The Lesson Plan G.A.M.E. E=Extensions and Enrichment

In the past few weeks, I've written a number of posts detailing the Lesson Plan G.A.M.E. We've arrived at the fourth element: E=Extensions and Enrichment.

Lesson extensions and enrichment activities enhance and personalize learning as the class progressses toward meeting curricular goals for a topic of study.

Example: According to your Lesson Plan, by completing the textbook and workbook exercises for the V'Ahavta prayer, students are learning to read the prayer accurately and fluently; to translate key words and phrases; and to understand the theme of the prayer. They may even be preparing for a test on the prayer. To help students express their personal connections to the V'Ahavta prayer, in your Lesson Plan, provide enrichment activities such as:

- Students draw a heart shape on an 81/2"x 11" sheet of paper. Inside the heart, they write several original ways that they can show their love for God. Those who wish to, may write their responses in the form of Haiku, cinquain, or other poetic format. Students may decorate their hearts with markers, crayons, or colored pencils. Students who would like to share their thoughts, may hand in their hearts for a display that includes a copy of the prayer and cards with key prayer vocabulary.

- Provide students with a blank sheet of paper and a box of collage materials (colored paper scraps, wrapping paper, pictures cut from magazines, words cut from the V'Ahavta prayer, bits of ribbon, trim, yarn,etc). From these materials, students create a collage which expresses their interpretation of the prayer.

Extension activities in your Lesson Plan can provide both remedial practice and advanced work for students with different skills sets.
For example, a student who is struggling with pronounciation of a prayer text may be given some of the difficult words clipped from an enlarged copy of the text. With assistance, the student cuts each word into syllables and then pastes the syllables in correct order on a colored index card. He/she uses the cards to pronounce each word aloud syllable by syllable. The student may read the cards to a partner in class or to a family member at home.

The Teacher's Guide to your textbook series probably includes extension and enrichment activities for each chapter. Check your synagogue library or teacher resource center for Judaic activity books. Copy a selection of learning games and activity sheets and make these available to students during independent study time. Secular learning activity books provide activity models which can be adapted for Judaic studies.

Extension and enrichment activities for a study topic may also be assembled and presented as a class Learning Center.

Refer to Bloom's Taxonomy and related verb lists (discussed in previous posts) for inspiration in creating/selecting for your Lesson Plan, extension and enrichment activities which stimulate a variety of thinking skills.

G=Goals A=Amount of time M=Methodology E= Extensions and Enrichment
You now have the tools for success in the Lesson Plan G.A.M.E.