# data[].attributes.body
cling to your strengths

# data[].attributes.headline
Look up interview questions and practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Look up interview questions and practice

# data[].attributes.body
always start before the answer
planning
students-based

# data[].attributes.headline
Have a few ideas about what is critical to your teaching

# data[].attributes.subject
Have a few ideas about what is critical to your teaching

# data[].attributes.body
class climate
assessment
best practices

# data[].attributes.headline
"Tell us why you are excited for this job?"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Tell us why you are excited for this job?"

# data[].attributes.body
RESEARCH
pictures
events
district
academic
"What makes you a good fit for this position?" AKA "What can you do for us?"
-hungry
-humble
-smart

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Some students do not want to use them
Go to meetings!

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1. Activity
2. Rubric with criteria and levels
3. Feedback - opportunity to respond and change

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https://www.gynzy.com/en/

“A web based interactive whiteboard software system that has many tools for use in a classroom.”

https://maxcdn.gynzy.com/bord/images/l10n/en_US/help/gynzy-tutorial.pdf

This seems like a good place to get ideas and inspiration. I could use the premade lessons as a baseline for building my own.

https://api.gynzy.com/en/filter/extra/class-organization

Creates more interactive lessons

Common Core aligned

Connected to the web

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http://viewpure.com/

This platform allows you to remove adds, inappropriate comments, and other unwanted portions of videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6l0QiQQZ1w

I would use this platform on almost every video I show my class or have in their homework. This will keep the focus on the video and the content I wish them to obtain rather than whatever pops up on the side.

https://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=11507

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https://voicethread.com/

“VoiceThread is a learning tool for enhancing student engagement and online presence. With VoiceThread, instructors and/or students can create, share, and comment on images, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio files, documents, and PDFs, using microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload.”

https://voicethread.com/howto/

VoiceThread can be used for, again, enhancing engagement. With all the other great resources, I likely would not use this option alone, but it would be handy to embed sound into other instructional technology.

https://www.teachthought.com/technology/10-tips-for-using-voicethread-for-learning/

Ice breakers

Flipped classroom

Comment on other student’s work to increase human interaction

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https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office/default.aspx

“Office Online is an online office suite offered by Microsoft, which allows users to create and edit files using lightweight Microsoft Office web apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The offering also includes Outlook.com, People, Calendar and OneDrive, all of which are accessible from a unified app switcher.” Specifically Word allows students to type documents and share them with one another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCVy5Kw0l8s (long tutorial on all the Microsoft Office Basics)

The class could use this to write assignments, talk to people around the world, and explore many, many different options available through this platform in many creative ways.

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/austeachers/2015/01/28/32-engaging-ways-to-use-microsoft-in-your-classroom/

The online option (Office 365) is great for collaboration

OneNote is an engaging way for students to take notes

Can use Skype to connect to people around the world

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https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office/default.aspx

This platform allows students to create slide presentations online and have the option to collaborate with others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Tku3_RGPs

Teachers can use this platform to deliver content, be it online or in class.

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Resources/Teaching_resources/TLPDC_teaching_resources/using_powerpoint.php

Have fill in the blank slides for students to take notes

Include visual aids in presentation

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No link; many different

There. Are. So. Many. Options. From making grading easier to creating quick groups to providing feedback, there are add-ons for everything!

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2017/01/09/2-brand-new-tools-to-help-students-display-work-reflect/ (this tutorial is on just one of the many options)

There are so many things to explore within this content, and I will be doing just that. It seems like these resources were built to ease some of the organizational- “busy work”- tasks of both student and teacher.

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2017/02/16/10-add-ons-to-google-classroom-you-must-try/, https://mystudentvoices.com/top-10-google-docs-add-ons-for-teachers-7a576e4baab1

RubricTabs

RosterTabs

Grammarly

MappingSheets

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https://classroom.google.com/h

“Google Classroom makes teaching more productive and meaningful by streamlining assignments, boosting collaboration, and fostering communication. Educators can create classes, distribute assignments, send feedback, and see everything in one place. Classroom also seamlessly integrates with other Google tools like Google Docs and Drive.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9rUHxtNUE0

Google Classroom can be utilized in tons of ways. Teachers may flip classrooms, administer informal quizzes, or share ideas through this platform.

https://www.teachthought.com/technology/60-smarter-ways-to-use-google-classroom/

This article even has further links to ideas.

Digital exit slips

Prompt feedback

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https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/?tgif=d

“Google Forms is a survey administration app that is included in the Google Drive office suite along with Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. Forms features all of the collaboration and sharing features found in Docs, Sheets, and Slides.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxlfPLPI0wM

I could use this for quizzes, exit slips, or have the students ask questions.

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2016/02/12/the-new-google-forms-9-classroom-uses/

Make a “choose your own adventure” assignment

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https://padlet.com/dashboard

Padlet is a digital canvas to create beautiful projects that are easy to share and collaborate on. It works like a piece of paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkBnwPqaIjA

Students could take notes on this platform, as it is more engaging than “normal” note taking. Students can collaborate easily with Padlet. Parents can follow learning easily.

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2017/08/30-creative-ways-to-use-padlet-for-teachers-and-students

Exit ticket

Gather student information

Thinking maps

Creating positive class climate

https://padlet.com/krinke_g/ed352inspirationforteaching

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https://www.remind.com/

Remind is a platform for sending students or teachers messages. It helps manage communication and keep class time for learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3DHB9Kmz4Q

I could use this to remind the class and their parents of homework for the night, or to share other important messages.

https://www.remind.com/resources/top-10-ways-to-use-remind

Share photos

Send links to outside articles

Get permission slips straight into the hands of parents

Do warm up questions and trivia outside of class

Share messages of encouragement

Send parents conversation starters for their students

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https://nearpod.com/

“Nearpod is an interactive classroom tool for teachers to engage students with interactive lessons.”

https://app.nearpod.com/command (on website, audio recording put to slides)

I could use Nearpod in my classroom to model progress students are having by showing their drawings to the class, or I could assign homework through this platform that students can interact with on their own time.

https://nearpod.com/blog/10-ways-to-use-nearpod-in-the-classroom/

You can personalize an individual’s presentation, could especially be utilized for learners who need more support or accomodations

Nearpod creates reports on quizzes for you- great ongoing assessment

https://np1.nearpod.com/presentation.php?id=41568016

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https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=english%20language%20arts&eq=english%20lan&etslf=7902&term_meta[]=english%7Cautocomplete%7C2&term_meta[]=language%7Cautocomplete%7C2&term_meta[]=arts%7Cautocomplete%7C2

Pinterest is a social media web and mobile application company that operates a software system designed to discover information on the World Wide Web, mainly using images and, on a smaller scale, GIFs and videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSwfq0ojc10

Pinterest could be used by the teacher to search for ideas; for example, there are tons of links to how to teach ELA to secondary ELL students that would be beneficial for me to read. The platform itself could be used in the classroom to share ideas and work with the rest of the class.

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/25-ways-to-use-pinterest-blooms-revised-taxonomy/

Splits ideas based on Bloom’s

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https://prezi.com/

Prezi is a platform for presenting information, similar to PowerPoint. However, it is more graphic and allows for more various ways of moving through slides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCkvy4Gvqw8

Prezi can be used by the teacher or students to share content. The fact that it is interactive helps the presenter decide what order they wish to go through content in the moment.

https://englishohmy.com/using-prezi-in-classroom-for-students/

Back to School Night

Novel introductions

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https://app.edu.buncee.com/

“Buncee is a creation and communication tool for students, teachers and administrators. Our all-in-one technology empowers all users to easily create, and share visual representations of content, across grade, age and learning levels. Buncee is a one-stop-shop to build media-rich lessons, reports, newsletters, presentations and so much more!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gm2YaZL0NQ

Yet another excellent alternative to bland presentation tools, Buncee seems great for capturing students’ attention, though it’s not as interactive as other options I like.

https://classtechtips.com/2016/11/23/ela-projects/

Book report presentations

Creating children’s books

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https://wordart.com/create

The user pastes in words (or phrases), chooses their preference of many formatting options, and then hits create. A unique shape is generated with all the words they have entered.

https://wordart.com/tutorials

Students could create or study Word Clouds to review for a quiz. If my class was having a class discussion, whether about a literary work or the class atmosphere, the answers we gave could be crafted into a Word Cloud and posted on the physical wall or online presence.

https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/

Splits into general classroom practices and specific content areas

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https://www.bitmoji.com/

“Bitmoji, a mobile application that allows users to create personalized avatars and use them in messaging applications.”

