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Gold Rush Limerick

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Student Support Video: Direct Instruction Anticipatory Set Video 

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Student Support Video: Direct Instruction Anticipatory Set Video 

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The California Gold Rush cartoon 1849 (The Wild West)

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Poem By Walt Whitman
Generalization Anticipatory Set

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The famous poem set to music by Philip Glass ("Organic," 1982), and archive photographs of the American West during the period of westward expansion in the mid-to-late 19th century. Walt Whitman published "Pioneers! O Pioneers!" in 1865. Will Greer recorded this definitive spoken performance of it in 1957.

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Student Support Video: Inquiry Anticipatory Set Video

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Student Support Video: Inquiry Anticipatory Set Video

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California Gold Rush, History Videos for Kids, Claritas cycle 3 week 28

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Concept Attainment - Examples of a Gold Rush

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Concept Attainment - Examples of a Gold Rush

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Generalization - Travel and the Gold Rush Notes

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Generalization - Travel and the Gold Rush Notes

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Generalization - Travel and the Gold Rush Cluster

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Generalization - Travel and the Gold Rush Cluster

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Vocab,Handwriting, Grammar, Spelling - Story Outline

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Vocab,Handwriting, Grammar, Spelling - Story Outline

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Vocab, Handwriting, Grammar, Spelling - Short Story

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Vocab, Handwriting, Grammar, Spelling - Short Story

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Poem By Walt Whitman

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A poem on the California Gold Rush for kids.

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The California Gold Rush Poem | education

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Student Support Video: Academic Vocabulary, Grammar, Handwriting, Spelling Anticipatory Set Video

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Student Support Video: Academic Vocabulary, Grammar, Handwriting, Spelling Anticipatory Set Video

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Academic Vocabulary Support: Frayer Model How-to

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Academic Vocabulary Support: Frayer Model How-to

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Center Activity -- The Frayer Model Explained

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English Language Development Standards - Resources (CA Dept of Education)

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The English language development (ELD) standards, ELD video series, information, and resources to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) design, implement, and enhance integrated and designated ELD instruction for English learner students.

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Cal-Ed History - Social Science Framework

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Cal-Ed History - Social Science Framework

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the History-Social Science Framework on July 14, 2016. This is the final digital version of the Framework.

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History - Social Science Content Standards

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History - Social Science Content Standards

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Bloom’s Taxonomy: Structuring The Learning Journey

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Teacher Tools: Assessment Strategies Playlist

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Teacher Tools: Assessment Strategies Playlist

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How to use a Think Tac Toe Assessment - TeachLikeThis

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Teacher Tools: Instructional Strategies Playlist

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Teacher Tools: Instructional Strategies Playlist

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Full article: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

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Full article: https://www.edsisolutions.com/blog/how-webbs-depth-of-knowledge-took-our-training-to-the-next-level

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Full article: https://www.really-learn-english.com/language-register.html

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Listening and Speaking Lesson assignment. Gold Rush

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Photos by Scott Buschman

"How did Christianity help shape the foundation and development of the early United States?" asks David Fulton, a social studies teacher at Green Valley Middle School in Fairfield.

"Americans felt it was their God-given right to have independence," replies eighth-grader Parisa Samadi, citing a sentence in the Declaration of Independence that the "Creator" grants Americans inalienable rights.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association (F-SUTA) member is discussing the "Great Awakening," which was a series of emotional religious revivals across the American colonies in the late 1730s and 1740s. Religion has been a driving force throughout American history, says Fulton. He notes that women demanding equal rights have used the argument that all people are equal in God's eyes, and that religion continues to influence U.S. history.

"Religion has influenced how we behave and what we value, and I couldn't imagine teaching history without including it." - David Fulton, Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association

For many years his school always put up a Christmas tree, but several years ago staff decided not to, to honor the separation of church and state.

"I don't have any problem with that," says Fulton. "We have Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Jews, and I can see why the district doesn't want to appear to endorse one religion over the other."

His students may not have a Christmas party at school, but they enjoy learning about the major religions of the world and are extremely inquisitive, he comments. "Religion has influenced how we behave and what we value, and I couldn't imagine teaching history without including it."

Can schools really teach about religion? It's a common perception that schools are not allowed to teach about religion, says Fulton, but students have been studying religion's role in the historical, cultural, literary and social development of the U.S. and the world for decades. And in today's divisive world, increasing understanding about world religions has never been more important.

