60-Second Strategy: Board Splash

Edutopia · Beginner ·🍎 Teaching & Learning Design ·7mo ago

About this lesson

This quick and easy warm-up primes students to think creatively and gets them in the mindset for class. It can be challenging to get students focused and ready for class after the chaotic transition of a passing period, but Karla Hilliard, English language arts teacher at Spring Mills High School, found a method that works—a low-stakes and easy warm-up that she calls Board Splash. When students arrive to her classroom, they see a question written on the board. The question might relate to a text they’ve been studying or a big idea, or it might act as a review. Hilliard announces the question, and invites students to go up to the board to write their responses. Find the full collection of 60-second strategies for every grade level at Edutopia: https://edut.to/3Rm2M2j Join the Edutopia community today to get articles, videos, and more delivered via email every Wednesday—all tailored to you and your unique role: https://edut.to/3wEVHUh *Follow us here:* Official Website: https://edutopia.org  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/edutopia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edutopia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edutopia BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/edutopia.org #classroommanagement #studentengagement © 2025 George Lucas Educational Foundation

Full Transcript

Hello. >> Hi guys. >> Boardsplash is a really easy activity to get your class up and running. You can build a [music] little bit of excitement about what comes next. Everybody look at the board. First, I post a question or a topic on the board related to the day's concept. Next, I'll invite students to come up to the board and respond to the prompt or the question, why is food so important? It can be [music] about a text, an idea, it could be a review. After students are seated, [music] I will highlight a lot of their responses. Let me read one more. Food can bring back fond memories of the past and can make connection through familiarity. These are really, really good. And then I'll invite students to turn and talk and [music] discuss something that they found interesting and how they might extend that thinking. The students are engaged. They're on their [music] feet and you're building this shared knowledge. That's beautiful snaps and claps for that one.

Original Description

This quick and easy warm-up primes students to think creatively and gets them in the mindset for class. It can be challenging to get students focused and ready for class after the chaotic transition of a passing period, but Karla Hilliard, English language arts teacher at Spring Mills High School, found a method that works—a low-stakes and easy warm-up that she calls Board Splash. When students arrive to her classroom, they see a question written on the board. The question might relate to a text they’ve been studying or a big idea, or it might act as a review. Hilliard announces the question, and invites students to go up to the board to write their responses. Find the full collection of 60-second strategies for every grade level at Edutopia: https://edut.to/3Rm2M2j Join the Edutopia community today to get articles, videos, and more delivered via email every Wednesday—all tailored to you and your unique role: https://edut.to/3wEVHUh *Follow us here:* Official Website: https://edutopia.org  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/edutopia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edutopia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edutopia BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/edutopia.org #classroommanagement #studentengagement © 2025 George Lucas Educational Foundation
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