Sticky notes are great for brainstorming and organizing ideas visually. You can use sticky notes to capture main ideas and then move them around as you and your learner discuss a topic or approach a task.

Storyboards

Here’s how to use sticky notes to brainstorm and prepare to write a story:

• Write or draw story elements on sticky notes.
• Colour-code your ideas (e.g., different colours for characters, plot ideas, setting, themes).
• Move the notes around to organize your ideas.
• Once organized, type or write the story on a paper or ask your learner to copy or type it.
• You can take a photo of your sticky note reference board to look at in another session.

Goal Setting

Here’s how to use sticky notes to brainstorm and set goals:

• Ask you learner to tell you about a goal or task they would like to do.
• Write down steps they need to take to achieve their goal on separate sticky notes.
• Colour-code their ideas (e.g., different colours for task, strengths, things they need, people to talk with).
• Move the notes around to organize their ideas.
• Once organized, type or write the steps on a paper or ask your learner to copy or type it.
• You can take a photo of your sticky note reference board to look at in another session.

Writing down instructions

Here’s how to use sticky notes to share instructions:

• Pick something you would like to teach each other (e.g., a recipe, a skill, a process at work).
• Write down the instructions, each step on a different sticky note.
• Move notes around to organize the steps.
• Once organized, type or write the instructions on a paper or ask your learner to copy or type it.
• You can take a photo of your sticky note reference board to look at in another session.

Note: You can use these activities in an online session using a document camera.

Either, the learner shares their sticky notes using a document camera. Or, the learner brainstorms verbally and the tutor captures the learner’s thoughts on sticky notes and shares using a document camera.

Sticky notes are a useful tool to keep notes while you read. You can stick them in the place in the text that your note is about. You can review them afterwards to reinforce what you just read. Great for using with library books!

Keeping track of main ideas

1. Give your learner a pack of sticky notes before you start reading.
2. As you read together, stop every few sentences (or after a paragraph) and ask your learner to write down on a sticky note the main idea in the text they just read.
3. After you finish reading the whole text, mix up the sticky notes and challenge your learner to put them back in the right order.

Critical reading activity

1. Give your learner a pack of sticky notes before you start reading.
2. As you read together, stop every few sentences (or after a paragraph) and ask your learner to write down any questions they have about the text.
3. Stick the question alongside the text you just read.
4. After you finish reading the whole text, review the sticky notes and challenge your learner to answer their own questions.

Note: These activities can be done in an online session using a document camera.

The learner writes on a the sticky notes and shares using a document camera.

Sticky notes are great for sorting word orders in sentences. They are also fun to stick around in eye catching places – a great way for learners to review vocabulary or practice reading.

Sentence building

1. With your learner (or in advance of your session), write words from different parts of speech (i.e., articles, adjectives, nouns, adverbs, verbs) on colour-coded sticky notes.
2. Place the different words in groups on the table so your learner can see them.
3. Ask your learner to make a sentence with the words, as many as they can. Keep moving the sticky notes around as you adjust your sentences and create new ones.
4. Write each sentence on an index card.
5. Shuffle the cards and see if the sentences can tell a story.

Inspirational messages

1. Share an inspirational message with each other .
2. Write your inspirational message on a sticky note.
3. Encourage your learner to stick their message in a place where they can read it every day.

Note: You can do an activity like this in an online session using a document camera.

Both tutor and learner use a document camera in Zoom Gallery View. You can see your sticky notes side-by-side as you write.

Sticky notes are very useful during a phonics session. They make it easy to swap out different sounds and bring in a kinesthetic element that can be very effective for adults who are in the early stages of reading.

Vowel Sound Mix Up

• Colour-code short and long vowel sounds on different sticky notes.
• On a whiteboard, write words that contain these vowel sounds.
• Erase the vowel. You will use the sticky note in its place.
• Swap in the vowel sounds and ask your learner to sound out the words.
• Say words and ask your learner to stick in the correct vowel sound.
• Modify with different vowel sounds, consonants and blends.

Note: You can use this activity in an online session.

Ideally, your learner has sticky notes, a whiteboard, and document camera. They can share the words with you.

The versatile nature of sticky notes make them ideal for free-style sorting activities.

Word sorts

1. Ask your learner to come up with some words they know. You can add to the list.
2. Write each word on a sticky note.
3. Think of some categories relevant to your learner’s words, for example:
   • words with four syllables
   • a word family
   • words with silent letters
   • words with a long vowel sounds
4. Write each category on another sticky note.
5. Ask your learner to sort their words into each category.

Note: Your learner can do this activity in an online session using a document camera.

The learner shares their sticky notes using a document camera.

Sticky notes are great for showing how words are built with different components. They allow for lots of experimentation and risk taking as your learner works on spelling rules.

Word building

1. Use three colours of sticky notes.
2. Write root words, prefixes and suffixes on the different coloured notes.
3. Move the sticky notes around to make as many words as possible.
4. Write new words on index cards.
5. Use coloured pens to underline, draw arrows, draw a picture, or draw around the word.

Note: Your learner can do this activity in an online session using a document camera.

The learner shares as they create their words using a document camera.