ABC Brainstorm

Before having your students discuss a major topic, it is essential to activate their background knowledge as it relates to this subject. One way to accomplish this is through the ABC Brainstorm strategy. ABC Brainstorm provides teachers with an overall picture of student understanding about a particular topic

Implementation

1. Use the ABC Brainstorm to activate students’ prior knowledge.

· Prepare an alphabetized list of words that pertain to a given unit of study.

· It is most useful when topics are broad-based or a large amount of information is included.

2. ABC Brainstorm can be used before reading to check background knowledge, during reading to note key elements or information, and after reading to create a summary or review of knowledge gained.

3. Use with a previously studied topic to recap and summarize.

· Before a unit test or culminating activity, students can use the ABC worksheet to review significant names, events, formulas, terminology, etc.

Classroom Management

1. Identify the major topic of study and describe how an ABC Brainstorm works.<?xml:namespace prefix =" o" ns =" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"" />
2. Distribute the alphabetized worksheet.
3. Ask students to add words or phrases beside each letter in no particular order that relate to the topic under consideration.
4. Students work individually at first then pair up or from teams after everyone has had time to think.
5. Students create a summary paragraph that includes what they think are the major points, create a graphic organizer of what they have learned, or use their sheets to prepare for a test.
6. Extra credit: Reward students who complete their charts with relevant information before time runs out.
7. Follow-up: After a topic has been taught, repeat the brainstorming activity. Do students remember more terms? Are students able to complete the activity more quickly?
8. Variations:

• AlphaBlocks: Instead of than ideas for all 26 letters, students brainstorm ideas within groups ("blocks") of letters (e.g., ABC, DEF, GHI) to simplify and speed up the activity.

• Turn the topic on its side, and write the letters of the topic down in the same way as a name poem or acrostic. Students then brainstorm a word or phrase associated with the topic, one for each letter of the topic starting with each letter of the topic. For example, if the topic were COMPETITION in Economics, students might think of: Compete, Options, Monopoly, Perfect, Economy, Trade, Imperfect, TV ads, Inside information, Oligopoly, and Natural.