It's nice to have some fail-safe activities in your back pocket that can be applied to a variety of units. Here are five that have worked for me in the past. You can apply activities before and after the unit, and you might find that there are patterns and changes in their understandings. I have learned these activities at great professional development seminars and from colleagues.

For all activities, it is important to set clear ground rules before beginning.

True/False Anticipation Guide
(Before and After)

Supplies:

1. Worksheet

Some of these lists already exist for novels or plays that you can find online (see example for Crucible from Mr. Jeffrey).

The page is set up in three columns:

You can lead a discussion about their responses before and after the activity. The worksheet leads nicely to a charting activity (graph of some sort) afterwards. Tip: You might want to collect the worksheets and return to students at the end of the unit if students are likely to lose their work.

Gallery Walks
(Before and After)

Supplies:

1. Butcher paper with pre-written headings
2. Writing utensils/markers
3. Optional post-its

• Post butcher paper to represent stations around the room.

• Each paper should be prepared with titles describing themes or big ideas relating to the unit. 
• Students can either use post-its or write directly on the butcher paper, but post-its allow for re-use in following classes.

• Group students evenly and have them rotate from station to station, and they should anonymously write free associations (ideas, examples, opinions, symbols) that relate to the title on the butcher paper.
  
• You can limit student responses to how many post-its you provide them.
  
• An optional second round can ask students to 'star' or 'agree' with other student responses.
• After rotating all of the stations, the teacher reads out a summary of answers and records them (photograph, assign a student scribe) to review again after the unit.
  

Tip: limit the number of stations to 6, ideally keep groups per station below 5 students.

Great resources available at the Starting Point website.

Photo: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/kenstein/55391651/

KWL Chart
(Before and After)

Supplies:

1. Worksheet

• The picture to the left provides a simple explanation.
• The first two columns of the chart (K - what I already know, and W - what I want to know) are to be filled in before diving into the unit.
  
• The last column can be preparation for final assessments.
  

To add another layer, you can have students use post-its and then transfer 'what they know' and 'want to know' to a class-wide version of the chart.

Image: http://tweenteaching.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/kwl-chart.html

Idea Storm
(Before and After)

Supplies:

1. Post-it notes
2. Optional white board or Butcher paper to collect post-it notes
   

I have used this activity more broadly, as in "What are your personal goals for this year, for this class, etc?"

• Students receive 3-5 post-it notes or non-stick notes to anonymously answer the question in a variety ways.
• (Optional: notes are turned in and the teacher shuffles the papers and re-distributes to other students. Students read one response aloud and the class suggests general themes that appear in responses.) 
• Students place post-its or tape up notes to the board or butcher paper relating to other notes.
  
• The teacher reads aloud notes and with the classes help, reorganizes as needed. 
• Record/photograph answers as reference for the end of the year. Students can record their own answers and track their own progress throughout the year in teacher-student conferences.
  

*At the end of the year, run the same activity and discuss changes in answers, whether goals were met, etc.

Philosophical Chairs
(Best for after reading)

Supplies:

1. List of themes prepared, give to students before the activity to plan ideas and examples
2. Optional: Signs labeled "Yes" and "No" hanging on sides of the room
   
3. Optional: Butcher paper or whiteboard to record student arguments (or computer with projector, etc.)
   

• Provide a reading assignment (articles, short stories, poetry, video, etc -- all relating to similar themes)
  
• One side of the room is labeled "yes" and the opposite side to "no" 
  
• The teacher asks the class thematic questions. Example questions: Are there universal ideas of good and bad? Can jail rehabilitate people?
• Students move to 'yes,' or 'no,' sides of the room
  
• Students from yes and trade off arguing their cases based on supportive examples (personal, movies, literature, etc).
  
• Regulate  'yes' must wait for 'no' to respond before 'yes' can speak again. It could be a good idea to set the rule in advance that students must wait for two students to speak before they can speak again.
• Students may switch sides of the room after a convincing argument.
  
• The teacher should make a chart on butcher paper or on the board as students answer to provide visual aid.
  

I learned about this activity at an amazing professional development with AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination).

A helpful resource by Andara Macdonald, Ph.D.

Photo from: Freedom Writers movie

Granted, many professions have their "humorous" stereotypes: lawyers are evil, accountants and librarians are boring, businesspeople are greedy, and so on. But why is the joke about teachers beyond a personality trait and instead that they can't do?

Among my favorite teacher empowerment pieces is one by Taylor Mali, "What Teachers Make," where he recounts his answer to "What do you make?" describing all that he creates, and essentially all that he does. It is almost the antidote to the age-old teacher jibe. His slam poetry makes me feel empowered and proud and inspired to be a teacher.

But the question still lingers, "Is it true? Can I not DO what I teach?"

This year, I've entered a personal experiment, partially sparked by Penny Kittle's philosophy to try alongside students, partially sparked by that nagging joke about teachers. My experiment is to put myself out there, to DO what I teach. I ask my students to write and publish and be okay with failure, so must I. And it's not easy. Failure is not fun, but I guess that's part of the experience.

I'm writing articles for a website. I keep a (somewhat) daily journal. I signed up for a personal essay writing and publishing course (WritingPad). I'm challenging myself to keep up a (meaningful) blog. I've presented poetry and a personal essay to my peers. And an important part of this experience is being okay with the possibility of failure (Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes). It is not important whether I become rich and famous from my pursuits. The important thing is that I'm willing to try and willing to fail, and I'm DOING what I teach.

I never want to hear someone question whether I actually do what I teach, so I am taking action. Teaching is a profession unto itself, and I am already DOING a whole lot, but I also see  that educators can enhance their knowledge bases by doing what they ask their students to do and by grounding their teaching in experience.

Further questions to ponder:
What are ways you can apply your subject specialties to experiences outside of the classroom?
How can this apply to primary grades?

If you want to get students interested in your content, bring well-composed, interesting content! Don't feel resigned to your curriculum: scope out and bring in quality examples for students, and they'll be more engaged.

NPR constantly posts interesting pieces on all ranges of topics. Here's one:

"Don't Miss The Premiere Of The World's Smallest Movie"
IBM nanophysicists coaxed atoms into A Boy and His Atom, an adorable short film. After the film, the video links to how scientists created this microscopic adventure.

Brian Doyle's "Joyas Voladoras"
I learned about this essay from attending a professional development through my school. I like to present this piece to my students as the potentiality of essay writing--essays can be intriguing, not just blocks of text.

Yehuda Amichai's "Temporary Poem of My Time"
A poem depicting the experience of an Israeli living in Israel and the unfolding history of his time. Hey, why not teach history using poetry?

Ted Talks have inspiring, all across the board content. You want science? Got it. Math? Here. Arts? Yep. Everything. The presentations could show students the art of best-practices in presentations.

One example is street and social action artist, JR.

This I Believe, started in the 1950's with the onset of the Red Scare in the US, prominent figures submitted "belief" statements to demonstrate that they were not afraid to hide their opinions. Complete with its own curriculum, this program is a no-brainer for getting students started on personal essay writing.

Do you have go-to places for good sources to bring into the classroom? Let me know!

For more ideas, check out my ever-increasing list of 'short works.'