The Tea Party Strategy {Student Engagement}

As you well know by now, I am a big fan of using activities that engage and/or hook my students.  Scoot, Find Your Partner, and I Spy are just a few of my favorites.  But, back in my student teaching days, my mentor teacher shared the idea of a "Tea Party" with me.

Don't worry, there isn't any tea involved.  And, it isn't really even much of a party.  Ha!

What is a Tea Party, you ask?  It's essentially a mingle.  Kind of like Find Your Partner, but this time, you can interact with anyone you encounter. 


In any event, this is how it plays out in the classroom:
  • Print, laminate, and cut out the information cards.
  • Give each student a card.
  • Set a time limit (2-4 minutes) and task students with reading their fact to as many classmates as they can in the allotted time.
  • Regroup and review the facts that the students learned.
I love this engagement strategy because it gets the kids moving, they enjoy it, and they are exposed to lots of great information and new vocabulary.

I like to "host" my tea parties at the start of a unit, as unit opener.  This allows the students to get some background knowledge, and it also allows for some good discussion.  Of course, one could host a tea party whenever they'd like!

Click the image below to grab a free copy of the newly updated tea party from Google Docs.  Enjoy!


Toodles!
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6 comments:

  1. I love it when you get sidetracked...I reap the benefits! Your cover picture is adorable...you must be earning an A in class!

    (I am mad because I purchased Office when we had an updated version at school, so I would always have to remember to save as the old version if I needed to work on it at home. And THEN my school offered it for $10. Grrr...)

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  2. Cute idea, Aimee! Great facts, too. My students will love this :) Thanks!

    Kate
    EduKate and Inspire

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  3. Aimee, you always make me smile when I read your blog posts! I can't wait to hear what "new" things you learn in your Power Point class. Thanks for the great freebie!
    -Jaime
    Bright Concepts 4 Teachers

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  4. Im a first grade teacher in ccsd! I just found your blog and looove it! Super cute and great ideas!
    How did you get Microsoft Office for $10? I don't even have word on my laptop at home, only our desktop!!! Am I still able to get it?

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    Replies
    1. Hi!

      Thanks for commenting! Feel free to email me at primarilyspeaking@gmail.com and I would be happy to try and answer your question.

      Toodles,

      Aimee

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