What Are We Doing in Class Today?

Use a Wonderwall to share an overview of your lesson as your students enter the room to prime them for learning.

At the beginning of class, we want to greet students at the door, check on their well-being, perhaps take attendance, and make sure that they feel ready to learn. Students can feel a sense of anxiety, or at least nervous anticipation, when they enter the classroom NOT knowing what they are learning, what activities to expect, and why the need to learn it to begin with.

A Wonderwall answers all of these questions and more. It’s a simple, but very informative, display of lesson information that students can review to prepare them for optimal learning and allay the anxiety inherent in the unknown.

This Wonderwall Google Slides template that I created (above) was inspired by this tweet by Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24).

Wonderwall Unpacked

My version is a bit different, so let me take you on a quick tour!

1 – What are we learning? – Share your learning target (eg. “I can …” or “I will …” statement) written in student-friendly language. Include the “by …” part to communicate how students will show they have met the target. Here’s another example — “I can describe an equation that represents a line by identifying and interpreting the slope and y-intercept in the context of the question.”

2 – Why are we learning it? – This is the question all teachers get at some point (and sometimes dread), so let’s make it clear how learning the content will help students build their essential knowledge, literacy skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, or practical skills that they may need in the future.

Ask yourself these questions to generate a valid justification —

• Is the learning target relevant to my students’ lives either now or in the future? For example, studying current public policies — chosen by the students — regarding student loan forgiveness, taxes, health care, financial aid, climate, etc.. can help them become informed voters or advocates.
• Will students need this content/skill for a future class? For example, understanding basic anatomy and chemistry will be important prerequisites for a student aspiring to be a doctor.
• What transferable skills — skills a student can use in a different context — are being developed through this learning target such as the 5 C’s — communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, or citizenship? For example, a culinary arts class teaches students how to cook for themselves which they will be able to use for the rest of their lives to, not only save money, but improve their health through proper diet and nutrition. Another example is a lesson activity in which students collaborate to develop a political party platform which requires compromise on what positions to take on the top issues, as well as critical thinking and communication to argue those positions on their merits.
• Does the learning target support student exploration about themselves to foster self-awareness, self-actualization, empathy, self-confidence, or social awareness? For example, learning how to produce a podcast to communicate knowledge or share ideas may help a student realize hidden strengths or passions for creative work.

By going through the process of formulating an answer to this question — Why are we learning it? — you will naturally generate ideas for activities that support the purpose of the learning target within the bigger goal of student growth. If you are still struggling to answer this question, perhaps reconsider teaching the content/skill or ask a colleague for their perspective.

3 – When will you know you have learned it? – Accountability for learning in the form of an assessment (doesn’t have to be graded) is a requirement of any complete lesson. Notice that this question is really a self-reflection exercise that asks the student to be able to articulate if they met the learning target — and if not, why not? Of course, you should also know who has met the target and who hasn’t. This is where you can incorporate your KWL charts, 3-2-1 reflections, brain dumps, exit tickets, etc… Read this Edutopia article for more ideas.

4 – What is next? – Preview the next lesson so students understand how the current lesson fits into the unit of study or theme. Ask yourself, where is this learning going? This can help students remember more by building schema in their brains — connecting concepts/ideas rather than seeing them as unrelated silos of information which reduces cognitive load.

5 – How will we learn it? – Layout the activities and time intervals in this section. Students will feel more comfortable knowing what they will be asked to do such as group work, creative tasks, review games, independent practice, graded assignments, etc… They can mentally and emotionally prepare for what’s next and how long they will have to complete each task rather than feeling anxious. They will also get an opportunity to ask clarifying questions about the tasks.

Wonderwalls for All Lesson Plans

Check out these variations that are included in the template.

Version #1: 6 Activities – In Google Slides, right click inside the last activity cell and select “Insert column right”. Then select the cells you want to merge (see image below), right-click, and select “Merge cells”. Congratulations! You now have another activity cell.

Version #2: 3/2 with a brain break (3 activities – brain break – 2 activities) AND Version #3: 3/3 with a brain break – I highly recommend the use of unstructured brain breaks for at least 10 minutes for every hour of instruction to avoid cognitive overload and other behavioral issues. Students — like adults — need breaks. Anyone who is worried about time-on-task or getting through the curriculum, I would ask them to consider that presenting more content to students who are already mentally satiated is like a faucet trying to fill a cup that is already up to the brim. The additional teaching — like the stream of water — will not be retained therefore time will have to be spent next class to reteach the content. Additionally, the students are likely to get frustrated and demoralized as they struggle to keep up. A 10-minute, unstructured brain break will allow them to digest some of the content already introduced thus making room for more when the lesson resumes. Students will work harder and more efficiently during your whole lesson and psychologically they will experience more positive feelings toward the class and improved well-being overall.

Version #4: 5 activities with 2 groups – When you have two groups moving through stations or doing something completely different — perhaps with a special education teacher or teaching assistant — you can show the different learning pathways with this template. Make one group’s row of activities a different color to make it even more clear which path they are on (eg. the blue group is doing ‘x’ and the orange group is doing ‘y'”).

Wonderwall Best Practices

Follow these tips to get the most out of your Wonderwall:

• Use the same slideshow for an entire unit — You don’t want to be constantly copying the slideshow or sharing different links with the students. Just keep duplicating your current Wonderwall slide and update the date and all the information for the next lesson.
• Keep it simple — don’t add any confusing graphics, colors, clipart, animated gifs that could distract from the information. After all, a Wonderwall is a tool to improve clarity, not entertain.
• Only use student-friendly language — too many confusing terms and phrases will intimidate the students and make them uneasy about the lesson. Make the information accessible to all.
• Share the Wonderwall slideshow — students who are absent or who need to refer back to something from last class should have easy access to the slideshow. Parents can also benefit from viewing them. After all, we know students may not be willing or able to articulate the content they are learning or types of activities they are participating in to their parents. Having access to the slides allows parents to have a more informed conversation with their child about your course.
• Add links — In the “How will we learn it?” section, you can add links to resources, games, assessments, videos, etc.. that students may need to access throughout the lesson. Having everything in one place will streamline the workflow for your students saving you time and saving them a lot of additional searching and clicking.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy using this tool in your classroom. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback below.