Time for A Change

Preparation:

Prepare a lesson to demonstrate the Cut and Paste function. For example, write three sentences on a sheet of paper, use scissors to cut the bottom sentence and then tape it above the top sentence. Go over at least one example on the computer, preferably a list and later progress to a paragraph. (See other Cut and Paste activity.)

If students don't know how to open a document, you may want to do that for them in advance on their computers.

Activity

• Break students up into in pairs or small groups.
• Tell students to brainstorm important changes they would like to see in their community. If they have trouble thinking of ideas, tell them that possibly there are many things that were better in their country than in the U.S., or vice versa, for example, healthier food.
• Write these desired changes on the board.
• Now, members of groups can type the list of changes on their computers, one on each line.
• Students discuss with their group which changes are most important to them, and why.
• Then, using highlight, cut, and paste, students change the order of the list to reflect their group's opinion about what is most important, what is second most important, and so on.
• When everyone is finished, groups report their results to the class.
  

Variation:

• Students highlight, then use the click and drag method of moving selected words to desired locations.

YOUR ideas!

• Variation from Michael Paine
• Variation from Ruth Duffy