Teaching students about religion in an objective, balanced and factual manner has been incorporated into California's History-Social Science (HSS) Content Standards since 1998, and is also part of the new HSS Framework, points out Juliana Liebke, a social studies curriculum specialist for San Diego Unified School District, who says people are constantly surprised by this.

"Teaching about religion is not the same as teaching religion, because we are not proselytizing. We are just teaching facts about belief systems of various religions, to understand how the narrative of world history has unfolded," says Liebke, San Diego Education Association.

"But you have to walk a fine line. We can't tell the students what they should believe. But we answer their questions and make it clear to students that they can ask whatever they want, although not all of their questions can necessarily be answered."

For example, a student can ask whether Christians, Jews and Muslims believe in God and receive an answer. If a student asks Liebke if she believes God exists, she will say, "My personal religion is not for including "the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament" (standard 6.7).

In 2016, the State Board of Education adopted a new HSS Framework to provide guidance on implementing the standards. It added content on Sikhism to the chapter on seventh-grade curriculum, "World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times."

Students, says Liebke, are encouraged to read primary sources, which may include excerpts from the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Quran.

Religion and civil liberties High school students in In Rob Bonifacio's U.S. government class at the Public Safety Academy in Fairfield are knowledgeable about their constitutional rights - which includes f reedom of religion. Sometimes students discuss what it means for a school to ask for a "moment of silence," or if students should be compelled to say "under God" when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

"A good number of students feel that no one should be forced," says F-SUTA member Bonifacio, who says teachers must be sensitive to the beliefs of all students, including atheists, and not let their own biases show.

His students discuss U.S. Supreme Court cases that cover civil liberties and religious freedom, and appreciate that as Americans, they have the right to worship - or not worship - as they please.

As his school becomes more diverse, the halls are no longer decked. Out of deference to Native Americans and indigenous people, Thanksgiving is now called "Turkey Day" in his classroom. He comments that younger students at his school are no longer taught that Christopher Columbus "discovered America," but instead that he enslaved Indians to convert them to Christianity.

"We're very secular in that regard and try to make sure we don't put any religion on a pedestal as we become more inclusive," says Bonifacio. "That way we are not just a school, but a family." Parents may need explanations

Fulton and Liebke say that some parents have expressed concern upon learning seventh-graders study about Islam.

When educators explain it is part of a continuum of studies about many religions' influence on history, culture and the arts - and necessary to enhance students' understanding of the world - most parents seem to understand. (Islam is included in HSS standard 7.2.)

"It opens up discussions about our differences and how to respect those differences," Fulton says. "I have Muslim students who feel that Islam has been wrongly associated with terrorism. Presenting facts avoids having people in one religion being painted with a broad brush."

Liebke explains to parents: "It is necessary for children to understand our world and the people in it before they grow up and cast their votes and make decisions about the world."

Ayisha Benham sends a letter to parents of her 12th-grade American government class and her ninth-grade cultural geography elective at Sylvester Greenwood Academy School in Richmond at the beginning of the year. She believes the letter, which explains how and what she will be teaching about religions, helps prevent misconceptions.

Providing a global perspective Benham, a member of United Teachers of Richmond, takes pride in not presenting information in her class from a Western point of view when it comes to how religion, race and culture have influenced politics and culture. But she keeps a small Christmas tree on her desk every year to maintain holiday cheer.

"As a teacher, you have to have balance, and you want to be fair. You want all students to feel safe and to feel comfortable." - Ayisha Benham, United Teachers of Richmond

Recently, she asked a Muslim student (privately, without pressure) if he would explain why Muslim women wear a hijab to cover their hair. He agreed and explained to classmates that in his culture, wearing a hijab was a source of pride for many women, including his mother. Benham says she and her students learned a great deal, and many changed their perspective.

She recently went to a training called "Faith to Face," a program that connects students in the classroom of one country with students in another to discuss how their cultural beliefs impact their lives

During the training, students from America discussed with students from a Middle Eastern country how they show appreciation and give thanks. Americans described Thanksgiving and stuffing themselves, while the Middle Eastern students spoke of Ramadan and fasting.

"It was interesting to see two cultures giving thanks in very different ways," she laughs. "And it was a valuable opportunity for interesting discussions in the classroom."

Separation of Church and State

Two years ago, a teacher in the Central Valley was accused of handing out "Bible Cookies" to students. The story went viral, and the school community was up in arms.

Eventually, the cookie story crumbled. The cookies were not Bible-shaped - nor did they contain Bible verses. They were store-bought cookies the teacher's wife donated to the school-authorized Christian Club, which the teacher, a CTA member, advised. He was later vindicated.

