CHAPTER 2
Strategies for Teaching Lab Procedures

What Is It?

Teaching lab procedures is explicit instruction on how to productively and safely complete labs. In addition, some of these procedures are useful in the traditional classroom setting when students are working at their desks.

Why We Like It

The best part of a science classroom is labs. The most stressful part of a science classroom is labs.

At the end of the school year, when we ask our students what was the best part about their science classes, they almost always respond that the labs were the most fun and memorable.

Teachers, however, may have a different perspective because we know all about the preparation, stress, and clean-up that accompany a successful lab experience. Teaching lab procedures at the beginning of the year is one of the most powerful tools teachers have to proactively ensure students are safe, on task, and learning.

Procedures are different from rules. Rules communicate a teacher's expectations, and there are consequences associated with breaking the rules. One rule in science could be “clean up after the lab or you do not get to participate in future labs.” This only tells students they need to clean up, but does not explain how to properly clean up or allow for practice cleaning up. It also adds a punitive component. Procedures, on the other hand, are used to communicate the “how” to students. For example, we teach our students how to clean up after labs. If students don't follow procedures, they are not assigned a consequence. Instead, students practice the procedures until they demonstrate understanding.

Another example of a rule versus a procedure relates to student communication in class. A rule would be “don't talk when the teacher is talking” and if students do, there is a consequence assigned. However, there are times in class when students should be communicating with each other. In this scenario, the teacher uses a procedure to get students' attention so they do not chat while the teacher is talking. If we take time to teach procedures, the class will be much easier to manage, there will be more instructional time, and both the teacher and students will find the class more enjoyable.

Supporting Research

There is substantial research that supports teaching students classroom procedures. Teachers who maintain a classroom with order can enhance the ability of students to regulate their own behavior during activities (Blazar & Kraft, 2017).

Procedures are especially imperative in the science classroom because labs can be dangerous and students are responsible for learning independently. When procedures are not in place, there can be more off-task behavior and discipline issues. To optimize learning time during science activities, classrooms should have more procedures and less rules (NGSS Life Science, 2018).

Skills for Intentional Scholars/NGSS Standards

Teaching procedures is a part of classroom management and helps establish a safe environment where students maximize their learning experiences. When students are on task and actively learning during labs, they are enhancing their abilities to communicate effectively and problem solve creatively. Science labs provide opportunities for students to build these skills when they use teamwork to conduct experiments and draw conclusions. Group dynamics will be discussed in later chapters when we introduce strategies for specific labs and other activities.

Application

This section describes five important procedural sets we teach our students before performing the school year's first lab: moving students, obtaining student attention, cleaning up, time management, and keeping students on task.

MOVING STUDENTS

There are many different types of classroom and lab environments. Some teachers have very large classrooms where students sit at desks in one half of the classroom and work at lab stations in the other half of the room. Other teachers work in traditional classrooms with a separate lab room located somewhere else on campus. Many science teachers leverage the outdoors as a lab site. Teachers who don't have lab space often pull student desks together to create a makeshift lab table.

Regardless of a teacher's physical situation, moving students from one location to another one can be challenging. Students often begin to move before the teacher is done giving directions.

To address this issue, we teach our students a procedure for moving from their seats to the next location. Students remain in their seats while we give directions and explain the lab safety procedures. When we are finished, we say the cue words, “get to work.” We practice this procedure during the first week of school. When students hear the verbal cue, “get to work,” they can move from their seats and go to the next location. Do all students correctly follow this procedure every time? Of course not, but pre-teaching it increases the odds that the majority will do so.

OBTAINING STUDENTS' ATTENTION DURING LABS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

During a lab or other activity, we may need to regain our students' attention. Although it doesn't happen too often because we don't want to interrupt learning, there are times when it's necessary. For example, we may have forgotten to tell them a detail about lab safety or the lab directions. Or it may be that a student asked a great question or discovered a creative way to accomplish the goal and we want to share it with the entire class. At that moment, we must obtain everyone's attention so we can provide further instruction.

To maintain a good relationship with our students, we never want to yell at them. So, how can a teacher obtain students' attention while they are fully engaged in a lab or other activity?

Some teachers ring bells while others use call and response procedures. Regardless of which strategy a teacher uses, the best results occur when the procedure is taught and practiced during the first weeks of school. And, if later in the school year, students forget how to respond appropriately and in a timely manner, the class simply practices it again so they remember the expectation.