Tutorial

This is a neat resource for connecting to students and their culture. They may find you more relatable, and spicing up a classroom is great. Perhaps students could make bitmojis for characters in literature and do projects with them as well.

https://www.boredteachers.com/classroom-ideas/bitmojis-add-pop-culture-classrooms

Use as feedback stickers

For classroom rules

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http://www.ifunface.com/

“iFunFace lets you create funny videos of yourself and others simply by a using a static image and a recorded message. Let our unique speech analysis technology bring your subjects to life. Not only can you direct the animation but you and your friends can become the real stars of the show!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6GhPCPWMyA

Students can choose photos to record upon; this could be used for talking about characters, submitting questions in a easy, not fear inducing mannar, and commenting on other classmates’ work.

http://www.goodwinnovate.com/ideas-for-using-recording-apps-in/

Not specifically for this app, but teachers use to record students

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https://makeameme.org/

“A humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/how-to-make-a-meme/

Memes are an avenue students will want to participate in the creation of. You could assign students class rules to make memes for, or have them as a review activity for a test.

https://www.iste.org/explore/In-the-classroom/5-ways-to-use-memes-with-students

Make a funny meme like “When Ms. Rinke gives homework”

Jazz up a syllabus

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https://makeagif.com/

“A lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAHC7r5sNA

Like memes, this makes you more on par with students and they may think you are more relatable. A great idea would be to use GIF to encourage writing prompts.

https://www.dlgwaea.org/blog/a-gif-tastic-guide-to-using-gifs-at-school

Use for shortening tutorials

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https://bitly.com/

“Bitly is a Link Management Platform that lets you harness the power of the link by allowing you to easily shorten, share, manage and analyze your links.”

https://support.bitly.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002305271-Where-can-I-learn-more-about-how-to-use-Bitly-

Using this platform makes links easier to follow for students. Students can also track how often their link is used.

https://www.erintegration.com/2016/08/21/5-ways-to-use-bit-ly-in-the-classroom/

Helps when you have a sub

Easier sharing of class blog or social media accounts

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https://www.canva.com/

“It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics.”

https://designschool.canva.com/tutorials/

This resource is both useful for students and for teachers. I could use it to make syllabi, newsletters, and brand my classroom, and students could use it to creaft projects.

https://www.bespokeclassroom.com/blog/2017/7/29/op660qadw8b5uzt4tq28ws3ryljfik

Create book covers

Create certificates

Create labels

Artifact of syllabus

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Facebook- Shake up Learning, Technology Teaching Resources, Educational Technology, Free Technology for Teachers, Educational Technology for ALL learners

https://www.facebook.com/shakeuplearning/

This Facebook

Tutorial is not needed

I could learn many things from other current practices and activities other teachers are trying. It is also a good place to ask questions and communicate with other educators.

Draw on the many articles posted there.

I followed Shake Up Learning!

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Shake Up Learning. 9,792 likes · 355 talking about this. Stay up-to-date with the latest from the Shake Up Learning blog! Tech Tips for Teachers, including Google Apps, Blended Learning, Cheat Sheets...

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https://www.canva.com/ (I made mine on Canva)

An infographic is “a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nShmwzh879g (tutorial with Canva)

Infographics spice up a document and make the information more engaging. In making one, the creator also has to decide what is most important to them, for the poster cannot have everything on it.

https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-use-infographics-in-high-school-classrooms/

Have students create

present

Use to summarize

Create one from a classroom discussion

Edit one another’s

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https://www.qrstuff.com/

QR codes are machine-readable codes consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone. Making a QR code allows for people to quickly get to where you want them to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtwCTo7T9zg

QR codes allow students to get to information/pages faster, and they store information effectively.

https://www.weareteachers.com/qr-codes-in-the-classroom/

Book reports

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TSWBAT
The student will be able to...
1.
2.
3.

Come straight from standards (number) and benchmarks (part a, b, c)... make objectives

Standards-> Objectives-> Assessment-> unit-> lessons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The exemplary lessons ₁ shown below earned fours and fives (or at least passing scores) on Task 1 rubrics. Some characteristics shared between lessons helpful for earning points include

1) Clear labeling and description, such as lesson title, learning targets, and activities
2) Thorough description of teacher and student behavior
3) Use of preassessment for understanding student background knowledge
4) Two or more opportunities for informal assessment in each lesson
5) Multiple practice or support activities in each lesson
6) Prewritten questions for eliciting student understanding
7) Use of postassessment for analyzing learning at the conclusion of the sequence

The outlines for general and special education include these characteristics and are useful for planning lessons for Task 1.

1. The lessons shown above have been shared with permission of the authors.

Organized and intentional assessments are an indispensable part of planning and assessment tasks. Assessments are also a facet of instruction, such as preparing questions to ask students ahead of time, for promoting engagement or deepening learning. Assessments should vary to produce quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (descriptive) forms of information. For example, comparing correct answers to objective items on pre-assessment (sequence start) and post-assessment (sequence end) results can show whole-class and individual student learning over time.

A key feature of informal (i.e. formative) assessments is they are able to provide ongoing monitoring of student learning. In other words, multiple informal assessments should be included in lessons. A key feature of formal (i.e. summative) assessments is enabling analysis of student learning. Analysis of student learning based on a formal/chosen assessment is conducted using evaluation criteria (such as rubric, checklist, answer key, or other protocol for appraising performance). All assessments should show logical connection to the central focus and learning objectives.

Some example assessments by subject-area follow. Generally, assessments are clearly organized (such as thoughtful application of titles), use a variety of item types, and align with lesson plan goals, learning activities, and evaluation criteria. In addition, many of the examples use pre- and post-assessment to facilitate analysis of student learning.

Elementary literacy assessments
Elementary math assessments
English as Additional Language assessments
English Language Arts assessments
Family and Consumer Science assessments
Health assessments
History Social Studies assessments
Library Specialist assessments
Performing Arts assessments
Physical Education assessments
Secondary mathematics assessments
Secondary Science assessments
Special Education assessments
Visual arts assessments
World Languages assessments

Education reformers have envisioned teacher performance assessment as an approach for improving teaching and learning since the 80s. However, use of a performance assessment for new teachers really gained momentum when legislators in California made it a requirement for licensure 1998. The result was creation of CalTPA and PACT. In 2008, PACT was transformed into edTPA and many states are currently developing policies for including this assessment, or one similar, for new teacher licensure. Although edTPA has numerous characteristics making it useful for training purposes, explicit statement of K-12 student outcomes is not one of them. For example, in order to identify outcomes for planning lessons for inclusion in an edTPA portfolio, candidates are best served searching rubrics for the instruction task. Even then, some significant interpretation is required to make sense of vague phrases such as, integrate essential literacy strategy, or develop desired knowledge or skill.

It is unclear why edTPA handbooks obscure K-12 student outcomes, rather than stating them explicitly. Nevertheless, some basic interpretations of instruction rubrics are shown in the table to help candidates as they plan lessons and assessments for edTPA.

Every subject requires three student work samples, except special education (which requires a final assessment, and some other assessment pieces). See an example Work Sample with Feedback.

Generally, work samples are documents of some kind, such as paper-pencil assessments, though in some subject areas, video of student performance may be used as work sample evidence. Note that physical education requires work samples in the form of videos. And, in special education, there are additional elements associated with the focus learner's performance, including daily assessment record and baseline performance data.

Some formatting requirements and procedures for work samples include the following:

Conceal names including student, teacher, school, or district.

Refer to work samples as Student 1 Work Sample, Student 2 Work Sample, and so on. As mentioned, some subject areas permit video format work samples, such as physical education or special education. You need not conceal student names in videos but may refer to students by their first names, and nearby adults by their preferred name.

Although most portfolios will include documents as work samples, the exact characteristics of the document may vary depending on subject area. In most cases, the document will be an assessment. In other cases it will be a document with inserted photographs and captions, such as an artistic work for visual arts. Digitizing work samples is readily done using a digital camera or camera phone. A scanner can also be used.

Digital images created with cameras may be copy-pasted into word processing software and saved as document files.

Handbooks do not require use of the chosen or final assessment as the work sample. However, writing prompts for task three include elements that make use of the assessment an excellent option for the work sample.

Using the assessment as the work sample requires inclusion of items that generate quantitative-numerical and qualitative-descriptive information.

