http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session6/6.AuthenticInstruction.pdf
Five Standards of Authentic Instruction
1.Higher-Order Thinking
lower-order thinking only 1...2...3...4...5 higher order thinking is central
Criteria for higher-order thinking:
3 = Students primarily engage in routine LOT operations a good share of the
lesson. There is at least one significant question or activity in which some
students perform some HOT operations.
4 = Students engage in an at least one major activity during the lesson in
which they perform HOT operations. This activity occupies a substantial
portion of the lesson, and many students perform HOT.
2.Depth of Knowledge
knowledge is shallow 1...2...3...4...5 knowledge is deep
Criteria for depth of knowledge:
2 = Knowledge remains superficial and fragmented; while some key concepts
and ideas are mentioned or covered, only a superficial acquaintance or
trivialized understanding of these complex ideas is evident.
3 = Knowledge is treated unevenly during instruction; that is, deep
understanding of something is countered by superficial understanding of
other ideas. At least one significant idea may be presented in depth and
its significance grasped, but in general the focus is not sustained.
3.Connectedness to the World Beyond the Classroom
no connection 1...2...3...4...5 connected
Criteria for connectedness:
1 = Lesson topic and activities have no clear connection to issues or experience
beyond the classroom. The teacher offers no justification for the work
beyond the need to perform well in class.
5 = Students work on a problem or issue that the teacher and students see as
connected to their personal experiences or contemporary public situations.
They explore these connections in ways that create personal meaning.
Students are involved in an effort to influence an audience beyond their
classroom; for example, by communicating knowledge to others, advocating
solutions to social problems, providing assistance to people, or creating
performances or products with utilitarian or aesthetic value.
4.Substantive Conversation
no substantive conversation 1...2...3...4...5 high-level substantive conversation
High levels of substantive conversation are indicated by three features:
* There is considerable interaction about the ideas of a topic (the talk is
about disciplined subject matter and includes indicators of higherorder
thinking such as making distinctions, applying ideas, forming
generalizations, raising questions, and not just reporting experiences,
facts, definitions, or procedures).
* Sharing of ideas is evident in exchanges that are not completely scripted
or controlled (as in a teacher-led recitation). Sharing is best illustrated
when participants explain themselves or ask questions in complete sentences
and when they respond directly to comments of previous speakers.
* The dialogue builds coherently on participants’ ideas to promote improved
collective understanding of a theme or topic.
Criteria for substantive conversation:
To score 2 or above, conversation must focus on subject matter as in feature (1) above.
2 = Sharing (2) and/or coherent promotion of collective understanding (3)
occurs briefly and involves at least one example of two consecutive
interchanges.
4 = All three features of substantive conversation occur, with at least one
example of sustained conversation (that is, at least three consecutive
interchanges), and many students participate.
5.Social Support for Student Achievement
negative social support 1...2...3...4...5 positive social support
Criteria for social support:
2 = Social support is mixed. Both negative and positive behaviors or comments
are observed.
5 = Social support is strong. The class is characterized by high expectations,
challenging work, strong effort, mutual respect, and assistance in
achievement for almost all students. Both teacher and students demonstrate
a number of these attitudes by soliciting and welcoming contributions from
all students. Broad student participation may indicate that low-achieving
students receive social support for learning.