In Tara's science classroom, she teaches her students Harry Wong's call and response procedure called SALAME, which stands for Stop And Look At ME (Wong & Wong, 2018). During the first week of school, she explains the meaning and procedure of SALAME and then asks all students to stand. She calls out a color. Students walk to a wall and touch an item that was the color Tara called out. Randomly, Tara will say, “SALAME” and students are expected to immediately stop what they are doing and look at her. Students, without fail, don't stop when first learning the procedure because they are too focused on searching for an item of the assigned color. This provides an opportunity for Tara to reteach the procedure. Students practice through the first week of school. And, if students forget the procedure later in the year, she reteaches it and students practice again.

At one of Mandi's previous schools, every teacher followed the same call and response procedure, which provided consistency for students across the entire campus. The school mascot was a rattlesnake so the teachers would say, “WE ARE…” and the students would respond, “RATTLERS!” and were then expected to wait silently for the next set of instructions. Students were taught this procedure in every classroom the first week of school so they knew exactly how to stop what they were doing and pay attention to their teacher.

Other call and response ideas are available in the Technology Connections section.

Again, as we've said before, does this mean that every student pays attention every time? No. But, consistently reinforcing the procedure can improve its odds of success.

CLEANING UP AFTER LABS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

Cleaning up after labs and activities should not and, from a logistical perspective, cannot be the teacher's responsibility.

Cleaning up is a type of transition. Primary teachers have more transitions than secondary teachers because elementary students must transition from one subject to another multiple times throughout the day in the same classroom. There is a potential loss of 15 instructional minutes every day in an elementary classroom if transitions aren't executed efficiently (Stacho, 2013). This totals 45 instructional hours throughout a school year. As teachers, we are always looking for extra teaching minutes. Having well-planned and well-executed cleaning strategies is an easy means to increase instructional time in an elementary setting.

As secondary teachers, we only have a few precious minutes between classes. Many teachers use these transition minutes greeting students at the door because this simple task can increase student engagement and decrease disruptive behavior (Allday & Pakurar, 2007; Cook et al., 2018). This time pressure means that passing periods for secondary teachers should not be used to clean up after one class and set up for the next. Of course, sometimes we can't avoid doing these tasks ourselves. However, teaching and reinforcing cleaning procedures should reduce the number of times that is necessary.

While planning a lab or other activity, we also consider how students will be responsible for cleaning their areas and, if necessary, to set up for the next class period. Here is a list of questions we ask ourselves while planning:

• Where will students obtain required resources?
• How will those resources be allocated among student groups?
• How will students clean the resources so they are reusable?
• Where will students return the resources?
• How will students clean their general working area? This is especially tricky if the resources include such things as water, dirt, glue, glitter, and paint.
• Which resources will be thrown in the recycle garbage and which will be thrown into the regular garbage?

We've found that the most successful cleaning strategy is to assign a number to each student in the group. Then we assign a different task to each number. Table 2.1: Clean-Up Responsibilities provides an example of how we communicate responsibilities to students. These responsibilities can easily be consolidated or divided if there aren't four students in a lab group.

To communicate these responsibilities to students, we introduce most labs with both verbal and written directions, explaining how to perform the lab. We've found that students do a better job cleaning up if the clean-up procedures are provided orally before the lab begins and in writing on the board or on the lab worksheet. This can be accomplished by sharing Table 2.1: Clean-Up Responsibilities with students.

While students are cleaning, it's fun to have background music playing. In our secondary rooms, we've found that kids love the Barney clean-up song, which is available on YouTube. The first time we play the song, we receive looks of “Are you kidding me?” but soon students are singing along and being silly. It's fun to have high school seniors singing and dancing with Barney!

One minute before the bell rings, we begin to walk through the lab area to check students' clean-up status. Teachers can use this time to positively reinforce student behavior. For example, teachers can say, “Group number 1, your lab station is perfect. Thank you.” If a lab station isn't up to par, the teacher can ask that group to return to their station to finish their cleaning responsibilities. Once the group is done, they too can receive a positive comment.

Table 2.1 Clean-Up Responsibilities

Student number	Student clean-up responsibility
1	Wash out test tubes and return to test tube rack on the teacher's demonstration table.
2	Return test tube clamp, tongs, and pipette to the teacher's demonstration table.
3	Using paper towels, wipe down the lab table and throw the paper towels into the regular trash can.
4	Double check that students 1–3 have completed their work and grabbed all of their personal materials, including pencils and lab worksheets. Remind them to return to their seats to begin the lab report.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Students need to make the most of their time in science class, especially on lab days, because most labs can't be completed at home. And if students don't finish collecting their data in class, then they can't complete the lab write-up.