The assessment should also be aligned with learning the targets in explicit ways, such as including words shown in targets as part of assessment items.

Reference

Performance Assessment of California Teachers (2010). Supporting Documents for Candidates. Retrieved from http://www.pacttpa.org/_main/hub.php?pageName=Supporting_Documents_for_Candidates

Some general requirements of recordings include the following. A video clip must be continuous and unedited. For example, do not remove the middle 30 seconds of a 10 minute clip because a student is off-task for that part of the video. Check the video and sound quality to ensure that the students and candidate are seen and heard on the video. Practicing with the equipment beforehand helps reduce technical problems. Do not include the name of the state, school, or district in your video. Use first names for students, and void using last names. Mentor teachers should be present during edTPA teaching and video recording. Mentors do not need to leave, and in fact mentors are responsible for supervising candidates throughout internship.

The number of minutes and clips of video recording vary by discipline. The best source of information about minutes and clips is the description for Task 2 in the handbook. Nevertheless, all areas are permitted either 15 or 20 minutes of video instruction. Elementary literacy, elementary mathematics, and secondary mathematics may submit one clip up to 15 minutes, or two clips totaling up to 15 minutes. Alternatively, English language arts, performing arts, and secondary science submit two clips, totaling up to 20 minutes. And again, health education and visual arts may submit one clip up to 20 minutes or two clips totaling up to 20 minutes. All of the disciplines shown here include two optional clips. Candidates may include a three minute clip showing student voice and a five minute clip showing academic language. Optional clips do not contribute to the totals associated with instruction clips. For example, a portfolio in visual arts may include one 20 minute clip showing instruction, another three minute clip of student voice, and another five minute clip of academic language, for a total of 28 minutes.

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The exemplary lessons 1 shown below earned fours and fives (or at least passing scores) on Task 1 rubrics.

# data[].attributes.body
ed tpa the easy way
http://www.passedtpa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/English-Language-Arts-for-Secondary-Assessment-Commentary.pdf

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by Terry Heick

Essential questions are, ask Grant Wiggins defines, 'essential' in the sense of signaling genuine, important and necessarily-ongoing inquiries." These are grapple-worthy, substantive questions that not only require wrestling with, but are worth wrestling with-that could lead students to some critical insight in a 40/40/40-rule sense of the term.

I collected the following set of questions through the course of creating units of study, most of them from the Greece Central School District in New York. In revisiting them recently, I noticed that quite a few of them were closed/yes or no questions, so I went back and revised some of them, and added a few new ones, something I'll try to do from time to time.

Or maybe I'll make a separate page for them entirely. Or, who knows. Nonetheless, below are many, many examples of essential questions. Most are arts & humanities, but if this post proves useful, we can add some STEM inquiry to the mix as well. Let me know in the comments.

See also 8 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions
Many, Many Examples Of Essential Questions Decisions, Actions, and Consequences

1. What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?

2. How do we know how to make good decisions?

3. How can a person's decisions and actions change his/her life?

4. How do the decisions and actions of characters reveal their personalities?

5. How do decisions, actions, and consequences vary depending on the different perspectives of the people involved?

Social Justice

1. What is social justice?

2. To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals?

3. What is oppression and what are the root causes?

4. How are prejudice and bias created? How do we overcome them?

5. What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice?

6. How can literature serve as a vehicle for social change?

7. When should an individual take a stand against what he/she believes to be an injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?

8. What are the factors that create an imbalance of power within a culture?

9. What does power have to do with fairness and justice?

10. When is it necessary to question the status quo? Who decides?

11. What are the benefits and consequences of questioning / challenging social order?

12. How do stereotypes influence how we look at and understand the world?

13. What does it mean to be invisible? (context: minorities)

14. In what ways can a minority keep their issues on the larger culture's "radar screen?"

15. What creates prejudice, and what can an individual overcome it?

16. What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice, and how does an individual's response to them reveal his/her true character?

17. What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?

18. What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and how does an individual's response to it reveal his/her morals, ethics, and values?

Culture: Values, Beliefs & Rituals

1. How do individuals develop values and beliefs?

2. What factors shape our values and beliefs?

3. How do values and beliefs change over time?

4. How does family play a role in shaping our values and beliefs?

5. Why do we need beliefs and values?

6. What happens when belief systems of societies and individuals come into conflict?

7. When should an individual take a stand in opposition to an individual or larger group?

8. When is it appropriate to challenge the beliefs or values of society?

9. To what extent do belief systems shape and/or reflect culture and society?

10. How are belief systems represented and reproduced through history, literature, art, and music?

11. How do beliefs, ethics, or values influence different people's behavior?

12. How do individuals reconcile competing belief systems within a given society (e.g., moral beliefs conflicting with legal codes)?

13. When a person's individual choices are in direct conflict with his/her society, what are the consequences?

14. What is morality and what are the factors that have an impact on the development of our morality?

15. What role or purpose does religion / spirituality serve in a culture?

16. What purpose or function do ethics / philosophy have in governing technological advances?

17. How do our values and beliefs shape who we are as individuals and influence our behavior?

Adversity, Conflict, and Change

1. How does conflict lead to change?

2. What problem-solving strategies can individuals use to manage conflict and change?

3. How does an individual's point of view affect the way they deal with conflict?

4. What personal qualities have helped you to deal with conflict and change?

5. How might if feel to live through a conflict that disrupts your way of life?

6. How does conflict influence an individual's decisions and actions?

7. How are people transformed through their relationships with others?

8. What is community and what are the individual's responsibility to the community as well as the community's responsibility to the individual?

Utopia and Dystopia

1. How would we define a utopian society?

2. How has the concept of utopia changed over time and/or across cultures or societies?

3. What are the ideals (e.g., freedom, responsibility, justice, community, etc.) that should be honored in a utopian society?

4. Why do people continue to pursue the concept of a utopian society?

5. How do competing notions of what a utopian society should look like lead to conflict?

6. What are the purposes and/or consequence of creating and/or maintaining a dystopian society?

7. What is the relationship between differences and utopia?

Chaos and Order

1. What is the importance of civilization and what factors support or destroy its fabric?

2. What are the positive and negative aspects of both chaos and order?

3. What are the responsibilities and consequences of this new world order described as "global"?

4. What role does chaos play in the creative process?

5. What are the politics and consequences of war, and how do these vary based on an individual or cultural perspective?

Constructing Identities

1. How do we form and shape our identities?

2. In a culture where we are bombarded with ideas and images of "what we should be,"

3. How does one form an identity that remains true and authentic for her/himself?

4. What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?

5. In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?

Creation

1. What is creativity and what is its importance for the individual / the culture?

2. What is art and its function in our lives?

3. What are the limits, if any, of freedom of speech?

Freedom and Responsibility

1. What is freedom?

2. What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?

3. What are the essential liberties?

4. What is the relationship between privacy, freedom, and security?

5. When does government have the right to restrict the freedoms of people?

6. When is the restriction of freedom a good thing?

Good and Evil in the World

1. Is humankind inherently good or evil?

2. Have the forces of good and evil changed over time and if so, how?

3. How do different cultures shape the definitions of good and evil?

Heroes and "She-roes"

1. Do the attributes of a hero remain the same over time?

2. When does a positive personality trait become a tragic flaw?

3. What is the role of a hero or "she-roe" (coined by Maya Angelou) in a culture?

4. How do various cultures reward / recognize their heroes and "she-roes"?

5. Why is it important for people and cultures to construct narratives about their experience?

6. What is the relevance of studying multicultural texts?

7. How does the media shape our view of the world and ourselves?

8. In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?

The Human Condition / Spirit

1. In the face of adversity, what causes some individuals to prevail while others fail?

2. What is the meaning of life, and does that shape our beliefs regarding death?

Illusion vs. Reality

1. What is reality and how is it constructed?

2. What tools can the individual use to judge the difference, or draw a line between, illusion and reality?

Language & Literature

1. How is our understanding of culture and society constructed through and by language?

2. How can language be powerful?

3. How can you use language to empower yourself?

4. How is language used to manipulate us?

5. In what ways are language and power inseparable?

6. What is the relationship between thinking and language? How close or far are they apart?

7. How does language influence the way we think, act, and perceive the world?

8. How do authors use the resources of language to impact an audience?

9. How is literature like life?

10. What is literature supposed to do?

11. What influences a writer to create?

12. What is the purpose and function of art in our culture?

13. How does literature reveal the values of a given culture or time period?

14. How does the study of fiction and nonfiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality?

15. In what ways are all narratives influenced by bias and perspective?

16. Where does the meaning of a text reside? Within the text, within the reader, or in the transaction that occurs between them?

