Following Directions: A Skill Worth Teaching

Teaching Theme of the Week #19

from EducationWorld.com

No names on papers? No titles on compositions? No answers rounded to the nearest tenth? If you find yourself confronting such problems while grading papers, your students may not be paying attention to directions. Although most successful students recognize the importance of reading instructions thoroughly and following them, some students may master the skill slowly.

Surprised to see a number of students suddenly leave the room only halfway through an exam, the professor followed them into the corridor. He discovered the students completing the balance of the questions while leaning against the walls. When he asked for an explanation, one student pointed to the third question, which asked "Describe Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. You may supply a drawing but please leave room to answer."

Sadly, this joke about kids following directions with excessive zeal may not ring very true for many teachers today. Unfortunately, in the rush to complete assignments, students often race past directions to get to the "meat" of their work. In desperation, some teachers have hidden the answer to a simple question, or a hint to a tougher one, within the directions of an exam, just to encourage students to read the directions.

There are ways to help students recognize the value of reading instructions before beginning an assignment and following them throughout. Elementary teachers may hold a "bear hunt." Students bring in teddy bears, hide them within the classroom or school, and then create lists of directions for others to follow to locate the bears. Teachers of older students may craft a page of instructions that students must read in their entirety before beginning to work and include as the last one, "Ignore all of the directions above and turn in your paper." The Internet provides even more opportunities to emphasize directions with lesson plans, how-to's, and recipes!

THREE LESSONS FOR TEACHING STUDENTS TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

Brief descriptions of three lesson plans follow, with approximate grade levels in parentheses. Scroll down to find the complete lessons.

Lesson One: Phil's Fish Shop
Taking on the roles of new employees in a pet shop, students offer advice to customers, answer questions, and create a handbook of instructions for new fish owners. (Grades 3-8)

Lesson Two: Critics of Cuisine
As food critics, students follow directions to create culinary delights and then critique the recipes and the flavor of their products. (Grades 3-12)

Lesson Three: The Magician's Apprentice
Teaching the skill of following directions requires a little hocus-pocus in this lesson. Students re-create magic tricks, evaluate the clarity of the instructions, and teach an apprentice how to perform a trick. (Grades 3-8)

Additional Resources

• Monster Exchange
  In this project, classes of students draw monsters of their own creation and then describe them in writing. The compositions are exchanged, and students attempt to re-create the monsters, using the descriptions as their guides. Then they share the drawings and compare them to the originals.
• How Well Can You Follow Directions?
  This test is an example of an assessment designed to illustrate the value of following instructions to students. They are told to read the entire test first; those who do not read end up doing extra work!
• Free Following Directions Worksheets
  For young students, Teach-nology provides several adorable coloring sheets with simple instructions to follow.

Lesson One: Phil's Fish Shop

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
• Language Arts
• Science

Grades

• 3-5
• 6-8

Objectives
Students will

• investigate procedures for establishing a new fish aquarium,
• respond in writing to situations with imaginary "customers," and
• summarize information discovered and record it in a handbook of directions for new fish owners.

Keywords
following directions, instructions, writing, aquarium, fish

Materials Needed

• Phil's Fish Shop work sheet
• Internet access (optional)

Procedure
Mention beforehand that an activity will focus on "following directions," and you are likely to hear groans from students. What could be more important, but potentially less interesting? In this lesson, students find relevance -- and, we hope, enjoyment -- in the skill of following directions by simulating its use in the workplace.

To start this activity, poll your students to find out how many, and what kid of, pets they have. Briefly discuss some of the tasks the students perform for their pets and how they learned about pet care.

New pet owners look to shopkeepers for guidance in selecting appropriate pets, gathering the needed supplies, and learning to care for pets. They are eager to follow the advice of experienced staff, but not every employee is ready to offer such advice. New staff members must depend on research to assist them as they guide customers.

Ask the students to imagine that they are new employees of a pet store that sells fish. What do they need to know in order to do their jobs well? Explain that you have a copy of the first page of the employee handbook, and read the following statements. A Web site is cited in the text, but if Internet access is not available, any resource that includes information about how to set up an aquarium may be appropriate.