Planning a Lab or Activity

Time management begins in the planning stage and is critical if you are trying a new lab that you haven't experienced with students. You don't want students to finish early and have nothing to do because bored kids can be the ones who “get into trouble.” You also don't want students to rush at the end because it impedes their learning. Teachers can find a balance by planning class time purposefully.

When planning a lab or activity, create a schedule for the lesson plan. The schedule is then posted on the board for the students and the teacher. Students should be moving along at that pace or as close to it as possible. Here are the guiding questions we ask ourselves when creating a schedule:

1. How long will it take me to get class started (attendance, pass out papers, collect homework)?
2. How much time will students need to complete a warm-up?
3. How long will it take me to introduce the activity to the students?
4. How long will it take for students to move into their groups and obtain resources?
5. How long will it take for students to perform each section of the lab or activity?
6. How much time needs to be set aside for cleaning?
7. Do I need more than 1 minute to check lab stations?

We make cleaning up a priority and provide ample time for doing so. Secondary students have another class and they need to arrive on time. No one likes to feel rushed and no one does a thorough job when they are hurried.

Once these timeframes have been determined, we establish the schedule for the class period. Often, what we thought could be accomplished in one class period actually takes more time. This is why planning is essential for teacher and student success. We can either alter the lab or activity so it requires less time or we can change the number of days dedicated to this particular lesson plan.

Here are some tricks for shortening labs and activities:

• Complete a quick mock lab or activity yourself to determine all of the resources students will need for the lesson. Then, have those resources on hand for student use. This kind of preparation will prevent you from running around during the lab looking for a class set of calculators because you didn't realize students needed calculators.
• Set out resources at each lab station before class. This decreases the amount of time that students need to obtain supplies and put them away.
• Have extra resources readily available, just in case. It requires precious time to track down another teacher to ask for extra masking tape in the middle of class.
• If it's financially feasible, each group should have their own resources. The bottleneck to most lab work is when the entire classroom has access to only one scale or only one microscope. There are a few options if a teacher is in search of additional resources, such as borrowing from other teachers, contacting the district's science liaison, or writing a grant requesting funds to purchase more resources. See the Technology Connections section for additional suggestions.
• Cut all material beforehand. When we first began our teaching careers we were shocked at how long it took middle school students to cut paper. When Tara transitioned into the high school, she was even more shocked to find that cutting takes just as long for high school seniors. Parent and/or student volunteers/TAs are a great way to get cutting done before class begins. If push comes to shove, teachers cutting resources while binge-watching television is not ideal, but it's better than classroom chaos!
• Have liquid resources premeasured. This type of preparation is not a shortcut we suggest for every lab because students need practice measuring volume and using lab supplies, such as graduated cylinders. But, every so often, it can cut several minutes from lab time.

Communicating Time to Students

Students stay more focused during labs and activities if they can visually see there is a finite amount of time to complete the task. At the beginning of the lab, we post a timer on our projection screen. If you search for “timer,” there are plenty of free ones available online. Other teachers who don't have screens can write the time left on the board and update it every 5 or 10 minutes. We've also seen other teachers use egg timers. Regardless of the tool used to track time, the goal is to keep students on task by communicating the amount of time they have to complete their work.

KEEPING STUDENTS ON TASK

Monitoring

Monitor, monitor, monitor. We can't say this enough.

In Robert Marzano's five-point scale for teacher evaluation, he differentiates a teacher with a 3 rating (referred to as a “developing teacher”) and a teacher with a 4 rating (referred to as an “applying teacher”) by how much monitoring the teacher performs. An applying teacher is one who monitors “the majority of the students” (Marzano, Carbaugh, Rutherford, & Toth, 2013, p. 19).

Monitoring achieves two goals. First, teachers can monitor for on-task behavior to ensure students are using lab time as a learning opportunity, not a social opportunity. Second, and more importantly, teachers can monitor for student understanding. There have been numerous occasions when we tried a new lab or activity and, while walking around monitoring student work, we realized we had written unclear directions. We've also discovered that questions we wrote on lab write-ups were confusing. Because we were monitoring, we were able to stop the class, clarify the errors we had made, and get our students back on the right track. If we hadn't been monitoring, we wouldn't have realized that students did not have an accurate understanding until we graded the assignment. This late realization would have required that we reteach the content on a future day.

