We are full-on in basketball mode at my house as the season started a few weeks ago and my husband had his first game last night (got the W!!) We love letting our boys come early and give them a chance to play behind the scenes before the game. While we were hanging out, my husband showed me his play card he created that he keeps in his pocket during games. He showed me the categories of man sets/defenses, zone, specials, etc. and was explaining that while he obviously knows the plays, when the game gets heated, it’s nice to have this on hand. He said he looks at it for reference of what he’s already called, what would work best in the moment, and also as reminders for plays to call. I started to think, why don’t we have play cards as educators? When we’re in the heart of a lesson, it would be so helpful to have something simple to remind us of ways to bring more student voice, intentional movement, or higher level questioning to the lesson without additional prep. And, just as my husband mentioned it helps him to visually be reminded of what he’s already called, it could help in teaching to vary the strategies for engagement.
Here’s the updated version below with strategies I’ve used/blogged about, researched, and experienced myself. Most are hyperlinked to more detail and explanation, so if you’re not familiar with the strategy, you can read about it first. There is also a QR code that links straight to this play card so you can access from your phone.
*NEW* Download my VIRTUAL LEARNING Play Card here
Download the Original Play Card Here
Finally, after a conversation with our Leadership and Well-Being department, I shared my play card idea and we decided to create this SEL version with resources from CASEL. We will be handing these out to our schools during SEL trainings and I’m excited for what they will bring to teacher’s plans. See below for the card and download a copy here!
Ashley Taplin 