Having Fun in English Class: Quick Body Vote

It never fails. Someone asks me what I do, and when I respond with “I teach high school English,” the person always groans.

“I hated English!” she might say. Or “My high school English teacher used up her red pen on me!”  Or “I never could understand what that poem or story was supposed to be about!”

And then I groan too. Because English class can—and should be—fun and interactive while still meeting the required standards.

The purpose of this blog is to share specific strategies to make English class, specifically literature class, enjoyable yet educational. I will share ideas with other teachers that have worked for me in my twenty-four years of teaching high school English and will invite you to share your ideas with me.

Current studies show that many students graduate with sub-par reading and writing skills because they do not connect what they do in English class with what they do in life. A 2016 article in The Atlantic by Andrew Simmons suggests that one way to counteract this lack of connection is to encourage students to feel and interact with text.

“English teachers—at least the ones I know—want to churn out thinkers who wield power through language,” says Simmons. A successful way to create those “powerful thinkers” is to use engaging activities.

And so for this first post, a quick activity that you could use today in your classroom:

When I sense my class is growing lethargic or when students are reluctant to discuss, I announce, “Quick Body Vote!” On the board I write two opposing statements (see my picture above from teaching The Crucible) and tell the students to walk to the side they most agree with. Then I call on students to explain their choice. Requiring an explanation precludes the herd mentality and usually starts a good classroom conversation. The activity also provides good kinesthetic activity.

I also use the Quick Body Vote in pre-planned discussions. When creating my lesson plans, I print three or four colored statements (see my picture below from teaching Oedipus Rex) and tape them to the walls before class starts, inviting students’ curiosity when they enter the room. To keep engagement, I do not introduce the actual activity until partway through the period, thus giving a kinesthetic break to a lecture/discussion.

What spur-of-the-moment activities do you use to wake up your lethargic students? Share ideas in the comments below.

*For more classroom activities (yes, even some free ones), you can check out my Teachers Pay Teacher’s store.