Here is a list of meaningful monitoring strategies:

• Walk around to make your presence known. Teacher proximity has been proven to increase on-task student behavior (Allday, 2011).
• Ask individual groups and students, “What questions do you have for me?” We've noticed that students are more likely to ask questions when we initiate the conversation.
• In addition to the Technology Use Agreements that most districts have, some districts also have online monitoring tools, such as Hapara or GoGuardian. These systems can help teachers monitor the websites that students are accessing real time. They also allow teachers to monitor the quality of the work students are completing so that real-time feedback can be provided. Some systems allow the teacher to close inappropriate websites that students are using (such as online gaming). If students are working in Google Classroom, teachers can log on and watch them in real time. Teachers can also add supportive comments and other feedback, including suggestions. For example, while Tara's students walked the school courtyard searching for examples of ecosystems and communities, she was monitoring the accuracy of their answers from her laptop. She knew who was actively working and who was not and she knew who understood the concepts and who required further instruction. This helped her to identify which students would benefit from some type of intervention and which students required an enrichment lesson. There are examples of enrichment activities in the Differentiation for Diverse Learners section. See Chapter 17: Strategies for Assessing Student Learning for additional intervention and enrichment resources.
• Of course, the monitoring strategy that we think works best, and which we generally use, is actually walking around, looking at screens, and talking to students individually about their work.

Grouping Strategies

The first question we ask ourselves when planning for group work is, “How many students should be in a group?”

The University of Leicester published the results of an experiment conducted in 2010 where students were in groups of two, three, and four. The experiment concluded that, “gains gradually exceeded losses in groups of two but not in three-person and larger groups” (University of Leicester, 2010). The researchers hypothesized that when two students work together, they can intuitively learn to communicate; however, when the group is larger, communication becomes more difficult.

Nevertheless, some science activities logistically require more than two students in a group. Based on our experience, one important criterion for determining the number of students in a group is the number of individual jobs required by the activity. If a lab only calls for two jobs, then there should only be two students in a group. And if a lab has five jobs, then there can be as many as five students in a group. Table 2.2: Lab Jobs and Responsibilities lists the most common jobs we assign students during a lab.

This can also be a classroom management tool. Students are more likely to stay on task when they have been given a specific responsibility.

You'll notice that Table 2.2: Lab Jobs and Responsibilities doesn't assign cleaning to any one student. When every student is responsible for cleaning, it maximizes the amount of class time allocated for learning.

Table 2.2 Lab Jobs and Responsibilities

Job title	Job responsibility
Artist	Drawing and sketching, such as documentation of microscope slides
Supply manager	Obtaining and calibrating lab supplies
Scientist	Managing the experiment
Recorder	Recording observations and data
Time manager	Ensuring all other jobs are being completed in a timely manner and keeping peers on task
Safety engineer	Ensuring all lab safety rules are being followed; is the first to respond to a spill or accident

There are several ways to determine which students will work together. Students can be grouped by their abilities, interests, behavior, proximity, or random selection. Another option is for students to choose their own groups.

As secondary teachers, we generally allow our students to choose their own groups, but there are times when we select them. Two grouping strategies involve pairing students based on ability. Students can be in homogeneous groups where they have the same ability. Or students can be in heterogeneous groups where students have a range of abilities. Research shows that sometimes homogeneous groups are more effective and other times heterogeneous groups are more effective for student learning (Pare, 2017). To leverage the benefits of each grouping strategy, we use both throughout the year.

When students are grouped based on same-ability (homogeneous grouping), it becomes easier to keep differentiation inconspicuous. For example, one student group may have a simpler article to read or their lab write-up directions may include more detail.

When students are grouped based on their differences (heterogeneous grouping), the students' diversity can improve the end product because research has shown that “diversity enhances creativity” (Phillips, 2014, para. 3). Diversity can include such things as race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, ability, sexual orientation, and background knowledge. The most common use of heterogeneous groups in our classrooms is when students must use their imagination, such as creating rockets, producing dioramas, or solving problems.

Grouping can be a classroom management tool also. For example, if Student A and Student B routinely behave inappropriately when they are together, they can be assigned to two different lab groups. At the same time, if Student C and Student D consistently work well together, we might group them together more often.