Showing posts with label Lesson Plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lesson Plan. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Teaching Social Studies Authentically
Source: http://fno.org/sept07/soc.htmlTeaching Social Studies AuthenticallyBy Jamie McKenzieAbout author | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| In many countries, social studies teachers are under increased pressure to meet challenging objectives set by state or provincial curriculum standards. To meet these thinking, problem-solving and communicating standards, it pays to involve students in seeing how these skills are practiced outside of school in a variety of organizations contending with social issues. As much as possible, it makes sense to involve them in such work, either through internships, visits, interviews or simulations. Alternatively, much of this work can also be staged as historical simulations calling for decision-making set in the past. This article will outline promising ways to manage learning opportunities of this kind. 1. The Rationale By employing such learning strategies within a real world context, students sharpen their abilities while gaining an appetite for the work at hand. Because they are rooted in the here and now, young ones find the challenges invigorating and intriguing. Caring about the tasks, they invest to a greater degree and emerge with a firmer and deeper grasp of the key concepts. If properly staged, historical simulations can also deliver passionate connections to provoke deep learning. Such is the promise of Fred Newmann's concept of "authentic teaching" that involves students in "authentic intellectual work" - often outside of school. Instead of busy work - repetitive tasks that require little thought and involve mere scooping, smushing, memorizing and regurgitating - Newmann's approach immerses students in challenges that demand imagination, resourcefulness, persistence and stamina.1 Even though some of these activities may be staged or simulated, they still pass the test of authenticity because they meet the following criteria:
Teachers are promoting learning that increases student productivity, motivation and engagement. Stultifying routines are replaced by activities that spark curiosity while combating adolescent detachment or apathy. The teacher is rewarded with smiles, a forward lean and the satisfaction of witnessing learning infused with energy and enthusiasm. 2. The Strategy Social studies can be divided into two major categories – on the one hand, courses in the social sciences and on the other hand, courses in history. Social sciences (sociology, problems of democracy, government, civics, etc.) and geography are especially well suited to Newmann's approach while history classes will employ simulations to work its magic. In either case, students are involved researching important issues, problems and decisions with the goal of coming up with action plans or specific work products and documents that mirrors the real work done in agencies. Example One "If you were making recommendations to a local, state or federal government agency to address one of the following problems, what would be the five most important actions steps you would urge?"
As much as possible, the teacher will organize workplace visits so that students can interview adults working in the agencies mentioned above and discover how they approach their work. Such visits set the scene for students to understand their roles as researchers and problem-solvers. In some cases, the agency may welcome student work products such as videos or Web pages that might serve a genuine purpose for that agency. In other cases, the agency may welcome student interns to work alongside the adults who are wrestling with difficult issues. A few centuries back adolescents were routinely engaged in real work as apprentices and employees, but modern society tends to keep young people disconnected from real work other than what are often called "Mac Jobs" - low skilled service jobs that do little to nurture their thinking and problem-solving skills. Newmann's approach restores a healthy connectedness to the adult workplace in ways that bring social issues to life while introducing the young to a richer view of career possibilities. Before splitting up the class into teams to explore issues and problems of choice, it is wise to take the entire class through a shared experience with a particular issue and agency. In this way the teacher may equip students for more independent work later on. Example Two The teacher picks hunger as the introductory social issue to be addressed by the whole class. The class visits a local food bank and meets with the director and staff, then stays to help with food distribution. While interviewing the director, they are keen to identify the main challenges facing the food bank. As a result of their questions, they realize that the food bank has no Web presence and has difficulty raising funds. In addition, they recognize ways the local government has failed to support the food bank. It is clear they could do authentic work by creating a Web site for the food bank that would help create local support in the form of volunteers and contributions. They also see the possibility of lobbying the city council to provoke a more proactive support role on behalf of the food bank. The students divide into teams with the teacher's guidance and go to work. When they are done, the food bank can launch a spiffy Web site and look forward to increased contributions and volunteers. The students also ask to be placed on the agenda of the city council where they point out a series of actions the council might take to strengthen the effectiveness of the food bank. Thanks to their efforts, the work of the food bank is enhanced and several students sign up as volunteers to help out with the ongoing work of the organization. They have reason to feel proud of the real work they have done. There are dozens of agencies that teachers might select for this kind of introductory experience. A history teacher might use the visit outlined above to prepare students for an understanding of hunger during the time of the French Revolution, building a bridge between current events and historical events to make history more vivid and the human aspects more compelling. Once the students appreciate the current dynamics and urgencies of hunger, they are equipped to face hunger in a different time. Example Three "Some historians suggest that Louis XVI was brought down in part by hunger and starvation. Imagine you and your team members are advising the King in the years from 1785-89. How should the King address the issues of hunger and starvation as well as taxation and wheat speculation?" Students consult sources such as The Project Gutenberg EBook of The French Revolution, by R. M. Johnston at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19421/19421-8.txt.
a legislative package in Michigan that seems appropriate for their own state.
