Alphabet Brainstorming involves students working in groups to brainstorm terms related to a topic that they are going to be studying. Each group is given a sheet and the topic, and they are to try and come up with terms related to that topic that start with different letters of the alphabet. At the end of the given time period, groups share their answers and compare with other groups.
This strategy would be a nice change up to the usual “What do you know about...?” question that we usually ask our students before introducing a topic. Instead of simply asking and having a few students telling, using the Alphabet Brainstorming, students could work together to inform each other and share what they already know. If they have a goal of trying to fill in as many boxes as they can, they might have extra motivation as well. Misconceptions about the new topic can also be addressed right away during this time. This also gives students some responsibility and control over their learning. Before starting a unit on responsibility, I will ask them to fill out an Alphabet Brainstorming chart about ideas related to the topic of responsibility to see what they already know about the term.
Kim Strzelecki