We do a lot of reading in my classroom. A lot.

No matter how good the novel is, after about 15 minutes students start to squirm and get a little restless. I try not to take it personal. After all, they are 11 and 12 year olds living in an instant gratification world.

I needed a way to make the days when read for 20 minutes or longer a little more engaging with a little more movement. So, I came up with…

The Annotation Shuffle

How it works:

1. Put different annotation activities at the top of chart paper.

2. Put one chart paper at each table.

3. Have the students read the annotation on their chart paper, and talk at their tables for one minute about what they need to focus on/looking for while reading.

4. Read for 5 minutes or less (I picked out natural stopping points beforehand)

5. Set your timer for two minutes. Students will annotate on a post it (you can have them all write an annotation, or they can talk about it and one person write)

6. I rotate around and talk to the tables as they are annotating. This helps them stay on task, and I can ask questions to make them think a little deeper.

7. At the end of the two minutes, each group will shuffle to the next table, and start the process all over again.

Before you know it, you have read and discussed for almost a whole class period.

And the best thing I hear after we do this…

“Wow! Class went by so fast today!”

If I’m being honest, a lot of my movement ideas center around students rotating around the tables, and this one is no different (because it always works) With these types of activities students are moving, active, and engaged, and that’s what it’s all about!

Think about ways you can have your students rotate tables with your next lesson. Just this little bit of movement makes a huge difference.

As always, let me know what you think!

Happy Teaching,

Savannah