Each of the other teams will follow a similar process, identifying an agency, determining work that needs to be done and setting to that work with a genuine sense of importance. 4. Other Examples of Authentic Intellectual Work A teacher could create a series of problems-based scenarios much like the ones described earlier that would be based on the teacher's research instead of requiring the time consuming student field research outlined earlier in this article. Simulations offer many efficiencies and may be created with enough veracity to capture the students' interest and accomplish the authenticity intended by Fred Newmann. These simulations might also serve middle school students well since they are a bit young to be producing work products that might actually be used by an agency. For these simulations to pass the test of authenticity, they must meet the criteria earlier in this article. As mentioned earlier, simulations and role-playing are promising strategies for history classes to engage students in thinking as actors in historical situations. Back in the 1970s some inquiry-based social studies texts used this approach to open every chapter. The example below is based on one of those dilemmas. Example Four "You are standing on the bank of the river watching someone swimming frantically toward your shore while a row boat seems to be chasing close behind with men shouting and waving rifles. You realize it is an escaped slave and the men are bounty hunters. The man will reach you in a matter of seconds and you must decide what you will do, knowing that assisting a runaway slave is a crime. What do you suppose you would do?" History is rich with opportunities to re-think, reconsider and review past decisions. A class could try individuals ranging from Sitting Bull or George Armstrong Custer to Andrew Carnegie or Sacco and Vanzetti, judging them for their actions. A class could imagine they have time traveled into a previous century to help the early English settlers of Virginia reconsider their strategies for handling the native people. Tom Snyder Productions produces excellent simulations that take advantage of new technologies to stage the decision-making. Decisions/Decisions is a series designed for students in Grades 5-10. Details are available at http://www.tomsnyder.com/. Decisions, Decisions 5.0 consists of the following titles:
When students are engaged in producing persuasive documents or media presentations, they are demonstrating the capacity to apply what many consider to be 21st century skills to the solution of thorny issues and problems. They are acquiring abilities that will serve them well as adults, and they are doing so in a way that is highly motivating. In some cases, their work will make the world a better place for us all. Resources 1. Five Standards of Authentic Instruction - Fred M. Newmann and Gary G.Wehlage http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/socialstudies/ pdf/session6/6.AuthenticInstruction.pdf Social Studies School Service at http://www.socialstudies.com/ is an excellent source of simulations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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American Heroes Biography Project
Source: http://creatinglifelonglearners.com/?p=43
This idea was submitted by Mary Hahn, who retired last month after forty-one years in the teaching profession. Many of my best ideas in the past three years have come from her classroom and we’re not even at the same school. Thank you, Mary!
This project has worked very successfully in my classroom to get students to complete research on a famous American and create a fun and visually appealing project.
Students conduct research on a famous person of their choosing. I align this with the 2nd grade courage unit but you can align it with other units at different grade levels as well, friendship, risks and consequences, etc… I complete it in class so that I can assist students but it can be completed as a homework assignment too depending on your student and parent population. (See comment section for 5th grade version submitted by Francie Kugelman)
I recommend having a selection of biographies available for students in class. The “Picture Book” series by David Adler is fantastic, particularly because each book has a timeline in the back.
Students then organize their research and present it on a four page vertical accordion book which can hang in the classroom.
See the student directions and rubric
See completed examples
See optional non-fiction biography report
This idea was submitted by Mary Hahn, who retired last month after forty-one years in the teaching profession. Many of my best ideas in the past three years have come from her classroom and we’re not even at the same school. Thank you, Mary!
This project has worked very successfully in my classroom to get students to complete research on a famous American and create a fun and visually appealing project.
Students conduct research on a famous person of their choosing. I align this with the 2nd grade courage unit but you can align it with other units at different grade levels as well, friendship, risks and consequences, etc… I complete it in class so that I can assist students but it can be completed as a homework assignment too depending on your student and parent population. (See comment section for 5th grade version submitted by Francie Kugelman)
I recommend having a selection of biographies available for students in class. The “Picture Book” series by David Adler is fantastic, particularly because each book has a timeline in the back.
Students then organize their research and present it on a four page vertical accordion book which can hang in the classroom.
In addition, this project lends itself to oral presentations. By using a linguistic frame even English Language Learners can be successful in their presentations. For example:
----------------------For the past three weeks I have been researching information about _______________________.
He/She is important because he/she ___________________________.
In his/her life, several important things happened including:
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
_______________________made a difference because ____________________.
Oral Presentation
For the past three weeks I have been researching information about _______________________.