17. What can a reader know about an author's intentions based only on a reading of the text?

18. What are enduring questions and conflicts that writers (and their cultures) grappled with hundreds of years ago and are still relevant today?

19. How do we gauge the optimism or pessimism of a particular time period or particular group of writers?

20. Why are there universal themes in literature-that is, themes that are of interest or concern to all cultures and societies?

21. What are the characteristics or elements that cause a piece of literature to endure?

22. What distinguishes a good read from great literature?

23. Who decides the criteria for judging whether or not a book is any good?

24. What is the purpose of: science fiction? satire? historical novels, etc.?

Love & Sacrifice

1. If any, what are the boundaries of love and sacrifice, and where does one draw the line between them?

2. What are the factors that move individuals / communities / nations to great sacrifice and what are the consequences?

Nature in the Balance

1. What are the responsibilities of the individual / society / superpowers in regard to the health of the environment? (local, regional, national or international context can be used)

2. What are the consequences of being unconcerned with nature's balance/harmony?

Our View of the World and Ourselves

1. How do we know what we know?

2. What is changeable within ourselves?

3. How does what we know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?

4. How do our personal experiences shape our view of others?

5. What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?

6. What does it mean to "grow up"?

7. Where do our definitions of good and evil come from?

8. What is the relevance of studying multicultural texts?

9. How does the media shape our view of the world and ourselves?

10. In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?

11. What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?

Past, Present, and Future

1. Why do we bother to study/examine the past, present or future?

2. What are the recurrent motifs of history and in what ways have they changed or remained the same?

The Pursuit of Happiness

1. What is happiness, and what is the degree of importance in one's life?

2. To what extent does a culture / society / subculture shape an individual's understanding or concept of happiness?

Relationships and Community

1. What are the elements that build a strong friendship?

2. How do friendships change over time?

3. What impact does family have during different stages of our lives?

4. What can we learn from different generations?

5. How is conflict an inevitable part of relationships?

6. How do you know if a relationship is healthy or hurtful?

7. What personal qualities help or hinder the formation of relationships?

8. How are people transformed through their relationships with others?

9. What is community and what are the individual's responsibilities to the community as well as the community's responsibilities to the individual?

Shades of Truth

1. Who defines "truth"?

2. How does perspective shape or alter truth?

Sources
My brain; Grant's authenticeducaiton.org; L. Beltchenko 2007-2008 and the Greece Central School District, New York; Many, Many Examples Of Essential Questions

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Many, Many Examples Of Essential Questions

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by Terry Heick Essential questions are, ask Grant Wiggins defines, 'essential' in the sense of signaling genuine, important and necessarily-ongoing inquiries." These are grapple-worthy, substantive questions that not only require wrestling with, but are worth wrestling with-that could lead students to some critical insight in a 40/40/40-rule sense of the term.

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Editor's note: This is an updated version of our original article on essential questions examples featuring new links to useful EQ tools and more.
So many essential questions examples, so little time. Grant Wiggins once said, "The big-idea questions signal that education is not just about learning the answer, but about learning how to learn. Both he and his colleague Jay McTighe did so much to bring an awareness of how to create meaningful essential questions in education. They knew, as we do now, that the questions we ask our students matter.

In our Essential Questions Guide, we define an essential question as one that leads us to explore the problem and choose from plans and strategies to generate an applicable solution. It's much more than that, though. A good essential question:

inspires a quest for knowledge and discovery

encourages and develops critical thinking processes

leads students to engineer real-world solutions for real-world problems

is all about possibilities

100+ Essential Questions Examples

What we have below is a list of over 100 essential questions examples that we've created and collected over time. They are the kinds of questions which can drive us, haunt us, and move us to search for answers.

All the essential questions are broken down into different categories. So off you go! Explore, ponder, and never stop asking questions.

Social Studies

1. How can one individual's experience reflect the struggles of an entire nation?

2. How does our understanding about the culture of a people help us communicate with them most effectively?

3. How do we overcome prejudice and social bias?

4. Why do we study and examine our past, present, and future?

5. How do you define the term "perfection" in contrast to how it is portrayed in our pop culture media?

6. In a culture full of ideas and images of what we should be, how do we form an identity that remains true and authentic for the individual?

7. Why do we sometimes oppress each other when we gain power?

8. Is there a price to obtaining freedom from oppression? If so, what is it?

9. How do we determine the ideals that should be honoured in a model society and explain why they are the most important?

10. How can we help people struggling in underpriveledged regions of the world lead better lives?

11. How does conflict lead to change across varying levels of society?

12. What are the benefits and consequences of questioning/challenging authority?

13. How does the study of history help us realize that ideas and actions of individuals and groups have consequences and shape events?

14. How can we be sure of what really happened in our past?

English Language Arts

1. What strategies can you use to make writing come alive for a reader?

2. What are the reasons that cultures and individuals create narratives of their experiences?

3. What makes a story effective for its purpose?

4. What moves us to communicate through digital and non-digital media?

5. What makes writing worth reading, and why should we do it?

6. How does what you read influence how you should read it?

7. How does an author create meaning in a text, and what makes that meaning valid?

8. What ways can we express ourselves when we don't know another's language?

9. How can we use story writing and storytelling to help solve everyday problems?

10. How can we use knowledge of the structure of language to write more persuasively?

11. How can you make a convincing case about a problem that inspires people to take action?

12. What are some strategies for building effective oral communication skills?

The Arts

1. How does a song, piece of art, or a dance communicate with us?

2. What is "art" and why do individual cultures place so much value on its continuing evolution?

3. What inner and outer factors influence how we express ourselves artistically?

4. What kinds of responsibilities does an artist have to an audience or a consumer?

5. Do audiences and consumers have any responsibility towards artists? If so, what are they?

6. What are the fundamental differences between a "thoughtful" and a "thoughtless" critique?

7. What do we mean when we refer to music as the universal language?

8. How can we use the arts to inspire positive action?

9. What would the world be like if we weren't able to artistically express ourselves?

10. What can the art forms of other cultures teach us about ourselves and about life?

Mathematics

1. What ways do we use math in everyday life?

2. How can I best represent a pattern using mathematical principles?

3. How could we use mathematics to create a better world?

4. How do pictures, graphs, tables, and data "paint a thousand words?"

5. What ways can mathematical problems conceal as much as they reveal?

6. How do we identify patterns and use them to predict what will happen next?

7. How can we compare the sizes of objects when we can't place them next to each other?

8. When and how has mathematics played pivotal roles throughout our world's history?

9. How do I determine the best strategy to use for tackling a specific mathematical problem?

10. When solving multi-step problems using charts, tables, and graphs, how can you tell if the information you provide is sufficient?

Science

1. What tools can an individual use to judge the difference between illusion and reality?

2. How do we determine what is truly "real" and what is not?

3. How can we predict what life will be like 30 years from now?

4. When can we be sure that estimation is more appropriate than finding an exact answer?

5. How can I represent a large object accurately on paper or in a small model?

6. How can I make larger representations of small objects?

7. When and how do scientific theories change?

8. How can we be sure that the universe beyond our world is truly "infinite"?

9. How do we make predictions for the future and ensure that they have validity?

10. How do we create, test, and validate a scientific model?

11. Why is it important that we recognize universal patterns existing within our world?

Ethics and Morality

1. What is morality and what are the factors that have an impact on its development?

2. Why do we choose to use labels in society, and when can they be harmful?

3. What is the difference between truth and fact?

4. How is our perception of good and evil shaped by our films, books, and video games?

5. If you could choose one rule for the entire world to adhere to, what would it be and why?

6. Is civilization and order necessary to survival? Why or why not?

7. Why is having values and beliefs important and how can we form them independently?

8. Is humanity inherently "good" or inherently "evil?" Why do you feel this way?

9. How do different cultures shape our definitions of good and evil?

10. Why is it crucial to consider the effects of our words and actions on other people?

11. What are the attributes of heroism and how could they change?

Health and Wellness

1. What does it mean to be truly healthy?

2. Why is it necessary for long-term health and wellness to achieve balance in our lives, and how can we achieve it?

3. What would be the short- and long-term effects of all living humans striving to understand each other?

4. How do we define "happiness" for ourselves and how important it is in our lives?

5. Why (and how) does choosing activities we enjoy contribute to our whole-being health?

6. What causes some to thrive while others fail in the face of a challenge?

7. What personal qualities do you have that help you deal with conflict, challenge, and adversity?

8. In what ways does where you live influence how you live?

9. What is the difference between "surviving" and "living"?

10. How does what we eat impact our health in both the short and long term?

11. How does being healthy affect our relationships with others?

12. What is special about how you deal with personal conflicts and change, and how could this help someone else?

13. Why is it so important for us to ensure that our lives have "meaning"?

14. How can we support people who feel alone and are uncertain about themselves due to social and psychological factors?

The Global Community

1. What does the term "global community" mean to you and why is sustaining it important?

2. Are there universal characteristics of belief systems that are common across all cultures? What are they and how can they bring us together?

