HOTS Activity Workshop

How to create a
HOTS Activity

Workshop Objectives

Talk about PAL and student centered activities

To understand what HOTS is and how to apply it

to the lessons we teach

To understand how to create HOTS/Critical

thinking activities

Success Criteria
Have a better understanding of PAL and
student centered lessons
We should be able to understand what HOTS is
and how it works in the classroom.
We should be able to create our own activity for
a HOTS lesson
We should have at least 3 activities to take
home at the end.

Todays Agenda:
-

Learn about PAL and student centered lessons

Some theory about HOTS
Create an activity
Play 2 HOTS activities
Make your own activity in small groups

P.A.L

What is P.A.L?

Peer
Assisted
Learning

This is the primary way to deliver a 21st

Century Classroom lesson

P.A.L

There are several ways to deliver a PAL

lesson

1) Pair work
2) Small group work
3) Outside assistance

Lets look at each method

P.A.L

1) Pair work

In this method you pair up stronger

students with weaker students.
The strong student will take the lead and
assist the weaker student where its needed

Reading lesson example

(activity presentation)

P.A.L

2) Small group

In this method you will have a group of 3-6

students.
One student (the strongest) will be the
leader/helper of the group.
Short or long term projects can be done this
way

Multiple station activities done this way

(activity presentation)

P.A.L.
3) outside assistance
In this method you bring in a group of
students that are beyond this point of the
subject to assist with teaching the topic
Excellent way to get one on one assistance
for Linus students or a weaker level class

How to implement this?

Bring in another class to help with reading
once a week.

Student Centered Lessons

For things that cant be done in the PAL

format you need to make sure the activities
are 90-100% student centered.

A game example:
Write the word you hear.

(activity presentation)

The goal is to take yourself out of the activity as

much as possible. Show the game/activity and
then let the students do it themselves.

HOTS

What is HOTS?
Higher Order Thinking Skills

Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Logical thinking
Ect

How does it fit into the primary classroom?

Why do we want it in the classroom?

What is HOTS Thinking?

When you are thinking critically, what are you
doing?
When you are thinking creatively, what are you
doing?
When you are thinking logically,
what are you doing?

Here are a couple game

ideas

Hot

Seat game

Computer

Tree

Tiger

Paper

Game two

Scavenger

Hunt

Lets make an activity!

2 questions to ask yourself when thinking
up an activity.
#1. Whats the type and point of the
lesson?
#2. What type of activity would best suit
this?

(game or worksheet)

Things to think about for #2:

What type of class is it? Energetic/quiet ect
What level is their English at?

What Now?

When you have decided what type of action

to take there are 2 ways to decide on a
game/activity.

#1. You can think of a game you already

know and change it to fit your lesson or

#2. You can create your own idea from

scratch.

After you know what

game
Some other questions to ask yourself once you
know what you are going to do/play.
#1. How much is the teacher involved in play?
#2. How can I make it more student centered?
#3. How much English will be used by the
students?
#4. How can I monitor that they are all doing
the activity.
#5. Is the classroom the best place to do
activity?

Any ideas?

Now that we have answered all the

questions, lets create an activity together

Make your own

Finished!
Any questions?