Phil's Fish Shop Employee Handbook

Welcome to Phil's Fish Shop, "Where Fish Would Go if They Could Shop!"

We invite you to ask questions and get to know our products, our customers, and our staff. Customers turn to us as guides to help them create safe and pleasant environments for their fish. Whether they are beginners or experienced fish owners, we serve as an invaluable resource for our customers. Our support for pet owners keeps them coming back to Phil's to purchase supplies and additional aquarium pets!

Your first task as a new employee is to become familiar with how to set up an aquarium. Many of our customers are novice fish owners who have never had any aquarium pets. They rely on our staff to help identify the equipment they will need and explain how to set it up. Then we help the customers choose the right fish to fill their tanks.

Visit How to Set Up a Home Aquarium, from the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Then pretend that you are working at the shop, and tell us how you would handle the situations described on the Phil's Fish Shop Employee Exam work sheet. Use the information you have gathered to design a set of instructions for new aquarium enthusiasts.

Give the students time to visit the Web site or peruse research materials of your choice and pass out the Phil's Fish Shop Employee Exam work sheet. If you prefer, students may share their instruction sheets with partners and make suggestions and improvements. Collect the work sheets for evaluation.

Assessment
All answers should be presented in complete sentences.

Work Sheet Answer Key:

1. Mr. Jones should place a tank cover on his aquarium to reduce the rate of evaporation and keep fish from jumping out of the tank.

2. New tanks need to be conditioned before fish are added. Only crabs and damselfish should be placed in a tank for the first six weeks. Other fish, and especially large fish, can be included later.

3. The rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water. Mrs. McCleary already has three fish, and ten guppies (regardless of size) are likely to be more than her 5-gallon tank can efficiently and effectively handle.

4. Algae can be beneficial in an aquarium, especially when allowed to grow on only one side of the tank where fish can graze on it.

EXTRA! Answers will vary but should be consistent with the material read.

Lesson Two:  Critics of Cuisine

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
• Language Arts
• Educational Technology
• Mathematics
• Health

Grades

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Objectives
Students will

• select appealing and nutritious recipes to make at home,
• follow directions to create the dishes, and
• write reviews of the recipes and their products.

Keywords
following directions, cooking, measuring, review, food, writing

Materials Needed

• selection of recipes, online or in print

Procedure
Is the way to a student's heart through the stomach? This lesson seeks to capitalize on the healthy appetites of kids and their love of cooking to improve their skill in following directions. To get started, have your students talk about their cooking experiences, good and bad. What are the characteristics of a "good" recipe? What role does nutrition play? What is a nutritious food? For more information on nutritious foods, you may visit Making Healthy Food Choices. Explain that the students are about to begin a three-part activity that involves food, following directions, and writing.

Have each student choose a recipe, either online or in print, that is both appealing and nutritious. For younger students, you may use the resources Recipes Kids Can Help Make and FamilyFun Recipes. Older students may prefer All Recipes. Other recipe sources are available online, but students should be aware that all selections must be appropriate and easily made in a home kitchen. You may steer children toward recipes that require ingredients commonly found in the kitchen and those that do not demand expensive or exotic materials and tools. Instruct the students to print or copy their recipes so that they may make them at home, with parental assistance as required. Finding a recipe is the first part of the student work, and making it at home is the second.

When students select their recipes, and you have approved them, discuss the third part of the assignment -- the review. In a written composition, the students should evaluate the effectiveness of a recipe's instructions and its taste. Questions to be considered may include the following.

• Was the recipe clear and easy to follow?
• Were all needed ingredients and cooking tools identified?
• What additional information should cooks be given within the recipe?
• Is the recipe truly designed for a beginner?
• What is the most complicated part of the recipe?
• How nutritious is this recipe?
• Is it possible to calculate the approximate calories in each serving, or is the information provided?
• Does the recipe offer variations for specific dietary needs?
• How can the taste of the recipe be described? Was it good? Disappointing? Surprisingly better than expected?
• Would you choose to make this recipe again?
• Is this recipe one you would recommend?
• Based on your experience, how would you rate the resource from which this recipe comes?

Reviews may feature the following elements, according to teacher preference.