Yes, religion in public schools is a sensitive and hotly debated issue.

The First Amendment reads in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Today that clause is associated with the separation of church and state. The challenge for schools has been to balance that separation with religious freedom, which can be a fine line.

The U.S. Supreme Court protects students' individual rights to pray, wear religious symbols and express their religious beliefs at school, yet prohibits such practices if they are perceived as disruptive, discriminatory or coercive to peers who don't share the same beliefs. Prayer at public school graduation ceremonies and sporting events has been eliminated for creating a coercive environment.
The Pledge of Allegiance
In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "the First Amendment prohibits public schools from forcing students to ... say the Pledge of Allegiance."

The words "under God" were added to the pledge by Congress in 1954. Several unsuccessful challenges to reciting "under God" have been made. Most schools in California encourage students to recite the pledge every morning but do not require it.

In 1963, the Supreme Court outlawed mandatory Bible study courses in schools, but ruled that schools may teach objectively about religion - as opposed to teaching religious indoctrination - in history classes and "Bible as literature" classes. Under the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, public schools that allow extracurricular clubs must also allow extracurricular religious clubs, such as the one with the cookie controversy.

In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools must allow outside religious groups to use their facilities during nonschool hours if they provide the same use to other organizations. President George W. Bush's controversial faith-based executive order allowed religious groups to apply for federal grant money for social or educational services in after-school programs. President Obama left the initiative in place, but made changes to prohibit discriminatory hiring practices in these organizations.

Science-based curriculum, with a caveat Early in this decade, schools in California and elsewhere sought to teach a doctrine called "intelligent design" that is a form of creationism. A series of lawsuits challenged the right of schools to do so, and today scientifically verified curriculum is the focus of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Despite this focus, educators should always be respectful of students' rights and beliefs. In 2009, a teacher in Orange County was found to have violated the First Amendment when he spoke negatively about creationism to a student in his classroom who held strong religious beliefs.

In June 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that a Missouri church preschool was entitled to a grant from a state program to improve its playground. The ruling found that denying funds to religious groups to be used for secular purposes such as a playground violates the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion.

Education experts, including analyst and author Diane Ravitch, have criticized the decision to force the public to pay for religious schools, saying it violates the Constitution and widens the opening to vouchers, which funnel public money to private schools, including private religious schools. This is something U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has set as a goal.

Many schools today steer clear of religious holiday references, citing the "winter" break and avoiding references to religious celebrations, instead focusing on multiculturalism to be more inclusive of diverse populations.

It should be noted that faith-based organizations can be great allies to public schools, offering supplies, tutoring and mentorships for students. Some CTA chapters, such as Associated Pomona Teachers, engage in community outreach with faith-based organizations on a regular basis to promote socially progressive issues, including equity and providing adequate funding for public education.

Guidelines for Teaching About Religion

* The approach is academic, not devotional.
* Educators strive for student awareness of religion, but do not press for student acceptance of any religion.
* The class educates about religions, but does not promote or denigrate any religion.
* The school may inform the student about religious beliefs, but does not seek to
conform a student to any particular belief.
* Students should not be put on the spot to explain their religious or cultural
traditions, or asked to be a spokesperson for his or her religion.
Source: National Council for the Social Studies

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View all posts by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

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Teaching About Religion - California Educator

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Photos by Scott Buschman "How did Christianity help shape the foundation and development of the early United States?" asks David Fulton, a social studies teacher at Green Valley Middle School in Fairfield. "Americans felt it was their God-given right to have independence," replies eighth-grader Parisa Samadi, citing a sentence in the Declaration of Independence that ...

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A Teachers Guide to Religion in the Public Schools

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A Teachers Guide to Religion in the Public Schools

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The First Amendment guarantees of religious liberty include the freedom to believe or not to believe, and to observe one's faith openly without government interference. Freedom of speech encompasses religious as well as secular speech, but the Establishment Clause imposes limitations on government endorsement of religion that has important implications for religious speech and observance in public schools.

Thomas Jefferson described the Establishment Clause as erecting "a wall of separation between church and state." Government neutrality toward religion is increasingly important with the proliferation of diverse religious beliefs, and schools are among the most important places where this principle is tested.

Public school teachers, principals, administrators, and other personnel may not:

promote a particular religion as being superior to any other,

promote religion in general as superior to a secular approach to life,

be antagonistic to religion in general or to a particular religious belief in particular

be antagonistic to secularism, or

do things to advance or inhibit religion.

