D. Visual Skills
Skills practiced: observe differences (important in discerning differences between letters), describing, remembering order, also right-to-left or left-to-right; take tasks seriously.
#D1 See
the Difference
Needed: At least 5 students.
Activity:
Three students stand in a row in front of the group.
The teacher says something about each of them (for instance: this boy has blond hair, this girl is wearing green pants etc.)
Have everyone close their eyes.
Have the students in the row change places.
Ask the group: can you see the difference? What order were they in before?
Add more people to the row and repeat.
Add even more people and repeat until the students can’t remember the changes anymore or until everyone is part of the row.
Variation #D1a: See the Difference with objects
Needed: several small objects or toys.
Activity: Use objects instead of students.
Put the objects on a table or in full view of the group and let the students look at them carefully.
Then ask them to close their eyes, while you take one item off, add one more, or just change the placement of the items.
Tell students to open their eyes again and ask them to tell what they notice as being different, using descriptive sentences as above.
Repeat a few times, or, if appropriate, give a few students turns to do the changing/adding.
Optional worksheet: Find the differences between two drawings.
Free worksheets available from:
http://www.activityexpress.co.uk/spot_the_difference_activities.html
http://www.elcivics.com/worksheets/games/find-differences/download.html
http://www.kidsfront.com/find-differences.html
Do one example together as a group, making sure that everyone understands exactly what to do. Advanced students can make up their own worksheets and exchange them with the other students.
Needed: At least 5 students.
Activity:
Three students stand in a row in front of the group.
The teacher says something about each of them (for instance: this boy has blond hair, this girl is wearing green pants etc.)
Have everyone close their eyes.
Have the students in the row change places.
Ask the group: can you see the difference? What order were they in before?
Add more people to the row and repeat.
Add even more people and repeat until the students can’t remember the changes anymore or until everyone is part of the row.
Variation #D1a: See the Difference with objects
Needed: several small objects or toys.
Activity: Use objects instead of students.
Put the objects on a table or in full view of the group and let the students look at them carefully.
Then ask them to close their eyes, while you take one item off, add one more, or just change the placement of the items.
Tell students to open their eyes again and ask them to tell what they notice as being different, using descriptive sentences as above.
Repeat a few times, or, if appropriate, give a few students turns to do the changing/adding.
Optional worksheet: Find the differences between two drawings.
Free worksheets available from:
http://www.activityexpress.co.uk/spot_the_difference_activities.html
http://www.elcivics.com/worksheets/games/find-differences/download.html
http://www.kidsfront.com/find-differences.html
Do one example together as a group, making sure that everyone understands exactly what to do. Advanced students can make up their own worksheets and exchange them with the other students.