I Love Sticky Notes

What is the one supply you could not live without in your classroom?

Mine is sticky notes.

I love sticky notes! I lovelovelovelove them. They are cheap, plentiful, colorful, and moveable. They are the best tool for organization, feedback, lists, ... and teaching.

Of course, I write lists and notes on them. But that’s basic stuff. I used to write specific feedback to my students in their notebooks on sticky notes (and now I sometimes use them with teachers).  I use them when I am in classrooms to give  teachers feedback. Anyone who knows me knows that I keep them in a little box in my work bag and bust them out everywhere I go

Sticky notes are appealing to kids. They’re small, so they don’t look like “too much work”. They are colorful and appealing and they require student thinking (not just a one-word answer). And they aren’t permanent. So a sticky note put in the wrong place can be moved and it’s no big deal. They can be saved more easily than a full page of paper. And there’s something a little fun about them. At least more fun than “regular” paper.

But how else can we use sticky notes to support higher order thinking in our classrooms? Here are a few quick and awesome ideas!

1. Sticky Notes as Feedback -- When grading an assignment, particularly a tough  higher-order-thinking one, give some feedback to a student on a sticky note. That way, the student can keep your feedback, transfer it to another place, show it to his/her family, or use it next time he does a similar assignment.
2. Sticky Notes for Peer Editing -- When you do a DBQ or a another short or long writing assignment, it’s extremely valuable for the kids to trade papers and give each other feedback. That way, they don’t write all over the other person’s paper, which can feel and look a little disheartening.
3. Sticky Notes for Annotation -- So, the kids can’t write in the textbook (or on the class set of whatever) but you want them to interact with text. What do you do? Have them take notes on sticky notes. Students can make notes, write questions, note important terms and ideas all on sticky notes. If you have them write the page number and paragraph number on the sticky note, and stick the note on paper in theri notebook, they can go back and use it another time. Bingo. Problem solved.
4. Sticky Note Gallery Walk -- Have you had your students create something in groups (like a poster or on chart paper) and then had other groups come around to learn from those posters? Let the observers leave thoughts, questions, feedback on the posters with a sticky note. This does two things. First, of course, it gives feedback to the group who created the poster (or whatever). Second, it keeps the other groups accountable by making them record their thoughts and feedback -- without tampering with the original poster that the group was so proud of!
5. Sticky Notes for Formative Assessment -- How do I know what my kids learned this period? Again, use sticky notes. I have two favorites with this. First, I love to have my kids write one sentence summaries. They can use the sticky notes to explain the lesson, the point, the learning goal, or what they learned in one  sentence. OR they can write the five most important words of the lesson/reading/topic on their sticky note and you-the-teacher can compare. This is a great way to get some overall feedback to see how well your kids learned what you wanted them to learn and what they got out of the lesson/reading/activity.
6. Sticky Notes for Hands-On Sorting -- Want your kids to do a card sort? Try it on Sticky notes, on a wall (or a table/desk/board/floor). Have your kids split the work of jotting down the terms and then sorting them into the three branches. Because they’re sticky, they’re easy to move if a group puts a term in the wrong place. Try this with words associated with the North and the South, the Axis and the Allies, the Three Branches, the Four Causes of World War I, or any other time you want your kids to sort words in a more hands-on, up-and-moving type of activity.
7. Sticky Notes As Survey -- Want to hook your kids in to the lesson? Ask them an opinion question and have them display their thoughts on a chart. Who do you think had the best plan for 1960s America -- Dr. King or Malcolm X? Would you have dropped the Atom Bomb if you had been Truman? Which author do you agree with? Have the kids write their comment and stick their note under the posted heading. Now you have a visual answer as to what each class period thinks...

How else do you use one of the cheapest, most versatile office supplies in your classroom? How can you make the most of something as simple as sticky notes to increase Higher Order THinking? As always, I love to hear about it! Email me newmantr@pcsb.org