3. How could we ensure and sustain enough food, water, and clothing for every living person on Earth?

4. How has technology transformed how we see ourselves and others? Is this good or bad?

5. How can small actions eventually change the world?

6. What is your vision of a "perfect society" and how would you describe it?

7. How do we decide if the world as it is today is better or worse than it was in the past?

8. How does what we know about the world affect how we view ourselves?

9. Why does it often seem to take a global disaster or crisis to inspire us to help each other?

10. What personal contributions and changes can we make to help reduce the effects of global warming?

11. How can we ensure our world is preserved for future generations?

Personal Development/Responsibility

1. If you were to leave behind your own legacy for future generations, what would it would be and why?

2. How can we ensure that conflicts lead to constructive change and a positive outcome for everyone involved?

3. What qualities and characteristics make a person "mature" and "responsible"?

4. Why is it important to be grateful?

5. What role(s) do I play in defining my own future?

6. How do we form and shape a personal identity for ourselves?

7. How do our relationships with others change us?

8. How is useful failure beneficial to our personal development?

9. What is the difference between management and leadership, and which is more important?

10. In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?

11. What are the elements of true friendship and how might these change or grow over time?

Additional Reading

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A List of Over 100 Awesome Essential Questions Examples by Subject

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Editor's note: This is an updated version of our original article on essential questions examples featuring new links to useful EQ tools and more. So many essential questions examples, so little time. Grant Wiggins once said, "The big-idea questions signal that education is not just about learning the answer, but about learning how to learn.

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Respondo

Summary:

Respondo is a platform for creating prompts for students; it aims to help teachers come up with creative literature response questions.

Ideas for Use:

Even simply manipulating this resource inspired so many options for projects my students could do. As I changed the verbs, literary elements, and projects, new ideas came rushing into my head. Furthermore, I could show students this resource and help them create discussion questions or ideas for essay topics.

Artifact:

“Adapt one element of Finding Nouf’s setting. Analyze how this would affect Finding Nouf’s characters. Create a skit or a skit.”

“Substitute The Kite Runner’s conflict for Romeo and Juliet’s conflict. Show how this would affect Romeo and Juliet’s tone. Create a poem or a poster (and I would add or a news report).”

Google Earth

Summary:

Google Earth is an interactive map that allows for exploration of the world, all from your computer screen.

Ideas for Use:

Let’s imagine the class was reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. I looked at South Sudan on Google Earth. Students can enable the pictures feature in their settings and see images of the landscape. I journeyed to the border with Kenya that is discussed in the book. Making the image 3D allows us to see how massive the river is that the characters had to cross.

Additionally, the “I’m feeling lucky” option brought me to a random location, the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. This feature could be effective in choosing settings for stories, an area to research for a project, or in learning about to create more global students.

Another idea is to have students look up their hometowns and see what it looks like through this platform. They can examine images, if there are any (perhaps we could even submit pictures to Google Earth!). Then, students can reflect on how someone looking through this may perceive their hometown.

Artifact:
see images below

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“I (teacher models and demonstrates), We (whole class, engagement), You (exit slip, practice)”

“You, yal, we”

Think aloud: take the top of your head off, model, reveal thinking

Show before you go: output at end of class

Talk about TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More)

Instructional tasks in class

Managerial tasks are to be done before class

Many options for grouping

Clock partner

Mix and mingle

Group of the day

Name tents

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http://iphonefaketext.com/

“Create and share lifelike iPhone text conversations with most advance online fake text composer.”

Video Tutorial

Track conversations between characters in a reading, have students design simple definition conversations, bring old literature to modern-day

https://quickshout.blogspot.com/2018/02/using-fake-text-messages-to-create.html

Conversation starters

Gapped conversations

Find common grammar errors

Discussion about cyber-bullying

Writing prompt

Vocab usage

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http://www.transl8it.com/

Translate normal text into an extreme text conversation or vice versa.

Slide tutorial and commercial to show class

https://community.eflclassroom.com/forum2/topics/transl8itcom-games-the?commentId=826870%3AComment%3A124753

This would be especially helpful for comprehending Shakespeare, or in general, making old English more understandable and relevant. It could be funny to have a side by side letter that you send home, with texting lingo for students and normal for parents

https://teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9455

Impress your students by introducing yourself with “their” lingo

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https://www.classtools.net/FB/home-page

A platform to create profiles that are not real. It is for educational purposes, such as making a fictional or historical character profile.

90 second tutorial on the site

Could use this to track character relationships or plot of a book, one teachers used it to look at Greek Mythology, could make a historical character, could do author profiles, perhaps

https://ladiazbooksandbeyond.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/fakebook-ideas-and-how-to-use-this-technology-to-engage-students/

Rubric for grading it as final project

ARTIFACT https://www.classtools.net/FB/1339-vA5rBH

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https://mergevr.com/edu-resources

“MERGE enables active learning by enabling students to learn and create in entirely new ways while giving teachers simple AR/VR tools that increase student engagement, intellectual curiosity and classroom achievement. At the core is the MERGE Cube - a digital school supply that extends learning beyond the limitations of device screens by giving students the ability to interact with virtual objects.”

Tutorial form their website, https://mergevr.com/cube

This may work to have something engaging to do for students who are advanced and finish things quickly, and it could be used as a break for students who need a break. Additionally, you can take tours of places through the MERGE cube, which may be interesting if literature is set somewhere else in the world.

http://www.janusgroup.us/2018/02/an-educators-guide-to-augment-learning-with-merge-cube/

Have students take a break and play a journey/quest (57 degrees North app) on the MERGE cube, then have them write a story about that

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https://flipgrid.com/

A platform that allows your to get videos from your students, with opportunities to post emojis on the video. You, and other students, can comment as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aZ523-HHBg

Because you can comment on each video, you can provide positive feedback. It is personal, and less intimidating than talking on class. Parents could get involved by having a parent video interview or opportunity to watch videos.

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2017/06/02/catch-the-flipgrid-fever-15-ways-to-use-flipgrid-in-your-class/

Reading responses

Advice to the next class

Healthy debate about a topic

Biography report

Student of the week

Book talks

Exit slips

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https://app.peardeck.com/home/

This resource seems awesome! It’s basically presenting an interactive slideshow, and there are so many ways to check for understanding on it!

There are multiple great videos on the site.

This would be easily used in class, perhaps in a pop quiz fashion or to ask questions about the reading and assess. It also is great for checking if students are getting things, or revealing to them what the rest of class is thinking anonymously.

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2018/03/07/20-ways-to-use-pear-deck-to-engage-students/

You can insert questions on the fly.

It is great for doing vocab exercises.

Artifact:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1M4jz8uzpLfPCiFrTXWLSnqRBXN15eENtRzkxFhtp66s/edit#slide=id.g503ff5b707_0_25

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https://padlet.com/dashboard

Padlet is a digital canvas to create beautiful projects that are easy to share and collaborate on. It works like a piece of paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkBnwPqaIjA

Students could take notes on this platform, as it is more engaging than “normal” note taking. Students can collaborate easily with Padlet. Parents can follow learning easily.

