What are they and how they can transform your classroom teaching
Task cards are incredible. Full stop! They can be used in a variety of ways, in any of your lessons, with just about ANY of your students. You can print them out, shuffle them together, display them on the board digitally, hide them in random places for scavenger hunts. The lists are endless. Differentiated and tactile, task cards make your lessons come alive with interactivity and, well, TASKS!
And they’re easy to use. On every card you’ll find a task that needs to be completed. Your students can complete them individually, in small or large groups, or in pairs. Written on each task card are simple instructions for students to follow at their own pace. Usually self-guiding, the tasks on task cards get your students doing something productive and creative.
What you can DO with Task Cards
GROUP WORK
Task cards are popular when working in groups. Print multiple sets of all your task cards. Put your students into small groups and give each group the full set. They then choose one card at random and then, as a group, set out completing the task detailed on the card together. Groups can even share their answers in a mini presentation at the end.
Creative Follow-ups for ANY Book or Text!
STATIONS
This is perfect for teachers who have students that need to move! Print different sets of the task cards and place each set in random piles in different sections of your classroom. Get your students to travel to each section and draw one task card at random. They then work together to complete the task. After, rotate all groups clockwise.
EXIT TICKETS
Task cards can be used as exit tickets! After an assignment, get your class to either do one of the tasks on a card of their choosing or have each student choose one at random. Once the task is completed, they can exit the classroom.
ENRICHMENT
Task cards are excellent for enrichment activities and providing additional challenges for your learners who get finished early or just like working on assignments. They can be given to augment any topic and your students will get to produce something related to what you are working on. These, in turn, can be used as presentations or as a flipped lesson where your students teach their classmates.
EXTRA CREDIT
Task cards can be used for extra credit as well. If you have any learners who may have fallen behind or just need some extra points to bring their grades up before the end of the year, you can use the assignments on your task cards.
Practice every aspect of The Filmmaking Journey with Movie Task Cards.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
Let’s say that you are doing a lesson on Nanotechnology, and your class wants more! Can you blame them? Ideally, you’d like to have something creative for them to do, like a short writing assignment or short-film, that will synthesis the topic you covered. Task cards are perfect for this, offering short bursts of creativity with little-to-no planning.
TIME-FILLERS
What happens if you need to fill 10 minutes or so at the end of a lesson? What about that one student (you know the one!) who always finishes early? Task cards are here to save you. Keep them in your classroom, tucked away for emergencies. Whenever you need to fill time, take them out, and you’re ready to go.
EXTRA SUPPORT
There are always those students who need extra support, and task cards are a great way to differentiate your instruction by giving those who need it some tasks that may be easier than others. It’s a perfect way to keep the learning happening on different levels in a class of mix-level students.
HOMEWORK
While exiting the classroom, get your students (either in pairs or individually) to draw one task card at random. They then complete the task at home and bring the answer back to check the next time you meet. You can even rotate students in stations to check their answers!
DISTANCE LEARNING
Yes, task cards can even be used for distance learning and online classrooms. Whether you are teaching a lesson on Movies and need additional tasks to present to your students on their screens, or if you are studying the psychology of memory and need activities to give to your students for individual assignments, you can use tasks cards. Also, parents, when teaching at a distance, become eager for their child to have extra activities that keep them involved in their education while at home. Task cards are a way to keep your learners participating in your class even when you aren’t meeting physically.
Need ready-made task cards for YOUR classroom? Check out some of mine here!