This does not imply that the public schools may not teach about religion. Indeed, "the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, and the like." Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39, 42 (1980)(per curiam). Schools may teach about religion, explain the tenets of various faiths, discuss the role of religion in history, literature, science and other endeavors, and the like, as long as it has a secular purpose to promote educational goals, and there is no effort to promote or inhibit any religious belief.

School-Sponsored Prayer: Prayer and Bible-reading have long been excluded from the public schools. Engel v. Vitale (1962) and School Dist. V. Schempp (1963). Even a moment of silence for "meditation or voluntary prayer," is impermissible if its purpose is to promote prayer. Wallace v. Jaffree (1985).

Student-Led Prayer: In Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe (2000) the Court held that student-led prayer at school-sponsored football games was unconstitutional, because the circumstances implied official endorsement of religion.

While the case leaves open the possibility that student-initiated prayer is permissible under some circumstances, it is clear that schools must exercise care to avoid the appearance of promoting religion. The difficulty in finding the right balance is clear from the split in opinon in the lower courts. In the same month, a federal appellate panel in Georgia upheld student-initiated "prayer or other personal message" at graduation because the administration had no control over the student's statement, and a district court in Illinois temporarily banned a student-led prayer at graduation because of "the degree of school involvement."

Perhaps the most unusual case in the recent past involved a first grader who was not allowed to read a story from The Beginner's Bible for an assignment in which students were asked to read their favorite stories aloud in class. Equally divided, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals sitting en banc, upheld the teacher's exercise of judgment, rather than confronting the question of the place of religion in school. ( Hood v. Medford Board Of Education, 3rd Cir., 2000).

Religious Holidays: Holiday observations in public schools have been a persistent bone of contention in many communities. Although schools may teach about the religious beliefs underlying religious holidays and may celebrate secular aspects of such holidays, schools may not observe holidays as religious events or promote such observance among their students.

Religious Messages: Schools may not permanently display religious messages like the Ten Commandments. Stone v. Graham (1980). They may, however, display religious symbols in teaching about religion, as long as they are used as teaching aids on a temporary basis as part of an academic program.

Teaching of evolution: In Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) the Supreme Court struck down a state law prohibiting teachers in public schools from teaching "the theory or doctrine that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals," on the ground that it violated the Establishment Clause of the constitution. The decision was reaffirmed in Edwards v. Aguillard (1987), which required evolution to be taught alongside "creation science." The Court rejected the state's alleged secular purpose to protect academic freedom, finding it a "sham."

Religious Clothing and Symbols: Religious clothing and symbols, if not disruptive, are a protected form of expression. Even schools with dress codes ordinarily make an exception for religious articles.

Released Time: Students may be dismissed from school for off-campus religious instruction, provided that the schools do not encourage or discourage participation or penalize those who do not attend. Zorach v. Clauson (1952).

Use of Public School Facilities by Religious Groups: Under a 1993 Supreme Court ruling, public schools that permit their facilities to be used by community groups are not permitted to discriminate against religious groups. Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches School District (1993). This holding was recently reaffirmed in the context of a religiously-affiliated after-school program that sought to use public school facilities. Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001).

Religious Exemptions from State Education Law: When public education requirements severely conflict with sincerely-held religious beliefs, the courts have fashioned a remedy to address the conflict. For example, in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), Amish families challenged a state requirement that children be enrolled in school until the age of 16. The parents claimed that they would be unable to raise their children in the Amish faith, which repudiates most aspects of modern life, if their children were required to attend school outside the Amish community past the eighth grade. The Supreme Court upheld their right to educate their children at home under the circumstances of this case, but subsequent cases cast some doubt about how far this doctrine can be extended. ( Employment Division v. Smith, 1990.)

The Equal Access Act (20 U.S.C. §§4071-74), adopted by Congress in 1984, was intended to prevent discrimination against student extra-curricular activities "on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech" at such student-run events. The Act applies to any "public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance" and which allows "noncurriculum related student groups to meet on school premises during noninstructional time." In 1990, in Board of Education v. Mergens, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Act, affirming the right of "equal access" to student groups without regard to the "religious, social, philosophical or other content" of their activities.

In practice, the Act has mixed results. In one case, students sued for the right to organize a support group for gays and lesbians. A federal court rejected the school's claim that any discussion of same-sex relationships and safer-sex would conflict with its policy to teach "abstinence-only until marriage," and ordered the school to allow the group to meet. However in another case in California, a school district decided to ban all extracurricular clubs from campus rather than allow formation of a club called Christian Athletes.