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2017/08/30-creative-ways-to-use-padlet-for-teachers-and-students

Exit ticket

Gather student information

Thinking maps

Creating positive class climate

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https://www.techsmith.com/download-jing-mac-thankyou.html

This platform allows educators to capture screenshots, whether that be images or videos. It allows you to add text, arrows, and voice to the captures.

https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-jing-capture-an-image.html

If I were to do a flipped classroom, this resource would come in handy. Smaller uses could be for explaining assignments in a novel way. Students could use to create short presentations, watch one another’s and comment on them. As far as parents are concerned, I could give class updates through five minute Jing videos perhaps.

https://www.uwlax.edu/catl/instructionaldesign/Jing_Handout.pdf

Could create a Jing video on how to properly cite or do database research- that way students can consult during projects

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https://www.powtoon.com/my-powtoons/#/

“Make videos in minutes with Powtoon. Use our library of styles, characters, backgrounds and video, or upload your own!”

https://www.powtoon.com/tutorials/

This is another avenue to make presentations more engaging. Students could also use this resource to complete an assignment.

https://www.powtoon.com/blog/11-ways-to-use-powtoon-in-your-classroom/

Class expectations

Book reports

Many grand ideas

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https://doodle.com/

A scheduling service that has lots of routes.

https://help.doodle.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012150413

This could be used for planning one-on-one paper planning sessions, group meeting times, or even teacher scheduling.

https://en.blog.doodle.com/2018/01/31/doodle-for-teachers-and-students/

Class voting

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Netiquitte infographic

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Common Sense Media

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shorten's URLs to be much easier to find

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can be ISTE certified... how to participate on the interweb

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4 Cs

Communication

Google Site: class webpage, store documents, easy editing, changes pop up

immeadiately

Blogs: embedded in site, docs on page

Blogger: tracks traffic

Screencasting: Screencast-O-Matic, Screener, flipped classrooms, publish to many different avenues (private or public)

Social media: pictures of students and captions so parents can follow along, most people will already know sort of how to do it, you as an educator can follow many other educators, tags, notifications, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

Backchannel: Today’s Meet, goes for one hour, can get a transcript of the discussion, students can sign up so that they cannot be comeplety anonymus, lay ground rules for students

Voxer: like a walkie talkie, professional development,

Critical Thinking

Project-based learning: make an account, real-life based, BIE.org, resources,

interact, project

***Google Earth: Sahara Desert, photos- compare and contrast photos; layers, turn

on earthquakes and volcanoes, helps put ideas into reality; gallery, inside the

earth gallery; global awareness, water aid… can click on things and be lead to websites of organizations

search, common core ELA, grade, topic, go, fabulous learning opportunity

Bloomin apps: applications that help students get into critical thinking

(www.schrockguide.net/bloomin/apps/html)

***Respondo: creates prompts- helps inspire projects

Differentiator: creates prompts- helps inspire projects

***Clearly: google chrome web extension - evernote Clearly free add, clears the

ads and articles on the side of a reading

Collaboration

Google docs: basic, what I know

Google hangouts: 20 people at a time, toolbox (can put your name under), chat

while talking, share screen, worldwide opportunities

Cacoo: flow charts, pre-made and can edit, can share and both edit, have to pay

Kaizena: leave voice comments on google docs (Add on, get add on, Kaizena, free,

add)

Real-time board: upload files, webpages, infographics, etc…, can pair up with

people from across the world

Creativity

***Animoto: free for educators, make an account, “are you a teacher? Learn

more”, fill out application, make videos for students, they can make as well-  have

to be succint because 26 characters, preview video, produce or continue editing

GarageBand: record audio, could use for plays, look at more tutorials… can be tricky, to save and share you have to export as MP3

PowToon: kinda like PowerPoint but more vavoom, could have students make projects with plots!

***Make Beliefs Comixs: make cartoon strips with text and characters

Pixlr: kinda like photoshop, photo editing

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Breakdowns of standards. Lesson ideas, too.

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A back channel for students to comment anonamously

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My semester notes from the course.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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ESL Teaching groups
Ask questions, people will chat with you

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Grand, grand ideas for having engaging & novel class discussions

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase "We will discuss."
We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results.
Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: "What format will you use? What questions will you ask? How will you ensure that all students participate?" I was pretty sure that We will discuss actually meant the teacher would do most of the talking; He would throw out a couple of questions like "So what did you think about the video?" or "What was the theme of the story?" and a few students would respond, resulting in something that looked like a discussion, but was ultimately just a conversation between the teacher and a handful of extroverted students; a classic case of Fisheye Teaching.

The problem wasn't them; in most of the classrooms where they'd sat as students, that's exactly what a class discussion looked like. They didn't know any other "formats." I have only ever been familiar with a few myself. But when teachers began contacting me recently asking for a more comprehensive list, I knew it was time to do some serious research.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

I've separated the strategies into three groups. The first batch contains the higher-prep strategies, formats that require teachers to do some planning or gathering of materials ahead of time. Next come the low-prep strategies, which can be used on the fly when you have a few extra minutes or just want your students to get more active. Note that these are not strict categories; it's certainly possible to simplify or add more meat to any of these structures and still make them work. The last group is the ongoing strategies. These are smaller techniques that can be integrated with other instructional strategies and don't really stand alone. For each strategy, you'll find a list of other names it sometimes goes by, a description of its basic structure, and an explanation of variations that exist, if any. To watch each strategy in action, click on its name and a new window will open with a video that demonstrates it.

Enjoy!
a.k.a. Chat Stations
Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Small groups of students travel from station to station together, performing some kind of task or responding to a prompt, either of which will result in a conversation.

Variations: Some Gallery Walks stay true to the term gallery, where groups of students create informative posters, then act as tour guides or docents, giving other students a short presentation about their poster and conducting a Q&A about it. In Starr Sackstein's high school classroom, her stations consisted of video tutorials created by the students themselves. Before I knew the term Gallery Walk, I shared a strategy similar to it called Chat Stations, where the teacher prepares discussion prompts or content-related tasks and sets them up around the room for students to visit in small groups.
a.k.a. Values Continuum, Forced Debate, Physical Barometer, This or That
Basic Structure: A statement that has two possible responses-agree or disagree-is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. From that spot, students take turns defending their positions.

Variations: Often a Philosophical Chairs debate will be based around a text or group of texts students have read ahead of time; students are required to cite textual evidence to support their claims and usually hold the texts in their hands during the discussion. Some teachers set up one hot seat to represent each side, and students must take turns in the seat. In less formal variations (which require less prep), a teacher may simply read provocative statements students are likely to disagree on, and a debate can occur spontaneously without a text to refer to (I call this variation This or That in my classroom icebreakers post). Teachers may also opt to offer a continuum of choices, ranging from "Strongly Agree" on one side of the room, all the way to "Strongly Disagree" on the other, and have students place themselves along that continuum based on the strength of their convictions.

Basic Structure: Students are divided into 4 groups. Three of these groups are assigned to represent specific points of view. Members of the fourth group are designated as "provocateurs," tasked with making sure the discussion keeps going and stays challenging. One person from each group (the "speaker") sits in a desk facing speakers from the other groups, so they form a square in the center of the room. Behind each speaker, the remaining group members are seated: two right behind the speaker, then three behind them, and so on, forming a kind of triangle. From above, this would look like a pinwheel. The four speakers introduce and discuss questions they prepared ahead of time (this preparation is done with their groups). After some time passes, new students rotate from the seats behind the speaker into the center seats and continue the conversation.

Variations: When high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling introduced this strategy in the featured video (click Pinwheel Discussion above), she used it as a device for talking about literature, where each group represented a different author, plus one provocateur group. But in the comments that follow the video, Wessling adds that she also uses the strategy with non-fiction, where students represent authors of different non-fiction texts or are assigned to take on different perspectives about an issue.
a.k.a. Socratic Circles
Basic Structure: Students prepare by reading a text or group of texts and writing some higher-order discussion questions about the text. On seminar day, students sit in a circle and an introductory, open-ended question is posed by the teacher or student discussion leader. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with textual evidence. There is no particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with others. Discussion is meant to happen naturally and students do not need to raise their hands to speak. This overview of Socratic Seminar from the website Facing History and Ourselves provides a list of appropriate questions, plus more information about how to prepare for a seminar.

Variations: If students are beginners, the teacher may write the discussion questions, or the question creation can be a joint effort. For larger classes, teachers may need to set up seminars in more of a fishbowl-like arrangement, dividing students into one inner circle that will participate in the discussion, and one outer circle that silently observes, takes notes, and may eventually trade places with those in the inner circle, sometimes all at once, and sometimes by "tapping in" as the urge strikes them.
a.k.a. Affinity Diagramming
Basic Structure: Give students a broad question or problem that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as "What were the impacts of the Great Depression?" or "What literary works should every person read?" Have students generate responses by writing ideas on post-it notes (one idea per note) and placing them in no particular arrangement on a wall, whiteboard, or chart paper. Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping them into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another, and so on.

