1. Reading to Learn in all content areas
Carousel brainstorm
Reading to Learn in all content areas

2. Students Think Critically Before Beginning a New Topic
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3. Brainstorming Focuses Students’ Thoughts
Before Reading – Students brainstorm responses to questions related to an upcoming topic
Students are better prepared for the new lesson, and have already considered some of the ideas
This is a great strategy for getting students to think about a topic before introducing it.

4. What is Carousel Brainstorming?
A Type of Brainstorming
Students move around the room
Students respond to questions related to an upcoming topic
Students discuss ideas that come up in brainstorming session

5. Brainstorming DOES Have Rules
Don’t judge ideas
Wild ideas are okay
Build on ideas of others (“yes…and…)
Be concise
Capture all ideas
Drawings & sketches are okay
One conversation/ question at a time
Instead of responding to someone’s idea with, “okay, but…,” which deflates the idea of the original person, try responding with, “yes…and…” This allows the idea to be expanded, rather than cut off.

6. Carousel Brainstorm - Summary
Teacher will come up with open-ended questions related to a topic to be introduced.
Teacher writes these questions on large paper (one question per piece) and places them around the room.
Students are put in groups of 3-5, and move to a question (one group at a chart at a time), brainstorming as many responses to the questions as possible (keeping the rules of brainstorming in mind).
After a few minutes, the students move (in groups) to the next questions and do the same, responding to other people’s responses as well as to the original question.
Can use music as a cue to move from one question to the next.

7. Carousel Brainstorm – Summary (cont’d)
Continue in this manner until students have commented on all questions.
When finished, students review and discuss the questions and responses.
Students are then given a copy of a related text which they read and annotate.
Finally, a whole-class discussion takes place, and students connect the text to the brainstorming questions they answered previously.

8. Let’s Try It! Get into groups of 3-5.
Each group move to a different poster and brainstorm as many responses as possible to the question presented.
After a 1-2 minutes, move to the next poster, and do the same, responding to the question and the previous group’s comments.
Continue until all groups have responded to all questions.
As a group, review the posters.
Hand out copies of the article. (Employers get tough on health)
Read and annotate the article individually.
Discuss as a class, and tie to brainstorming session.
Questions for this process: 1) What foods do you think are unhealthy? 2) If it’s unhealthy, why do people smoke, eat fattening foods, and not exercise? 3) What do you do for exercise? 4) What would get people to eat healthier, stop smoking, lose weight, and exercise?

9. BRAINSTORMING - Topics
Chapters of textbooks
Novels
Experiments
News/magazine articles
New problem type
Websites/documents
Historical documents
Video
Lecture (teacher will need to structure presentation to fit the strategy)
This strategy is really unlimited. It can be used in any content area.

10. Flexibility Carousel Brainstorming is best used
Before a new topic is introduced
To introduce a topic
To help students read more critically
To engage students before learning about a topic
Can also be used after reading to get students to review what they have read, and/or to apply the knowledge they have gained

11. Can be used to introduce a new theme in a novel:

12. Can be used to introduce a new type of problem:

13. Can be used before introducing a new science concept:

14. Can be used to introduce a new concept in history/social studies

15. Variations
Instead of brainstorming before looking at a new concept, try it after the students have learned the new material.
Have students use drawings and sketches only.
Repeat the brainstorming process at the end of the unit, and compare responses to those from the beginning.

16. What Can Go Wrong?
Students may run out of things to write after a few rounds.
Option 1: Make the time a bit shorter for each group, so there is still something to say by the end.
Option 2: Have more questions than groups, so groups don’t answer every question.

17. What Can Go Wrong?
Students may not stay with the group, and may wander the room.
Option 1: Teacher needs to monitor behavior of students throughout the process.
Option 2: Give each group a different color pen, and hold each person accountable for responding to each question.

18. Assessment Give participation points
Have groups share the responses to the question they started with
Give points for annotation of text

19. Your turn
Choose one unit you will be teaching in the first month of school for which you could use carousel brainstorming to introduce the topic. Write 6-8 open-ended questions you could use to get your students thinking about the issue. Share with neighbors/group.