Chapter 1: What types of tasks we use in a thinking classroom

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 This chapter talks about beginning the lesson (the first 5 minutes) with a thinking task. 

Basically this amounts to bellwork and something that I am not good at. I have not done bellwork in a few years. But I had been thinking about how to incorporate it next year, so this is right in line with what I was thinking. 

He stresses that this should be a non-curricular task. I'm thinking a logic type problem. Initially I will just use any logic type problems but gradually I will incorporate more science/chemistry into the problems. 

So I need to gather a lot of these and align them with the lessons. I'm wondering a little if some of the things in the iHub curriculum could be used as these. I was thinking the phenomenon but now that I consider it more, I don't think that would work because most of them have no 'solution' per se. 

So back to my thoughts, I need to gather a number of non-curricular thinking tasks that I can use for my bellwork. 

I know this all comes down to routines. Routines I established early on stuck through the whole year. I gave them a routine for getting whiteboards, they did it all year long. I gave them a routine for turning in work, they wanted that routine all year long. They thrive on routines, so I just really need to think through the routines I want to use and start it from day one. 

So for this routine, they will immediately start working on the bellwork when they come in the room. Hopefully, it will be so interesting that they will come in early and start.

What I need to do is not allow them to talk and socialize at the beginning of class. I need to establish the fact that once they come in my room, they start working and thinking. I need to make sure that they don't have their phones out or are spending time chatting with their friends. They work in my room. 

Okay, so that is chapter 1 and not all that hard to accomplish. 

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