Other ideas regarding how to group students are available in the Differentiation for Diverse Learners and Technology Connections sections.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS

Moving Students

Students with physical disabilities appreciate when teachers subtly differentiate for them. For example, we've had students in walkers and wheelchairs who needed to have the classroom rearranged so they could perform labs. To minimize the amount of attention they received when we moved from one location to another, we allowed these students to sit closest to the door and use alternate entrances into the classroom. Tara's classroom has chairs in the front and lab stations in the back. She allows her students with physical disabilities to begin and end lab days at their assigned lab stations so they don't have to move.

Obtaining Students' Attention

Some sources suggest that flashing classroom lights on and off is an effective method of obtaining student attention. We strongly disagree. As explained by Veronica Lewis (2017), a college student who has Chiari Malformation, students with light sensitivity disorders find flashing lights disorienting and sometimes even painful. Please don't flash your classroom lights as a means to get your students' attention.

Veronica has a blog (https://veroniiiica.com/2017/08/07/photosensitivity-in-the-classroom) about her Chiari Malformation, which is when brain tissue grows into the spinal column and sometimes causes visual disturbances. She provides a unique and powerful insight into how classroom lights affect students who are sensitive to light and how her teachers successfully differentiated for her. Flashing lights can originate from surprising places, such as videos, UV overhead lights, and slideshows.

Time Management

The length or complexity of an assignment can cause an automatic stress response in some students. We chunk the assignment to help manage these students' stress levels by giving them only a portion of the assignment at a time. When students complete the first portion (maybe questions 1 and 2), we then give them the next portion (questions 3 and 4). They continue to receive the assignment in small chunks until they've completed the entire assignment. Chunking is especially useful for students who have anxiety disorders or trouble remaining focused for long periods of time. When they are able to focus on the small portion they've been assigned, they are more likely to stay on task and get more work done in the allotted time (Minahan, 2017).

We also chunk time. Some students are more successful when they have smaller goals. Again, we've found this type of differentiation most useful for students with anxiety disorders and those who have difficulty focusing. We give these students personal timers for their desk or we set an alarm on our phone. When the timer goes off, we check in with the students and ask how they are doing. If they seem anxious, we provide them with a 1-minute break. This resting period helps students get back on task so they can complete more work during the class period.

In our experience, there are often two types of students who complete work very quickly: advanced students with a large amount of background knowledge and students who may not be particularly conscientious about their work. Both kinds of students require an enrichment opportunity because they are done with the work they've been assigned and may claim they have nothing to do. To engage these students until the bell rings (we very much believe in bell-to-bell instruction) and to get the most out of a class period, we plan enrichment activities that enhance student learning of the current content. Teachers can give students the choice to complete a myriad of tasks (some of these require classroom technology that may or may not be available), such as

• Completing a webquest or an online scavenger hunt. While scavenger hunts generally require students to perform online searches for answers to a series of questions, webquests promote higher-order thinking by challenging students to perform authentic tasks. See the Technology Connections section for resources teachers can use to search for and create scavenger hunts and webquests.
• Making a test that can be given to their peers.
• Practicing on Kahoot, Quizizz, or Quizlet (online educational gaming platforms that include games that have already been created and allow students to create their own). See Chapter 16: Strategies for Reviewing Content for more detail about using these and other online games.
• Watching videos and answering comprehension questions. A free resource of online videos that are embedded with questions is www.edpuzzle.com. See the Technology Connections section for other online tools.
• Reading a current article and determining how it could be used in class.
• Reading “Folder Activities” and answering comprehension questions. We created this strategy while attending a class that emphasized best practices for teaching English language learners (ELLs). It does require a significant amount of planning prior to teaching a unit. We start by finding articles that are fun to read, applicable to our content, and appropriate for students with diverse interests and reading comprehension skills. The articles are attached to the front of a manila folder. On the inside of the folder there are Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions whose answers can easily be found in the article. Additionally, there are three questions written on sticky notes that require students to participate in higher-level thinking skills. An example of a Folder Activity is shown in Figure 2.1: Folder Activity—Outside and Inside—Thermal Power Plant. Students have the choice to read any of the Folder Activities that interest them as long as it pertains to the current unit. They then answer the comprehension questions on their own paper. Many of our folders use articles and pictures found in magazines such as Smithsonian, National Geographic Kids, Reader's Digest, Highlights, and Sports Illustrated Kids. And, while on vacation, we pick up pamphlets and brochures at the museums we visit or travel guides from the cities we tour. Any reading material, including recipes, bus schedules, and historical diary entries, can be made into a Folder Activity. However, sometimes we need a specific article with a specific picture. In those cases, we write our own article and take an appropriate picture, which is what Tara did to make Figure 2.1: Folder Activity—Outside and Inside—Thermal Power Plant.

