This is an opportunity for students to process the information they learned and put it in their own words. This will facilitate learning and let students control their use of information. If you run out of time, this can be assigned as homework—it should only take a few minutes and will serve as a reminder for students of what they learned before moving to the next session.