He/She is important because he/she ___________________________.
In his/her life, several important things happened including:
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
_______________________made a difference because ____________________.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Website: Literacy Fan Club WebQuest
Source: http://www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/author/FanClub.html
1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.
2. A task that is doable and interesting.
3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the Web Quest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace completely adrift.
4. A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.
5. Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams.
6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.
(the information above has been copied or adapted from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html, by Bernie Dodge, San Diego State University.
Some other good examples of webquests can also be found at:
To attract members to your author's fan club you have decided to create your own web pages. You design an advertisement for the fan club and create a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list to distribute to new members. You can create these in Microsoft Word and will receive help in putting them up on the Internet.
Conclusion
Put a couple of sentences here that summarize what your K-12 students will have accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content beyond this lesson.
Credits & References
Literary Fan Club
by Joyce L. Morris Ed.D. , University of Vermont, adapted from Deanna Boshoven, M. P. Henck Intermediate School
You are the president of a fan club for your favorite author. Eager for literary discussion and insights into your author's works, you set up a mailing list and wait patiently for the flood of subscribers. After a week one member signs up. His first message asks the question, "What books did this author write?" This is not exactly the kind of literary discussion you had in mind. You decide to create some promotional materials to target the right audience for your fan club.
Background Information
A WebQuest is an inquiry oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. Web Quests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on gathering and interpreting information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
WebQuests were developed by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University. His site at http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html contains a matrix of subject and age grouped WebQuests as well as supporting information about webquests.Critical Attributes of WebQuests Web Quests of either short or long duration are deliberately designed to make the best use of a learner's time. There is questionable educational benefit in having learners surfing the net without a clear task in mind, and most schools must ration student connect time severely. To achieve that efficiency and clarity of purpose, Web Quests should contain at least the following parts:
1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.
2. A task that is doable and interesting.
3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the Web Quest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace completely adrift.
4. A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.
5. Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams.
6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.
(the information above has been copied or adapted from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html, by Bernie Dodge, San Diego State University.
Some other good examples of webquests can also be found at:
- WebQuests created by teachers from the Burlington School District in Vermont http://www.bsdvt.org/webquest/
- Created by students at UVM in Elementary Education during the Inquiry Block http://www.uvm.edu/~inquiryb
- Shrocks Guide of WebQuests http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html
- WebQuests written by Memphis K-12 teachers http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/web_que.htm
- Saskatoon East School District in Canada. http://sesd.sk.ca/teacherresource/webquest/webquest.htm
The Task
To attract members to your author's fan club you have decided to create your own web pages. You design an advertisement for the fan club and create a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list to distribute to new members. You can create these in Microsoft Word and will receive help in putting them up on the Internet. The Process
- Choose an author whom you have read and enjoyed. Research your author to find out details of his/her life:
- where and how he/she grew up
- his/her personal relationships
- his/her works
- how his/her work has generally been received
- any other area of his/her life which interests you
- Develop an FAQ list about your author. What should be obvious to fans of this author? What pieces of trivia would fans enjoy knowing about this author? Remember, your FAQ list should include answers to what you believe may be the most common questions, curiosities, and confusions about your author.
- Create a full-page advertisement for your fan club. Include:
- a catchy slogan
- the goals of your club (what do you envision members discussing?)
- a few interesting facts about your author that might grab the attention of prospective members
- at least one graphic
Resources
- To see some examples of FAQs, try the Elaine Cunningham FAQ , the Isaac Asimov FAQ, or the Tom Clancy FAQ.
- Internet Public Library: Ask the Author has questions submitted by students and answered by the authors themselves.
- Business Letter Writing is a unit from the Misssissippi State University Agriculture Department that includes both html and pdf examples of letters.
- Children's Authors & Illustrators, and their Books contains links to authors and illustrators of children's books.
- Women and Literature contains brief biographies of women authors.
- Portrait Gallery of American Authors
- Author Webliography contains links to other pages about authors.
- Middle School Authors from Germantown Public Schools
- The Poe Museum
- Yahoo's young adult authors
- The Literary Menagerie contains still more links to pages about authors.