U.S. Department of Education, Guidelines on Religious Expression in the Public Schools: Guidelines were originally adopted in 1995 and updated since then to provide every school district in America with a statement of principles addressing the extent to which religious expression and activity are permitted in the public school. The guidelines affirm two obligations imposed on school officials: 1) schools may not forbid students acting on their own from expressing their personal religious beliefs; 2) schools may not discriminate against private religious expression by students, but must instead give students the same right to engage in religious activity and discussion as they have to engage in other comparable activity. Schools are strongly encouraged to develop their own district-wide policy regarding religious expression and to engage parents, teachers, various faith communities and the broader community.

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The First Amendment in Schools: Resource Guide: Religious Expression in the Public Schools

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Introduction: "Avoiding Censorship in Schools" | Religious Expression in the Public Schools | Sex and Sexuality Education | Harassment and Hate Speech | Student Publications | Student Expression: Web Pages, Dress Codes, and More | Access to Information on the Internet | Teachers' Rights

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Volume 28, Number 1
January/February 2012

How can schools inspire and teach students to be moral people-to care about and take responsibility for others, to think clearly about and pursue justice, to sacrifice for important principles? This is not a trivial question. Polls indicate that about 70 percent of public school parents want schools to teach "strict standards of right and wrong," and 85 percent want schools to teach values. And research suggests that many overworked, frayed parents, doubting their capacities as moral mentors, are looking to schools to take on a larger role in their children's moral growth.

In response to this demand, a billion-dollar character education industry has cropped up in the last few decades, including myriad organizations marketing packaged character education programs to schools. Many of these programs are devoted to inculcating values such as self-discipline, responsibility for others, and honesty. Some of these initiatives are carefully considered, rigorous, and tuned in both to children's developmental experiences and to teachers' needs and capacities. But most of these undertakings appear to have little or no impact on children's moral lives.

What is moral development, and what types of school programs and efforts are likely to promote it? Why do some school efforts succeed while others fail, and what are the essential principles and ingredients of successful efforts? How can these principles and ingredients realistically be implemented and scaled in a school reform era intensely focused on academic achievement?

Cultivating a Moral Identity
Several years ago, I asked my six-year-old daughter and a few of her friends a question posed in a popular character education program: "Should you be honest with your teacher if you forget your homework?" One of my daughter's friends hesitated slightly but then piped up: "Do you want me to tell you what you want to hear, or do you want me to tell you the truth?" Emboldened, another friend stated flatly, "I know that you want me to say I should be honest, but nobody is honest about that."

Many schools post values on walls and reiterate the importance of values in classrooms, during assemblies, and at other school events. But the challenge is not simply moral literacy-in fact, research indicates that most students, like my daughter's friends, know values such as honesty and respect by the time they are five or six years old. Because they know these values, many children-especially adolescents-feel patronized by lectures about values. And some children, as the question asked by my daughter's friend suggests, become nimble at simply parroting back what adults want to hear.

This is an excerpt from the Harvard Education Letter. Subscribers can click here to continue reading this article.

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Volume 28, Number 1 January/February 2012 How can schools inspire and teach students to be moral people-to care about and take responsibility for others, to think clearly about and pursue justice, to sacrifice for important principles? This is not a trivial question.

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Should We Teach Values? Which Ones? How?

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Should We Teach Values? Which Ones? How?

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by A. G. Larkins

The Case for Character Education in Public Schools
Character education is getting a big boost nationwide. Advocates include such conservative politicians as former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch, as well as noted professors such as Kevin Ryan.1 But are the public schools the proper domain for character education? Don't teachers have enough on their hands with the academic curriculum? Shouldn't instruction in values be left to the home, church, and synagogue?

Parents may argue that they should have a strong voice, perhaps the final voice, in choosing values for their children. It is also clearly true that the teacher's responsibility to teach academic subjects is a substantial mission, without adding character development to the instructional load. Nevertheless, a compelling case can be made for including character development within the public schools.

The primary responsibility for character development falls on the family, but the family should not be expected to carry that responsibility alone, for several reasons. First, many-perhaps most-parents are determined to raise children who have strong, positive values. As parents, we want our children to be honest, loyal, self-disciplined, industrious, and kind-hearted. We also want our children to be committed to core values in the democratic creed, such as freedom of speech and religion, the right to privacy, patriotism, and equality of opportunity.

Furthermore, we do not want our children to abandon those values when they cross the threshold of the family home on their way to school. Given that children often spend more of their waking hours with teachers than with parents, it is important that character education initiated in the home be reinforced in the school.

