Today in history, my class was going to read about the
NAACP. We had an article to use for close reading. I decided it was the perfect
opportunity to add a little excitement to the lesson. BLACK LIGHTS!
This inexpensive item was the perfect way to excite my
students before reading a passage. They entered my room that was completely
dark and I told them they were detectives. After a brief discussion on what the
job is of a detective, we were ready to begin.
I distributed the passage, handed out highlighters and
turned on the black lights. The students were mesmerized! You could have heard
a pin drop in my room after the initial “Oohs” and “Aahs.”
Each student had to silently read a passage on the NAACP. As
students read they text coded and were looked for clues. I wanted the students
to find why the NAACP was needed, important, and how it impacts our society
then and now.
After completing the passage, the “detectives” shared the
evidence they found. This was a difficult passage, but EVERY student was able
to solve the mystery. Using black lights was the perfect way to spark interest
and engage every student.
Black lights can be used with so many lessons. I can't wait to use them again!