- Yahooligans! - School Bell:Language Arts:Authors
- www.fireandwater.com | authors
- BookJackets.com
- Yahooligans- Read Across America
- KidsBookshelf - Bringing children and books together
- Children's Literature Page
- Hall Kids Authors.com - Children Literature
- The Stephen King Fan Club
Evaluation
FAQs, advertisements, welcome letters, and newsletters will be graded on the quality of writing and accuracy of form and content. Is the FAQ complete and accurate? Is your advertisement visually appealing? Is the voice of your letter formal, yet inviting? Did you use correct form in your letter? Is your newsletter visually appealing? Does your opinion essay answer the question of how the author's life is reflected in his/her work?Information | included shallow research | | |||
no alignment big empty spaces | |||||
Information | included shallow research Other books not mentioned | few other books included, no identification of genre of writing | Includes genre and style of writing. Many other books and awards mentioned. | ||
poor. | |||||
Conclusion
Put a couple of sentences here that summarize what your K-12 students will have accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content beyond this lesson.
Credits & References
- Bernie Dodge at SanDiego State University and all the educators who created and shared their webquests, thank you for your work.
- Deanna Boshoven, M. P. Henck Intermediate School, Rim of the World Unified School District,thank you for the model and idea that has been adapted in this webqauest.
Warning Signs when Sifting WebQuests
by Tom March
- 1. Step & Fetch it - Is there a Right Answer? Is this a traditional lesson plan dressed up as a Web page? If the question / task involves the retrieval of a defined, known body of knowledge, this is not a WebQuest. WebQuests are use in ill-structured domains, places with lots of gray and little "black and white." The idea is for students to argue an opinion, not mumble back someone else's thinking.
- A BestWebQuest: Take Me on Vacation!
- 2. Hip Hop Homework -Is the true Task Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V? Similar to the "Step-and-and-Fetch-it" approach, Hip Hop Homework asks students to piece together information / answers from various sources. This is a step in the right direction, but it still doesn't ask students to do anything new (like interpret others' opinions). A WebQuest might ask students to gather information from different sources, but then prompts learners to transform this acquired knowledge into a new understanding.
- A BestWebQuest: Literary Fan Club
- 3. Anything Goes - Could it be done without instruction? Sometimes an online activity will challenge students to do something creative or to solve a problem. This is positive! The downfall to the "Anything Goes" approach, is that to complete the task, students don't have to draw from any of the previous instruction. The fix to this near WebQuest is to ask students to apply a set of criteria to their creation. Rather than write any play or poem, or problem-solve any solution, invoke criteria that require students to integrate the new learning into their product.
- A BestWebQuest: Influencing Your Photographic Eye
- 4. Tag Team PowerPoint - Do the roles stay separate? This is a common mistake that almost everyone has fallen into at some point. Students work together as teams and each member contributes, but their work stays in isolation from each other. Each member knows what he or she knows, but there's no group process that forces a synthesis of this wealth of knowledge. The classic example is where each team member is responsible for one slide in a presentation, one card in a stack, or one quadrant in a newsletter. It's not hard to take it that one extra step and have a true WebQuest out of all this time, effort and learning. And it's a shame not to.
- A BestWebQuest: Quest for Peace: An Internet WebQuest on Kashmir Peace Proposal Consensus
- 5. Slacker's Delight - Can one person do all the work? If an online activity prompts learners to construct new meaning, does this apply to all students in the group? Or is everyone happy if the bright kid does all the work? A killer WebQuest jigsaws the group process so that everyone must contribute. Even though some students' opinions might stand out in their group, the final task must involve everyone's participation in a substantial way. The way this could be a great WebQuest is if it is for use by only one learner. This would tend to be more advanced learners who can hold multiple perspectives in mind at once and evaluate them. Adults and gifted and talented students care good candidates for this approach.
- A BestWebQuest: Antarctica - An Issue for all Australians
- 6. Tunnel Vision -The 3 R's? (Real, Rich and Relevant) The next level of achievement in WebQuest design involves taking advantage of the contextual connections available through the Web. If you're studying The Lord of the Flies, go beyond Golding to street children in Algeria. When experimenting with the applied science of bottle rockets and catapults, discuss the ethics and efficacy of smart bombs. When researching early colonists from the Mayflower or First Fleet, update things to boat people and Globalization. Great WebQuests leverage the medium and the medium enables contextualizing the content to intrigue, perplex, and enrich.