Second, despite the desire of most families to rear children with strong character, there are forces that work against that goal, not the least of which are found in the mass media-TV, popular music, and movies. The negative influence of the media is ubiquitous and very difficult for parents to control, especially in an age of two-income families. Therefore, parents depend on the public schools to help provide character instruction and positive role models; to introduce their children to good music and literature and art; and to help counter the rude, self-centered, hedonistic, and violent models presented in the media.

Third, some parents do not provide adequate character education for their children. In fact some parents serve as negative role models. My wife tells the story of a child whose grandmother taught him to steal from coin-operated coke and candy machines. In that family, theft was a cottage industry. Families in which one or more parent is dishonest, lazy, brutal, or foul-mouthed can be found in many school neighborhoods. Even when parents have good intentions and provide positive role models, other factors may prevent them from attending to their child's character education. Families with parents who work long hours and those disrupted by divorce, ill health, or poverty, may result in children who are heavily influenced by television and their peers, neither of which can substitute for the moral direction given by strong parents.2

Fourth, despite the fact that families should have a very strong voice in selecting values for their children, the family is not the only social group that has a legitimate interest in character development for young children. American society as a whole has a stake in the moral character of its individual members. Dishonesty, violence, incivility, crime, and an inclination to compromise our basic freedoms affect each of us. Therefore, as a society we have an interest in the production of children who will grow into decent adults. The public school is our collective agent to that end.

Does Character Education Make a Difference?
Can we teach children to be good? Yes. Children can be taught to be good, though the outcome is not a sure bet. Adults who try to reform their own behavior know that self-improvement is tough going. Change for the better comes in small steps, over a long period of time, and with much back-sliding. We should expect no surer moral miracles for our children than we do for ourselves. Teachers who attempt character training will become discouraged.

By comparison, teaching reading, spelling, numbers, and the recitation of facts seems to have easily discernable results. But the same children who role-play noble deeds, sing songs about kind people, and listen to stories of compassionate acts can be nastier than ill-tempered cats during recess.

But the results can also be positive in both the short and long run. My wife, who teaches fourth grade, recently took a mean-spirited child aside and pointed out that his divorced mother has more than she can handle working full time and trying to raise a family of three quarreling children. My wife suggested that this child try to be cooperative and friendly in the home, because the mother needs to know that she is loved and appreciated. The next day, the mother came to school and burst into tears because her child had deliberately held back from fighting with a sibling, and expressed love for the mother. Even though this child likely will backslide many times, there may also be long-lasting positive results from this lesson on kindness.

The Importance and Limits of Indoctrination
"Indoctrination" is an ugly word among professional educators. Our task is to teach children to think for themselves about important ethical issues, not to be knee-jerk moral robots who respond mechanistically to a politically correct party line. When asked to choose between teaching critical thinking and indoctrination, we generally claim to favor critical thinking. In truth, however, the choice should not be either/or. The inculcation of values is not always the foe of critical thinking. The choice between critical thinking and indoctrination is often a false, misleading, and even dangerous dichotomy, since before students can make important and difficult ethical choices they must first have substantial commitment to the values imbedded in those choices.

For example, the choice between the right to life and the right to privacy when faced with the topic of abortion has little ethical weight unless the person making that choice is committed to both those values. The choice between freedom of speech and patriotism-when faced with the topic of flag burning-similarly has little meaning unless people making that choice are committed to those values.

The important point here is that we become committed to values such as the right to life, the right to privacy, freedom of speech, and patriotism through indoctrination. Likewise, we become committed to truth telling, cleanliness, diligence, and compassion through indoctrination. Indoctrination, therefore, is pedagogically prior to critical thinking. Becoming indoctrinated to the importance of basic values is a necessary step prior to learning to think critically about ethical issues.

None of this means, of course, that all forms of indoctrination are justified. The trick is to know when indoctrination is morally defensible and when it is not. Generally, indoctrination of basic values is more clearly defensible than is indoctrination of "correct" answers to moral dilemmas. The distinction I am trying to make is between values and ethical decisions.

My position is that teachers are morally obligated to indoctrinate values. We are responsible for teaching our children to be committed to the basic values of our society. At the same time, we are treading on shaky ground when we attempt to indoctrinate "correct" answers to questions that require difficult ethical choices. In the latter case, our proper role may be limited to helping students to think clearly about the issues, rather than to attempt to dictate right answers. And I must confess that the issue of when to remain neutral while children wrestle with difficult ethical questions is itself a difficult ethical question.