Variations: Some teachers have students do much of this exercise-recording their ideas and arranging them into categories- without talking at first. In other variations, participants are asked to re-combine the ideas into new, different categories after the first round of organization occurs. Often, this activity serves as a good pre-writing exercise, after which students will write some kind of analysis or position paper.
a.k.a. Speed Dating
Basic Structure: Students form two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one another. Instead of "rotating" to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols could be used for peer teaching as well.

Basic Structure: Another great idea from Sarah Brown Wessling, this is a small-group discussion strategy that gives students exposure to more of their peers' ideas and prevents the stagnation that can happen when a group doesn't happen to have the right chemistry. Students are placed into a few groups of 4-6 students each and are given a discussion question to talk about. After sufficient time has passed for the discussion to develop, one or two students from each group rotate to a different group, while the other group members remain where they are. Once in their new group, they will discuss a different, but related question, and they may also share some of the key points from their last group's conversation. For the next rotation, students who have not rotated before may be chosen to move, resulting in groups that are continually evolving.

Basic Structure: Two students sit facing each other in the center of the room; the remaining students sit in a circle around them. The two central students have a conversation based on a pre-determined topic and often using specific skills the class is practicing (such as asking follow-up questions, paraphrasing, or elaborating on another person's point). Students on the outside observe, take notes, or perform some other discussion-related task assigned by the teacher.

Variations: One variation of this strategy allows students in the outer circle to trade places with those in the fishbowl, doing kind of a relay-style discussion, or they may periodically "coach" the fishbowl talkers from the sidelines. Teachers may also opt to have students in the outside circle grade the participants' conversation with a rubric, then give feedback on what they saw in a debriefing afterward, as mentioned in the featured video.

Basic Structure: One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept (such as a tornado, an animal, or the Titanic). Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates' questions while staying in character in that role.

Variations: Give more students the opportunity to be in the hot seat while increasing everyone's participation by having students do hot seat discussions in small groups, where one person per group acts as the "character" and three or four others ask them questions. In another variation, several students could form a panel of different characters, taking questions from the class all together and interacting with one another like guests on a TV talk show.
a.k.a. Pyramid Discussion
Basic Structure: Students begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner. After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four. Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion.

Variations: This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.

Whereas the other formats in this list have a distinct shape-specific activities you do with students-the strategies in this section are more like plug-ins, working discussion into other instructional activities and improving the quality and reach of existing conversations.

One of the limitations of discussion is that rich, face-to-face conversations can only happen when all parties are available, so we're limited to the time we have in class. With a tool like Voxer, those limitations disappear. Like a private voice mailbox that you set up with just one person or a group (but SOOOO much easier), Voxer allows users to have conversations at whatever time is most convenient for each participant. So a group of four students can "discuss" a topic from 3pm until bedtime-asynchronously-each member contributing whenever they have a moment, and if the teacher makes herself part of the group, she can listen in, offer feedback, or contribute her own discussion points. Voxer is also invaluable for collaborating on projects and for having one-on-one discussions with students, parents, and your own colleagues. Like many other educators, Peter DeWitt took a while to really understand the potential of Voxer, but in this EdWeek piece, he explains what turned him around.

A backchannel is a conversation that happens right alongside another activity. The first time I saw a backchannel in action was at my first unconference: While those of us in the audience listened to presenters and watched a few short video clips, a separate screen was up beside the main screen, projecting something called TodaysMeet (update: TodaysMeet has shut down. Use YoTeach! instead.) It looked a lot like those chat rooms from back in the day, basically a blank screen where people would contribute a few lines of text, the lines stacking up one after the other, no other bells or whistles. Anyone in the room could participate in this conversation on their phone, laptop, or tablet, asking questions, offering commentary, and sharing links to related resources without ever interrupting the flow of the presentations. This kind of tool allows for a completely silent discussion, one that doesn't have to move at a super-fast pace, and it gives students who may be reluctant to speak up or who process their thoughts more slowly a chance to fully contribute. For a deeper discussion of how this kind of tool can be used, read this thoughtful overview of using backchannel discussions in the classroom by Edutopia's Beth Holland.
a.k.a. Accountable Talk
Talk moves are sentence frames we supply to our students that help them express ideas and interact with one another in respectful, academically appropriate ways. From kindergarten all the way through college, students can benefit from explicit instruction in the skills of summarizing another person's argument before presenting an alternate view, asking clarifying questions, and expressing agreement or partial agreement with the stance of another participant. Talk moves can be incorporated into any of the other discussion formats listed here.

Whole Brain Teaching is a set of teaching and classroom management methods that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. One of WBT's foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. Next, the teacher says Teach!, the class responds with Okay!, and pairs of students take turns re-teaching the concept to each other. It's a bit like think-pair-share, but it's faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.

An oldie but a goodie, think-pair-share can be used any time you want to plug interactivity into a lesson: Simply have students think about their response to a question, form a pair with another person, discuss their response, then share it with the larger group. Because I feel this strategy has so many uses and can be way more powerful than we give it credit for, I devoted a whole post to think-pair-share; everything you need to know about it is right there.

TWO MORE YOU'LL LOVE

Since writing this post, I have learned about two more discussion strategies that teachers are finding to be incredibly effective and powerful for getting students to talk, especially about books and other texts:

This protocol has students come up with their own Thoughts, lingering Questions, and Epiphanies from an assigned reading. Teachers who have used this method say it has generated some of the richest conversations they have ever heard from students!

This strategy places students into one-on-one conversations, getting them to learn each others' names better and create a track record of what they talked about. Excellent for classes where you want to assess for discussion and help students get more comfortable with each other.

So what else do you have? I would like to think this is a pretty complete list, but I'm sure more strategies are out there. If you use a discussion strategy that's not mentioned here, please share it below.

Come back for more.
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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.

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pear hehe

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R: Role

A: Audience

F: Format

T: Topic

* Have characters is a reading write to each other
* Formats: children's books, eulogies, play script, texting conversation, board game instructions

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Donors choose

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So many options for incorporation in teaching!

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"Why Students Don't like School"
* children are more alike than different when it comes to learning
* use student's strengths to help remedy their weaknesses
* ability vs style (think football)
* we shouldn't put so much weight on types of learners
* we are testing meaning, not visual auditory cognitive or anything
* bubbe psychology- what your grandmother could have told you
* crafted knowledge trumps science when it comes to your kiddos
*CLASROOM IMPLICATIONS
- think content, not students
- change holds attention
- all are smart in some way

Listening Isn't Cheating
*"Comparing audio books to cheating is like meeting a friend at Disneyland and saying “you took a bus here? I drove myself, you big cheater.” The point is getting to and enjoying the destination. The point is not how you traveled."

ELA Specific
GOOD IDEAS
https://classroom.google.com/u/0/w/MjcwNzc1MDIwMzZa/t/all
* can make alterations to content, process, and the product
* writing guiding questions tips
* questions your principal can ask
* example activities & questions

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Learning Disability Exercises (intellectual & Developmental Disabilities) 

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Learning Disability Exercises (intellectual & Developmental Disabilities) 

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Simulate how students feel.
ASD: people tapping, touching, and talking around you
ADHD: throwing balls at person with information on them to tell class at end
Specific Learning Disabilities: words that are colors in the different colors, sentence where every word in it is backwards
Auditory Processing Disorder: telephone, abstract shape drawing activity

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504 plan: broad
Individualized Education Plan: specific resources for teachers

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Have the end in mind. Essential questions, literature, and unit plans all are evaluated with the end goal in mind.

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Use these for lesson planning
- Cognitive
- Physical
- Affective

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I have so mush to learn.
I have tools to teach.
I need to learn how to use them.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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1. Learn about your students
2. Interview students
3. Use learning stations
4. Gamify lessons
5. Encourage students to propose ideas for projects
6. Run problem-based learning scerarios
7. Involve parents with take-home letters

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How to make any less more culturally sustaining

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How to make any less more culturally sustaining

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1. Gamify it!
2. Make it social
3. Use stories

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Last month, I reviewed Zaretta Hammond's fantastic book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Now I'm proud to have Zaretta here as a guest writer to share some specific strategies with us.

Culturally responsive teaching. Everybody is talking about it. The big question is: How do you actually make lessons culturally responsive? That comes up regularly when I am working with groups of teachers to improve outcomes for diverse students who are struggling. I remember working with a group of sixth grade teachers on improving learning for their at-risk students. These teachers were frustrated that their students, 95 percent of them students of color and English language learners, were not applying themselves to learning.