The enrichment activity shouldn't be busy work, but instead should be an additional learning opportunity. Those students who finished early because they have strong background knowledge appreciate the extra opportunity to advance their knowledge and experience. The students who rushed through their work may not have acquired the new learning they were responsible for so they require another learning opportunity.

Keeping Students on Task

When monitoring, the teacher walks from group to group, checking for understanding by reading what students wrote, listening to their conversations, and watching them perform a lab. This is the easiest technique to determine who needs differentiation and what type of differentiation they need. Students are more likely to stay on task when you are in close proximity. We've both had students who stop working the moment we turn our backs, so to keep those students on task, we spend more time with them. We also chunk work for them and tell them that we'll return in two minutes to check on their progress. By following up with the students later, they are held accountable for their work and are more likely to complete their work.

Grouping Strategies

A teacher can strategically assign a job to a student based on the student's individual needs, interests, and capabilities. For example, Tara assigned a specific student the job of safety manager in most labs because the student had aspirations to be a police officer.

Asking an English-language proficient student to be a “buddy” for an ELL and assigning them to the same group can often be a very effective source of support to the ELL and a good learning strategy for the “buddy,” as well. When students peer tutor, their math and science scores tend to increase (Sparks, 2015).

Student Handouts and Examples

• Figure 2.1: Folder Activity—Outside and Inside—Thermal Power Plant

What Could Go Wrong?

The aim of this chapter is to avoid things that can go wrong. However, it's an unrealistic expectation to believe that explicitly teaching procedures will result in every student making good decisions every time. There are always instances when our students choose not to actively participate in work. When these situations occur—and they will—we first reteach the procedures that students have forgotten. While these instances may happen all year long, it is important to never give up on the procedures.

To proactively help students make good decisions, we walk around, monitoring their choices. As Doug Lemov says, we need to “break the plane” by not just staying in front of the classroom but, instead, monitor the class by walking around (Lemov, 2015a, 2015b). Whenever possible, as hard as it may be, we try to resist the temptation to spend class time grading papers or answering emails. Our students need us to be readily available if they have questions or begin to veer from lab directions.

Technology Connections

More call and response ideas to obtain student attention can be found at “27 Good Attention Getters for Quieting a Noisy Classroom” (https://www.weareteachers.com/good-attention-getters-grabbers-to-quiet-noisy-classroom) and “50 Fun Call-and-Response Ideas to get Students' Attention” (https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/50-fun-call-and-response-ideas-to-get-students-attention).

Here is a link to the Barney clean-up song on YouTube: “Barney – Clean-Up Song 2” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whrNJH8S-Ys).

Dr. Thomas Stacho has discussed ways to gain 45 instructional hours in a classroom. His main focus is on how to use the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) network. He offers many examples of how to establish procedures with students so they behave in a positive manner, thereby increasing your time as a teacher and decreasing your time as a disciplinarian. His published work is “My Students Have Trouble with Transitions… What Can I Do?” (http://www.behaviorinschools.com/My_Students_Have_a_Hard_Time_with_Transitions.pdf).

Larry Ferlazzo's blog includes additional information about the difference between online scavenger hunts and webquests. His blog also provides online resources for finding and making webquests, which can be found at “The Best Places to Create (and Find) Internet Scavenger Hunts & Webquests” (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/02/15/the-best-sources-for-internet-scavenger-hunts-webquests).

For the best and most popular online video resources, see Larry Ferlazzo's “A Potpourri of the Best & Most Useful Video Sites” (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/11/06/a-potpourri-of-the-best-most-useful-video-sites).

More ideas for grouping students both purposefully and randomly can be found at “30 Ways to Arrange Students for Group Work” (http://www.teachhub.com/30-ways-arrange-students-group-work).

Larry Ferlazzo's blog has a list of websites to help teachers obtain donations for their classrooms. This can be found at “The Best Resources on—& Advice for Using—Donors Choose (Please Share Your Experiences!)” (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2015/04/05/the-best-resources-on-advice-for-using-donors-choose-please-share-your-experiences).

Attributions

Harry and Rosemary Wong, in their book, The First Days of School (Wong and Wong, 2018) outline how to use procedures to establish a well-run classroom. This is where we found the idea of SALAME.

Figures

Figure 2.1 Folder Activity—Outside and Inside—Thermal Power Plant