- A BestWebQuest: 2030: Homesteading Mars
- 7. Ho-Hum - Are there Ah-Ha's & Assimilation? Whereas a Tunnel Vision approach doesn't access the wealth of the Web's contexts and juxtapositions, a Ho-Hum WebQuest may expose students to interesting contrasts and comparisons during the roles phase, but the final group process doesn't produce anything from this rich mixture and cognitive dissonance. When students struggle to assimilate new information and perspectives, they are creating new schema, achieving the cognitive ah-ha's that are the heart of transformative learning. By applying a new model, set of constraints, or varying the scenario, learners have the map of a conceptual pattern to help shape the development of new schema.
- A BestWebQuest: A Separate Peace: A Teenager Experiences World War II
Criteria for Assessing Best WebQuests
Source: http://bestwebquests.com/bwq/matrix.asp
| Low | Medium | High | |
| Engaging Opening / Writing | No attempt made to appeal to learners. | Honestly attempts to appeal to student interests. | Has that something that compels attention. |
| The Question / Task | No real Question and / or a fuzzy Task. Maybe what's asked for is lower level thinking or info retrieval. | There is at least an implicit Question and a Task that targets higher order thinking. All this may not be totally clear. | Clear Question and Task. These naturally flow from the introduction and signal a direction for sophisticated learning. |
| Background for Everyone | No attempt to access prior learning or build common background. | Some mention of addressing a common body of knowledge. (May not happen within the activity.) | Clearly calls attention to the need for a common foundation of knowledge and provides needed (Web?) resources. |
| Roles / Expertise | No Roles / use of perspectives or Roles are artificial and may lack inherent conflict of interest. | Roles are clear and realistic. They may be limited in scope, but do evoke conflict. | Roles match the issues and resources. The roles provide multiple perspectives from which to view the topic. |
| Use of the Web | This activity could probably be done without the Web. | Some resources reflect features of the Web that make it particularly useful such as images, audio, interactivity, current information, etc. | Uses the Web to access at least some of the following: interactivity, multiple perspectives, multimedia, current information, etc. |
| Transformative Thinking | No Transformative thinking. (This is not a WebQuest, but may be a good Knowledge Hunt). | Higher level thinking is required, but the process for students may not be clear. | Higher level thinking is required to construct new meaning. Scaffolding is provided to support student achievement. |
| Real World Feedback | No feedback loop included. | The learning product could easily be used for authentic assessment although this may not be addressed or it only happens in the classroom. | A feedback loop connecting learners to the Real world is included in the Web page and an evaluation rubric is probably provided (early on!). |
| Conclusion | Minimal conclusion. No mention of student thinking or symmetry to intro. | Returns to the intro ideas. May sum up the experiences and learning that was undertaken. | Clear tie-in to the intro. Makes the students' cognitive tasks overt and suggests how this learning could transfer to other domains/issues. Probably calls attention to the assumptions / hidden agendas inherent in the WebQuest itself. Sophistication keeps increasing. |
Teaching for Understanding (TFU) Framework
Source: http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/pop1e.cfm
| Grade and Subject: Our Colonial Past (7th Grade) | |||
Overarching Understanding Goals (Throughlines)
| |||
| Generative Topic: People in Colonial History | |||
Unit-Long Understanding Goals
| |||
| UGs | Understanding Performances | Ongoing Assessment | |
| Introductory Performance(s) | #1 #4 | The biography of personal interest. | Feedback: Informal and oral, by peers and teachers, written reflections by students Criteria: Developed collaboratively by students and teacher. |
| Guided Inquiry Perfomance(s) | #1 #2 #3 #4 | The founding fathers project. | Feedback: Informal and oral, by peers and teachers, written reflections by students Criteria: Developed collaboratively by students and teacher. synthesized as assessment sheet by teacher. |
| Culminating Performance(s) | #1 #2 #3 #4 | A colonial life album | Feedback: Informal and oral, by peers and teachers, written reflections by students. Formal written evaluation by student and teacher. Criteria: Described on assessment sheet. used to guide process by students, peers, teachers. Used to evaluate final product by student and teacher. |
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Throughlines for 7th Grade English
Source: http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/pop2_4.cfm
The 9 Throughlines:
The 9 Throughlines:
- How can you connect your own personal experiences, interests, passions, or ideals to your work in English?
