Task Card Activities in the Classroom

Why should a teacher use task cards in the classroom?

 Task cards have so many purposes, and can be used in a variety of ways. 

• Engaging

    Instructional designers often implement visual effects to make the product more kids friendly and appealing.

• Reusable and eco-friendly

   When task cards are printed out, cut and laminated, they can be used from year to year. This lessens the paper load of print-outs to only student recording sheets, if they are needed.

•  Focus 

   Instead of having many questions on one page, students focus on one question that is printed out on the task card. For many students, this makes the learning process easier.

   This task card paper can be cut into 2 questions and with two awards cards for the teacher to give to students.

• Individual work

   Let's say that a student needs more practice on a specific area. He or she can 
then work independently on a particular skill using task cards and a recording device.

•  Conversations

  Students can talk about the topic at hand during a quiet conversation. Speaking about the subject matter helps to guide student understanding. A small group format makes it easier for those learners who might not normally speak in a large class environment.

•  Cooperative group learning 

   Learners can work together in small cooperative groups of 4 to 5 members. A class of 25 learners could be studying in five task card groups.

   For example, small groups of five students could each be reading about a member of the animal kingdom. In The Fouke Monster, students examine the evidence of what is known from the science community to townspeople sightings of an "unknown creature".                                                            

                                                         Group One

Group Two

Group Three

Group Four

                                                         Group Five

•    Monitoring 

   A teacher can easily walk around the room to monitor how learners are doing with recording device in hand. Do your students cooperate well in a group? Are they just socializing? Do they seem confused? Is one student dominating the conversation? This makes it easier for a teacher to find out who works well in a group, and what social skills might need to be achieved.

•  Whole group learning or game 

   Task cards can be used in a whole group learning environment as an instructional tool or even as a game.

•  Easy to Implement

    The passages and comprehension questions have all been created. Just print and go. Often, recording sheets are included in the packet.

   When setting up your classroom, try using a variety of task cards. Task cards are a wonderful tool that can be used for a multitude of  purposes. Most of all, task cards can be fun!