How to Inculcate Values
All schools teach values. They cannot avoid it. From the first day of class, kindergartners are required to share with others, obey authority, follow orderly routines, take turns, and delay gratification. Young children are not taught to think critically about these behaviors. They are not given the freedom to choose between crowding in or waiting their turn at the drinking fountain, speaking out or raising their hand during class discussion, taking all the crayons or sharing with their classmates. In the first years of school, proper behavior and attitudes are indoctrinated, and properly so.

Procedures for indoctrinating or inculcating values are simple and honored by time. They follow patterns used by parents, teachers, and religious leaders since time immemorial. The core elements are role modeling and role playing, habituation, repetition, reinforcement, and appeals to the heart.

Habituation, Repetition, and Reinforcement
Kindergarten teachers who indoctrinate children to obey reasonable rules-for example, to stand in line, to take turns, to share-rely largely on habituation, repetition, and reinforcement. Consistency and verbal rewards are key elements used by good teachers. Rules stay the same day in and day out. Children are praised (reinforced) for obeying those rules. They become habituated to proper behavior through repetition and praise, and more importantly, they become emotionally committed to that behavior, as any substitute teacher who fails to follow the drill quickly finds out.

Goodness is largely habitual. It is a habit formed the same way that we form other habits-through repetition and positive reinforcement, so that the right thing becomes the familiar and comfortable thing. By adulthood, we give no second thought to most of our good behaviors. We just do them, from habit. In most cases, we do not need to go through a complex critical thinking procedure in order to be polite, or honest, or diligent. Those behaviors have long since become the "naturaquot; thing to do. Furthermore, reinforcement is recognized by psychologists as a powerful procedure for producing attitude formation and attitude change.3

Role Modeling.
Teachers are role models for children. By observing kind and decent teachers, children learn kindness, decency and concern for others. In some unfortunate cases, a narrow and authoritarian vindictiveness is observed and modeled.

For good or evil, we cannot avoid the fact that we are modeling behavior for the children in our care. It has been forty years since I was on Mack Taft's wrestling team at Weber County High School in Ogden, Utah, but the lessons Mack taught me about decency continue to stand out long after the wrestling skills have faded.

Let us not kid ourselves. Charles Barkely notwithstanding (remember his proclamation in TV commercials, "I am not a role model! Parents are role models!"), teachers are role models for children. Let us hope that some day a former student of ours will look back as fondly on the models that we set as I look back on the model that Mack Taft set for me.

Role Playing and Appeals to the Heart.
Role modeling and role playing are not identical. When children observe and admire our behavior, we serve as role models. When children act out modeled behavior, they engage in role playing. Theory and research concerning role playing bears out what teachers have long known, that attitude change for the better occurs when children engage in active role playing of positive behaviors. The effect is especially strong when the role playing includes improvisation.4

Unfortunately, role playing produces negative ethical effects when socially undesirable role models are copied. One of the things that is destructive about messages children receive from the media is that children incorporate those messages into their role play. They may act out, and thus reinforce, violent, self-centered, and rude behaviors.

To counter the negative images presented in much of the media aimed at children, teachers should use a variety of approaches that appeal to the heart through music, poetry, literature, and play acting. The use of children's literature is probably the approach which is most accessible to teachers, whether those stories are read, retold, or acted out.

Where can teachers find appropriate stories? I find them in my religious heritage. When looking for stories, I turn to the children's publications of the church which my family attends. In this case, The Friend is a goldmine of ideas. I suspect that other teachers will find that publications associated with their religious heritage would be equally useful. Law-related education publications often note literature that is appropriate for discussion of character issues, and school media specialists may offer suggestions.

When using this approach in public schools, it is important to select secular stories. I have found that religious publications for children contain at least some secular stories or stories that can be modified to fit a secular environment. Another approach is to draw stories from a secular publication such as Highlights for Children, or from children's trade books.

Music and Poetry.
There should be more singing and poetry recitation in public schools. All elementary school teachers should sing with their children, even if the teacher's voice is bad, even if the teacher can't play an instrument, even if the school has an official music teacher. The children don't care whether you think your voice is bad-it sounds like a parent's voice and can comfort, reassure and quiet them. And there is no surer way to instill values in young children than through music. For good or evil, music appeals to the heart as no other medium can. Let's make sure that there is one place where the appeal is for good-the public school.

