Task Cards… woohoo! They are the new go-to teaching tool for teachers and what most don’t know is that they make superb secondary study tools, too! They are versatile, easy print-and-go resources, and they can serve so many uses in your classroom.  Here are fifteen ways task cards can increase your classroom engagement, all while giving you a little breathing room. 
1. Small groups for a round table: when students are in small groups they can use task cards to have a discussion or debate. Let them talk about misconceptions, right and wrong answers, or debate the answer that is most fitting.

2. Large group/whole class discussion:  project the task card onto your white board and guide students through the answering process as a group. 

3. Individual seat work: print and hand out laminated task cards to be completed quietly at their desks.

4. Team games: provide a variety of task cards for students to complete and make it a game. Correct answers may earn groups extra credit or a turn to play a fun board game when finished.

5. Scavenger hunt style: print and place on the walls around your room. Students can rotate through in order or visit the ones that are open at the time until they have answered each task card provided.

6. Mini-lab: many task cards are perfect for quick lab experiences. Set up the labs in the back of your room while you tend to students that need individualized instruction. 

7. Projects: use task cards as project ideas. Many involve writing assignments, creating a model, or solving a problem. They’re perfect for a take home or in class project that takes more than 30 minutes to complete.

8. Bellwork/Warm-ups: assign one task card and have students complete them for bellwork/warm ups at the beginning of class. 

9. Exit tickets: Give them to students as an exit ticket to complete before leaving class. It should be a quick way to assess if students paid attention in class and walked away with the key points of your instruction.

10. Assessment tool: use a few task cards as an actual assessment question or two during test or quiz day. They’ll likely have seen them before and will know the answers which helps provide them with a boost of confidence. 

11. Stations or centers: create rotating centers out of 7-10 task cards. Have students go through them in small groups of 2-3 students until all cards have been answered.

12. Homework assignments: students can pick a task card of their choosing, or you can provide a menu board or specific assignment.

13. Early finishers: provide task cards in a folder or envelope that is easily accessible to students once they complete an assignment or finish an assessment. 

14. Introduction: use them to introduce a topic and get them interested in your new unit of study or to get them thinking outside the box for an upcoming project.

15. Review: assign a variety of easy to answer cards as review for a test or quiz and don’t forget #10, to use them as actual test questions, too.

Give them a try by visiting our store and check out our Thinket Task Cards for Life Science and Biology.  Happy teaching!
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