I suggested that we explore making lessons more culturally relevant in order to accelerate student learning. I remember the reaction of Janice, the science teacher. "I am not going to be rappin' about the periodic table," she said defiantly as she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.

I couldn't blame her. Google "culturally responsive teaching" and you can find a dozen videos of well-meaning teachers leading some call-and-response chant about exponents or rapping about the Boston Tea Party while students sit back and giggle. That's because we usually talk about culturally responsive teaching only as an engagement strategy designed to motivate at-risk students to take learning seriously. Or we try to find a race-based connection to the content to make it "relevant" to minority students.

One of the biggest misconceptions about culturally responsive teaching is thinking you have to tie the lesson's content to African American or Latino students' racial background. The common belief is if you mention Africa, Mexico, or famous black and brown high achievers, it will spark students' attention. Then they will be motivated to participate.

In reality, culturally responsive teaching is less about using racial pride as a motivator and more about mimicking students' cultural learning styles and tools. These are the strategies their moms, dads, grandmas, and other community folks use to teach them life skills and basic concepts long before they come to school and during out-of-school time.

Culturally responsive teaching leverages the brain's memory systems and information processing structures. Why? Many diverse students come from oral cultural traditions. This means their primary ways of knowledge transfer and meaning-making are oral and active. It's a common cultural tradition that cuts across racial groups: African American, Latino, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities all have strong oral cultures. Each of these cultural groups uses the brain's memory systems for turning inert information into useable knowledge. They use memory strategies to make learning sticky, like connecting what needs to be remembered to a rhythm or music (that's why we still know the ABC song) or by reciting it in fun ways like a poem, riddle, or limerick.

I asked Janice what area of learning she wanted to help her kids improve. She said science vocabulary; they weren't learning the weekly words and it was getting in the way of their understanding of key concepts. She was frustrated and at the end of her rope. I asked how she was teaching it. She used the typical approach: On Monday, she listed the words on the board. Students copied them down and were required to look each word up and use it in a sentence. On Wednesday, there was a vocabulary test.

I suggested that we design word study to be more culturally responsive by making it more like the students' own cultural learning process. She was open for trying something different.

I offered her these three tips for transforming any lesson into something that looked and felt more culturally responsive to diverse students, something that would allow them to engage more and process the content effectively.

Games are the power strategy for culturally-grounded learning because they get the brain's attention and require active processing. Attention is the first step in learning. We cannot learn, remember, or understand what we don't first pay attention to. Call and response is just a way to get the brain's attention. Most games employ a lot of the cultural tools you'd find in oral traditions - repetition, solving a puzzle, making connections between things that don't seem to be related (Ever play Taboo or Apples to Apples?).

Organizing learning so that students rely on each other will build on diverse students' communal orientation. This communal orientation can be summed up in the African proverb, "I am because we are." Even making learning slightly competitive in a good-natured way increases students' level of attention and engagement. It's why the T.V. show Survivor has been around for so many years; it's a social-based game.

The brain is wired to remember stories and to use the story structure to make sense of the world. That's why every culture has creation stories. In oral traditions, stories play a bigger role in teaching lessons about manners, morality, or simply what plants to eat or not eat in the wilderness because it's the way content is remembered. Diverse students (and all students, really) learn content more effectively if they can create a coherent narrative about the topic or process presented. That's the brain's way of weaving it all together. (Bonus: It also offers a great way to check for understanding and correct misconceptions.)

So Janice took her weekly list of science vocabulary and created a variety of sorting and matching games for students. She built a set of simple card games based on Go Fish or Old Maid. In addition she created some team games. Each week students had different active ways to learn the vocabulary. For 10-15 minutes a couple of times during the week, students got to play these learning games rather than look up words in a dictionary. She gave them instructions for making the games at home if they wanted to.

Instead of the traditional weekly vocab test, she asked them to "storify" their understanding of key concept words like metamorphosis, using vocabulary from past weeks.

When I checked in with the group a few weeks later, she was the first one to share. She said student engagement was like night and day. Now all students were participating. She said she knew they were learning the vocabulary at a deeper level because they were actually using the new science terms during discussions and in their writing with no prompting from her.

The big A-ha's for the group that day were that (1) Culturally responsive teaching doesn't have to be some performance the teacher does to entertain students and (2) It doesn't have to mention race or reference culture at all. Instead, what makes a practice culturally responsive is that it mimics students' own cultural learning tools. They all realized that these practices are helpful for all students, not targeted at minority students.

The real trick is to use these strategies regularly as part of your instructional routine rather than doing them randomly every now and then. Consistency is the key. ♦

Learn more about how to improve diverse students' information processing skills and actually grow their brains in Zaretta Hammond's book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students .

Stick around.
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3 Tips to Make Any Lesson More Culturally Responsive

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Google "culturally responsive teaching" and you can find a dozen videos of well-meaning teachers leading some call-and-response chant about exponents or rapping about the Boston Tea Party while students sit back and giggle.

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Lesson plans and ideas to create empathy

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Narrative 4 offers educators creative tools to teach compassion and develop strong student leaders in the classroom and community.

Through our Story Exchange, Artists Network, Learning Resources, and Civic Engagement projects, Narrative 4 is creating a global network of changemakers.
We're thrilled to share NBC's TODAY show segment on N4!

Adolescent loneliness has increased in 36 countries worldwide and doubled in English-speaking countries.1

Stories combat loneliness and motivate youth to make positive changes in their communities.

We create connections and combat isolation through the power of art, education, and action

What we do
Help students and teachers build authentic connections

Where we work
Classrooms, student clubs,
after-school programs, and more

How we help
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I helped launch Narrative 4 seven years ago in Chicago. It was hard to know where it would go, how fast it would grow, and how much it would be needed. But I believe then as I do now in the power of stories to shape and change the world.
Sting, N4 Music Chair

Narrative 4 is not here to change your mind. N4 tells us, 'You can hold on to the integrity of your beliefs and understand somebody else's at the same time.
Mary Slone, Educator, United States

There you are, laid bare, no mask, no finery,
just your story as simple or complicated as it may be.
What this Story Exchange taught me is that pain is universal, so is love.
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Narrative 4 on NBC's TODAY Show

We are thrilled to share TODAY's segment on N4! TODAY co-host, Craig Melvin, visited N4 during our November 2022 Field...

Article * Ethical ELA, Aug 15, 2021

Using Storytelling for Trauma-Informed Pedagogy During COVID and Beyond

Dr. Leslie Burns explores how narrative strategies support students' need for community and connection.

Video * YouTube, Sep 02, 2020

Synchronicity: A Celebration of Art, Empathy, and Action

Get to know Narrative 4 through the stories of our students, educators, and artists!

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Narrative 4 offers educators creative tools to teach compassion and develop strong student leaders in the classroom and community. Through our Story Exchange, Artists Network, Learning Resources, and Civic Engagement projects, Narrative 4 is creating a global network of changemakers. We're thrilled to share NBC's TODAY show segment on N4!

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Strive for this!

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Welcome to Inclusive Teaching at U-M

Start here if you are new to our site!

Activities and resource guides that promote anti-racist pedagogical practices.

Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in online courses.

Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in large courses.

Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in STEM courses.

Why Teach Inclusively?

Creating an inclusive classroom environment isn't just a nice idea-its effect on student engagement, learning, and achievement is supported by substantial academic research. There are a range of ways to define inclusive teaching, but some significant aspects of it include:

Purposeful design, teaching, and assessment that is engaging, meaningful, and accessible to all

Teaching that incorporates dynamic practices with an awareness of different learning styles

Using varied means of assessment to promote student academic success and well-being

Teaching that attends to students' different social identities and backgrounds

Design, teaching and assessment that deliberately cultivates an environment in which all students are treated fairly, have equal access to learning, feel welcome, valued, challenged, and supported in succeeding academically

CULTIVATE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

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Inclusive Teaching - The Basics to Advanced Practices

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Welcome to Inclusive Teaching at U-M Start here if you are new to our site! Activities and resource guides that promote anti-racist pedagogical practices. Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in online courses. Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in large courses. Activities and resource guides that promote inclusion in STEM courses.

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Use for a fun timer

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A Free online stopwatch, quick easy to use stopwatch! also an online countdown!

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FAIL = First Attempt at Learning