Assignments for Students: Ideas for Teachers

Ideas for Creative Assignments

When giving assignments to students, it is easy to simply hand them worksheets and have them work at their desks. However, creating interactive assignments will benefit them more in the long run because when students are engaged, they retain information better. Assignments that allow students to use critical thinking skills are more beneficial than assignments that have students just write information on a sheet of paper. When students are able to apply the knowledge that they learn, they will remember it longer.

Make Glue

Your students will get a little messy and be able to use their creativity with this fun assignment. You will need:

• One tablespoon of corn flour
• One tablespoon of water
• One cup boiling water

If your students are old enough, have them get into small groups and mix the corn flour and water into a bowl. Then they can pour the boiling water into the mixture (you may have to do this part). Stir the ingredients until the mixture has a smooth consistency. If your students are too young, have them gather around a table and watch you make the glue. When your students are finished creating their own glue, have them use it along with construction paper, glitter and scissors to create a flower. Challenge each student to be unique, and give a prize to the flower that is the most creative.

Create Words

Write 15 letters of the alphabet on the board. Split your class into a few different groups. Tell each group that they must create as many words as they can using only these letters. Give them about five minutes. The group that comes up with the most words is the winner.

For extra fun, the letters can revolve around a holiday that is coming up. For example, put the word 'valentine' on the board and see how many words the groups can make using these letters.

Calculate the Area

Tell your students that they will be finding the area of squares, triangles and rectangles. Explain that their assignment is to go home and find at least two items around the house that are in the shape of a square, rectangle or triangle. Then, students should measure the item and find the area using the correct formula. For example, a student can measure a framed picture that is in the shape of a square and find the area using the formula A = l x w.