By Erin Kraal
While mid-semester is a great time for big-picture reflection and course adjustments, meaningful learning also happens in the small moments during class. Quick, low-prep activities can reinforce key concepts, encourage engagement, and help students develop effective learning strategies. The following five-minute exercises require little to no preparation but can make a big impact by fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and deeper connections to the course material.
1. Student-Designed Test Question
See our Tarot of Teaching Card 5: Create a Question post for how this simple activity can deepen student learning.
2. Dynamic Note Review: Most Important / Most Uncertain
Students often review notes passively, which is ineffective. Instead, guide them:
Most important: Draw an arrow next to the key takeaway.
Most uncertain: Put a question mark next to the concept they don’t fully understand.
Have them compare notes with a partner. This allows students to crowdsource understanding while maintaining individual accountability. Reviewing the "most uncertain" points can highlight areas that need further explanation.
3. Connection Web
Learning happens when the brain builds connections. Mid-class, ask students to:
Write today’s topic in the center of a page.
List everything related to it—past units, other courses, personal experiences.
To boost engagement, offer a prize for the most connections. For group work, use big paper and markers for a timed competition.
4. Debatable Groupings & Rankings
Students often assume there’s a single "right" answer. Challenge this by posing a ranking question, such as:
In a writing course: For this next paper, you can only get feedback from the writing center, a peer, or an AI editor. Which do you choose?
In economics: Which principle is most important—scarcity, efficiency, or sovereignty?
Have students pick a side, discuss with others who made the same choice, and then debate with the opposing group. This gets students moving, fosters discussion, and reinforces that learning involves critical thinking, not just memorization.
5. Play with the Content
Play can enhance creativity and reduce anxiety. Bring in simple materials like:
Stickers
Playdough
Pipe cleaners
Legos
Ask students to represent a concept visually:
Use pipe cleaners to model a political principle.
Sculpt the key theme of an essay.
Use stickers to highlight the most important part of an equation.
No props? Modify the activity digitally:
Find an image or song that represents a key idea.
Choose a GIF that captures the main theme of today’s discussion.
This break from routine engages students, encourages movement, and promotes deeper learning!
Dr. Erin Kraal is the current Faculty Director for the Center for Engaged Learning and a professor in the Department of Physical Sciences where she teaches planetary science, astronomy, geology, and science writing. She is particularly interested in exploring how faculty teach and students learn the process of science. In her non-work time, she likes to hike, travel, and cook and has recently taken up a new hobby of learning to watercolor (yeah, YouTube videos!)