Chalk Talk:
Thinking about sitting in the same classroom for 7 hours a day can be pretty daunting, so on the first day of summer school I wanted my class to be immediately engaged. I put a huge chart paper on each table with a question related to American government and asked them to answer the question at every table silently, an activity I've heard called "Chalk Talk." They could just answer the question or they could respond to someone else's comment by drawing a line to connect the ideas.
We used their silent discussions on the charts to facilitate a fantastic group discussion--almost every student in the class participated heartily because they had already formed an opinion on every topic we discussed. It was a great way to get to know the students and gauge their interest in government, and I think it was essential in creating an environment where different ideas and perspectives are welcomed.
Here are some of the charts:
They specify "AM" and "PM" so later in the day the students could amend their answer if what we discussed changed their opinion. We actually never got back to revising those answers on paper, which is something I would be sure to do in the future.
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I also had the students draw what came to mind when they thought of government, so I could really see their perspective. Here are a few of those drawings:
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