• a title
• the student's name
• the recipe's source
• the title of the recipe
• the author of the recipe, if provided
• a rating of some type for the recipe, for example, one to five stars or a letter grade
• an explanation of the rating
• a critique of the directions and how they might be improved
• a description of the taste of the dish
• a general overview of the recipe resource
• an overall opinion of the recipe, positive or negative

Teachers may establish a reasonable due date for the assignment, which can be completed as homework. The writing portion might be done in class.

Assessment
A composition that meets requirements in this assignment will contain all aspects of the review (as selected by the teacher), will be based on an appropriate recipe, and will be presented in a manner consistent with student writing expectations.

Lesson Three: The Magician's Apprentice

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
• Language Arts

Grades

• 3-5
• 6-8

Objectives
Students will

• follow directions to perform a magic trick,
• assess the quality of the instructions with a rubric, and
• teach a partner how to perform the magic trick.

Keywords
following directions, magic, trick, rubric

Materials Needed

• index cards
• paper
• pencils
• Internet access (optional)

If using the online magic tricks cited, the following materials will be needed:

• coins
• handkerchiefs
• straws
• decks of cards
• clear plastic tumblers
• construction paper
• pencils
• scissors
• glue
• carrots
• toothpicks

Procedure
Magic is a topic that naturally interests and amazes students. In this lesson, students follow instructions to perform a magic trick, critique its directions, and teach another student what they have learned.

To begin, ask your students to define "magic." What kinds of tricks do magicians perform? How do the students believe that magicians get their training? Explain that in this activity, the students will pretend to be the apprentices of Melmoe the Magnificent, an experienced, but aging, entertainer who is looking for new material. Read the following scenario to set the stage for the activity.

"I know that you are hoping to appear on stage with me, whippersnapper, but there is plenty of time," Melmoe said as he threw his cape over his shoulder. "I'm getting older, but I have lots of magic left in me!" With that, he threw up his hands, and a flash came from each, followed by puffs of smoke that rose in the air. "I want you to prove that you are an able apprentice who is willing to learn before I share my secrets," he said.

"My wife gave me this doggone contraption months ago," Melmoe continued, pointing to a computer in the corner of the room. "But I prefer my library of books over there. Find a new and amazing trick, practice it, evaluate it, bring it back to me with some cue cards, and I'll give it a go. If you do well, I'll put the illusion in my act, and I'll make you my assistant!"

With that, Melmoe laughed and then coughed loudly. He took a deep breath, wrapped himself with his cape and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared.

Click here to obtain a printable version of a rubric you can share with students. Discuss the rubric and how it rates the directions provided within a magic trick. What other measures or aspects might be added to evaluate the quality of the directions for a magic trick?

Now direct your students to MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries or other resources of your choice that contain magic tricks. The materials noted in the Materials Needed section of this lesson (above) are required for MysteryNet tricks numbered 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 28. Students may work individually, in pairs, or in groups.

Instruct the students to read and follow the directions given to perform one magic trick. On a sheet of paper, the students should use the rubric above to assess the quality of the trick's directions. They must give the directions a poor, an average, or an excellent rating in each category and list ways that the directions could be improved.

Distribute index cards to the students or groups. As a culminating activity and practice, students should create cue cards for the trick. Those cue cards should include a few steps as well as dialogue prompts. Students should use the cue cards as they teach another student to perform the trick. Remind students to select a learner who is new to the trick.

Extension Activities
MysteryNet Kids Mysteries offers three Magician's Rules.

• Keep the secret a secret.
• Do the trick only once.
• Practice before you perform.

Based on their experience, ask the students to explain why magicians often follow these rules.

Assume the role of Melmoe the Magnificent and choose three outstanding sets of instructions created by students. Use the instructions and cue cards to perform the magic tricks for your class. Afterward, explain each trick with the students' directions, and have the students tell why these directions work so well.

Assessment
Collect the students' sheets and index cards for evaluation. Acceptable responses will include the name of the student, title of the trick, the resource from which it comes, ratings of the directions based on the rubric, and suggested improvements to the directions. Cue cards should contain pertinent notes and quotes to be used in teaching or performing the magic trick.

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