Reading Race

I found an old “Thinking Skills” folder which had an activity where students had to use the information from a text to label a diagram of a house.  I gave each group a diagram and stuck some copies of the text around the foyer outside.  One student from each group could come and read at a time, then take the information back to their group.  Using a countdown timer with the William Tell overture gave the students a sense of urgency and they enthusiastically embarked on their race.  This was an easy way to make a rather dull reading activity a bit more lively!