Starters and plenaries, by Harry Dodds and Lorna Smith

Why use them?

Research shows that more learning is likely to take place in lessons containing more than one activity, or
broken into sections, sometimes called ‘chunking’. Including starters and plenaries in lesson structures
allows for this variety of approach.

Starters, appropriately used, mean that learning can begin as soon as pupils enter the classroom. They can
be used to introduce new ideas or a new topic, or to re-cap / consolidate / reinforce prior learning.
Many teachers have a task displayed on the board or arranged on desks for pupils to get on with straight
away, whether the entire class is there or not (a problem on big school sites, and when pupils are coming
from different lessons).

Plenaries don’t have to happen only at the end of the lesson. They can fit in at point at which you want to
check that learning has taken place (‘mini plenaries’), and to share understanding.

Features of the starter:

 short – probably no more than ten minutes

 has lots of pace – mostly oral – very interactive

 designed to engage and to focus attention

 inclusive – designed to get everyone involved

 motivational – designed to offer early success in the lesson.

Examples of starters:

 matching / sequencing exercises – e.g. match words with definitions, bingo, snap

 examining an (intriguing) image with a related question

 summarising – e.g. write down what you know about a topic in 3 bullet points, then reduce to 3 words;
‘Just a Minute’ (tell your partner about a topic without hesitation, deviation or repetition)

 questioning – e.g. groups prepare short questions on a topic for another group; answer in role (‘hot
seating’); card loops; true/false statements

This resource was downloaded from www.teachit.co.uk – The Training Ground Page 1 of 2
Starters and plenaries, by Harry Dodds and Lorna Smith

The plenary:

 refers back to and consolidates the most important learning points of the lesson

 refers back to the learning intentions stated at the beginning of the lesson

 puts the learning in context, by linking it both to prior learning and to the coming stages

 gives opportunities for informal assessment – your quick check that learning has taken place

 helps you judge the next steps – important in AfL and in enabling you to plan the next lesson

 can last about ten minutes, but could be shorter.

Have a look at some of the Starters and Plenaries in the folder in the Resources section of the Training
Ground. Consider the purpose of each resource – for instance, which starters featured could be used to
introduce new learning? Which might recap and reinforce what pupils already know?
Some of the resources could be used as either a starter or a plenary. Which are these? Why might that be? 1

1
The ‘dual purpose’ resources are those can are designed to reinforce or consolidate learning. Used at the start of the
lesson, they can test pupils’ recall of what they learnt last lesson. Used at the end of a lesson, they can enable both the
teacher and the pupils to assess the learning that has just taken place. See, for example, ‘Literary Terms Bingo’,
‘Empathy Circles’ (try asking pupils to complete this as if they were a character in a text you are reading), and
‘Blockbusters Revisited’.

This resource was downloaded from www.teachit.co.uk – The Training Ground Page 2 of 2