Fifteen universal extension activity ideas that you can use with any worksheet or printable.
1. What do the students already know about it?
Before you start the lesson ask your students what they already know about the subject on the worksheet. Use who, what, when, why and how questions as prompts if you need to. Brainstorm information on the board. Allow lots of time for a conversation to develop and flow and encourage your students to share personal stories that relate.
2. Make a list of related words.
How many words can we think of that relate to the subject on the worksheet? For example a list for the subject of dogs may look like this: teeth, collar, food, water, bowl, lead, puppies, fleas, medicine, treats, bones, nails, spots, skin, wrinkles, whiskers, buckle, eyes, eyelashes, pupil, nostrils, ears, poodle, competition, tail, patches, biscuits, treats, toys, bed, basket, blanket, chain and flea powder.
Give your students lots of time to come up with ideas and they will create an ever going list. You could even challenge the class to create a list of 100 words. If it is not completed by the end of the day then part of homework can be finding more words by talking to family, reading books and looking on the internet. Alternatively see if the list can be completed by the end of the week.