- How does writing help your reading, and how does reading help your writing?
- How do the different elements of a piece of writing work together to make a whole?
- In what ways is literature true to life? In what ways is it not true to life?
- What common themes (ideas, problems, truths) can we find in literature from different places and times?
- What is a hero?
- How does keeping a Reading Response Journal help you be a better reader, writer, and thinker?
- What do people need to do in order to work well together?
- How can you make your work better?
"Credit" by Judith Viorst
You asked me to do it.
I promised to do it.
I planned to do it.
I started to do it.
I really meant to do it.
Except I forgot.
Couldn't I get some credit?
For promising,
Planning,
Starting,
And really meaning to do it?
Guess not.
I promised to do it.
I planned to do it.
I started to do it.
I really meant to do it.
Except I forgot.
Couldn't I get some credit?
For promising,
Planning,
Starting,
And really meaning to do it?
Guess not.
Website: Luminarium - Anthology of English Literature
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| http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm |
You Know You Are A True Teacher When...
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| http://pinterest.com/pin/505984511/ |
You wake up with text books on/in/or around your bed.
Your nightmares consist of being unprepared to teach class.
You correct the grammar and spelling on restaurant menus.
You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children.
You know hundred good reasons for being late.
You sometimes refer to adults as "boys and girls."
You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and prep period.
You raise your hand when the server at the restaurant asks if anyone would like water.
You move your dinner partner's glass away from the edge of the table.
You say "I like th way you did that" to the mechanic who repairs your car.
You ask "Are you sure you did your best?" to the mechanic who fails to repair your car.
You sing the "Alphabet Song" to yourself as you look up a number in the phone book.
You cheer when you hear April 1 does not fall on a school day.
You can't walk past a crowd of kids without straightening up a line.
You have been timed gulping down a full lunch in 2 minutes, 18 seconds. (Master teachers eat even faster.)
You ask if anyone needs to go to the bathroom as you enter a theater with a group of friends.
You ask a quiet person at a party if he has something to share with the group.
You have explained to a child that being a rock in the school play is an important role.
You hand pieces of paper to your friends and make them spit out their gum in front of you.
You believe "unbelievably annoying" should have its own box in the report card.
You get a secret thrill out of laminating something.
You fold your spouse's fingers over the coins as you hand him/her the money at a tollbooth.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Website: 10 Things Students Need to be Engaged Enough to Really Learn
Source: http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/pop2_1.cfm
Teaching Philosophy:
Teaching Philosophy:
Once a student told me that I didn't give homework. Shocked, I asked what on earth she meant. She said, "Well, I'm doing it and I look at the clock and find I've spent hours. But it doesn't feel like work."
I'd love ALL my students to feel like that!
I think kids learn best when they have invested a lot of themselves in their work. The question is how to get them engaged. Here are 10 things I believe students need in order to be engaged enough to really learn:
- They need their teacher to be passionate about what she/he is teaching and respectful of them.
- They need to feel safe, respected, and known in the classroom.
- They need to learn by doing.
- They need freedom to choose what they read and what they write about, and to make mistakes, recover from them, and try again.
- They need time to explore, discuss, change, and refine their work.
- They need a carefully structured series of varied activities that slowly build up the skills, ideas, insights, and confidence needed to be successful.
- They need clear criteria and goals, ideally ones that they have helped to develop. They need to be constantly assessing themselves and each other, in relation to these goals and criteria.
- They need the opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate what they have learned.
- They need time to reflect on what they have done, are doing, and want to do.
- They need to experience learning as exhilarating and fun.
Video: This Land is Your Land
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
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The student writes a letter from the person to his/her class
(Dear Boys and Girls of Room 3,…).
They can create a letterhead or decorate it in any way. They make wonderful displays and very interesting to read. You can really tell who captured the essence of the person.
Writing a letter from a character or a famous person to the class or vice versa is one of my favorite vehicles for students to write in the first person.
I usually have a template that says:
Dear Girls and Boys of Room 3….
Sincerely yours,
Benjamin Franklin (name of student writer)