Activity Maker: Images Draw You In

Activity Maker: Images Draw You In

The purpose of this activity is for educators to develop a short activity that guides students’ initial exploration of a historical source in five minutes. This Introduction activity is called Images Draw You In because the images draw students into a discussion of the topic understudy.

The printable Introduction or warm-up activity has six features:

1. Image(s) linked to the original source Web site including an APA style credit.
2. Investigative Question, a way to state the learning objective to students.
3. Student actions to guide the exploration.
4. Understanding Goal to help students connect learning to big ideas.
5. Grouping strategy (individual, pairs, small groups), and student product to demonstrate student knowledge and answer the Investigative Question.
6. Differentiation, adding additional images, student actions, or student products to tailor the activity to meet the specific needs of students.

How can educators use this activity?

Save this activity as a pdf file to use with students by projecting on a screen or printing.

How has educational research shaped this activity?
This activity is based on the research and work of the following people:
Bloom, B. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain. New
York: Longman.

Blythe, T. (1997). Teaching for Understanding. Safransico, California: Jossey-Bass.

Perkins, D. & Blythe, T. (February, 1994). "Putting Understanding Up Front." Educational
Leadership. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (v.
51, n. 5). Retrieved from on July 19,

2007.

Tishman, S. (2006). Thinking Routines. Cambridge: Project Zero, Artful Thinking Project.
Retreived on May 17, 2007 from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/tc/ct_intro.cfm.

Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, 2nd Edition.
Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

The concept of learning styles stems from the work of Carl Jung (1921, Psychological Types) and, later, that of Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers (1962, Introduction to Type). Learning styles provide educators with a map of different ways that students may perceive information most efficiently. Learning styles may be used as a guide in choosing student actions for this activity.

To Make an Activity – Images Draw You In

1. Go to

2. Choose the Activity Maker from the front page or from My Portfolio.

3. Click on each tab to save your choices.

4. Save your Images Draw You In Activity to Your Portfolio and create a pdf file or just create a pdf File.

• Change the title of your Learning Experience to something memorable.

• Go to Add/Delete/Edit materials on the Overview page to return to the Activity Maker to edit the choices.