Notes
1.W. J. Bennett, ed., The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993); A. G. Larkins and M. L. Hawkins, "Guiding Character Development: Basic Building Block of a Quality Education," The Atlanta Constitution (Feb. 12, 1987), 31-A; E. A. Wynn and K. Ryan, Reclaiming Our Schools: A Handbook on Teaching Character, Academics, and Discipline (New York: Merrill, 1993); K. Ryan and T. Lickona, eds., Character Development in Schools and Beyond, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1992).
2.P. Welsh, Tales Out of School: A Teacher's Candid Account from the Front Lines of the American High School Today (New York: Viking, 1986), 34-61.
3.C. A. Insko, Theories of Attitude Change (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967), 18-21.
4.R. E. Petty and J. T. Cacioppo, Attitudes and Persuasion: Classic and Contemporary Approaches (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1981), 213-219.

About the Author
A.G. Larkins is a professor of social
science education at The University of Georgia. His research interests include character education and law-related issues.

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by A. G. Larkins The Case for Character Education in Public Schools Character education is getting a big boost nationwide. Advocates include such conservative politicians as former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch, as well as noted professors such as Kevin Ryan.1 But are the public schools the proper domain for character education?

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Used for students to review lesson concepts and complete quizes

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Join a game of kahoot here. Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn - any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

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Interactive games for students to review subject matter.

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BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology

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Interactive games and animated videos to help students review and understand lesson concepts. This tool is meant for younger students.

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This was taken from Dr. Averil Coxhead's work on Vocabulary at the following link: Vocabulary Tiers and Samples Common Core Vocabul...

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There are a variety of ways to assess a student's progress and understanding. Two of the primary methods are formal and informal assessments. Formal assessments include tests, quizzes, and projects. Students can study and prepare for these assessments in advance, and they provide a systematic tool for teachers to measure a student's knowledge and evaluate learning progress.

Informal assessments are more casual, observation-based tools. With little advance preparation and no need to grade the results, these assessments allow teachers to get a feel for student progress and identify areas in which they might need more instruction. Informal assessments can help teachers pinpoint students' strengths and weaknesses and guide planning for upcoming lessons.

In the classroom, informal assessments are important because they can help identify potential problem areas and allow for course correction before students are required to demonstrate understanding at a formal evaluation.

Many homeschooling families prefer to rely almost entirely on informal assessments because they are often a more accurate indicator of understanding, particularly for students who don't test well.

Informal assessments can also provide vital student feedback without the stress of tests and quizzes.

Following are just a few examples of creative informal assessments for your classroom or homeschool.

Observation

Observation is the heart of any informal assessment, but it is also a key stand-alone method. Simply watch your student throughout the day. Look for signs of excitement, frustration, boredom, and engagement. Make notes about the tasks and activities that elicit these emotions.

Keep samples of student work in chronological order so that you can identify progress and areas of weakness. Sometimes you don't realize how much a student has progressed until you compare their current work to previous samples.

Author Joyce Herzog has a simple but effective method of observing progress. Ask your student to do simple tasks such as writing an example of each math operation he understands, writing the most complicated word he knows he can spell correctly, or writing a sentence (or short paragraph). Do the same process once a quarter or once a semester to gauge progress.

Oral Presentations

We often think of oral presentations as a type of formal assessment, but they can be a fantastic informal assessment tool, as well. Set a timer for one or two minutes and ask your student to tell you what he's learned about a particular topic.

For example, if you are learning about parts of speech, you could ask your students to name as many prepositions as they can in 30 seconds while you write them on the whiteboard.

A broader approach is to present students with a sentence starter and let them take turns finishing it. Examples include:

"My favorite thing about this topic was..."

"The most interesting or surprising thing I learned about this was..."

"This historical figure was..."

Journaling

Give your students one to three minutes at the end of each day to journal about what they learned. Vary the daily journaling experience by asking students to:

list 5-10 facts they've learned about a topic

write about the most exciting thing they learned that day

list one or two things they'd like to know more about

note something that they're having trouble understanding

list ways that you could help them understand a topic better.

Let your students write questions for each other on a piece of paper. Instruct students to crumple their paper, and let them have an epic paper wad toss. Then, have all the students pick up one of the paper balls, read the question aloud, and answer it.

This activity wouldn't work well in most homeschool settings, but it's an excellent way for students in a classroom or homeschool co-op to get the wiggles out and check their knowledge on a topic they've been studying.

Four Corners

Four Corners is another fantastic activity for getting kids up and moving while also assessing their knowledge. Label each corner of the room with a different option such as strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, or A, B, C, and D. Read a question or statement and have students go to the corner of the room that represents their answer.

After students reach their corner, allow them a minute or two to discuss their choice in their group. Then, choose a representative from each group to explain or defend that group's answer.

Matching/Concentration

Let your students play matching (also known as concentration) in groups or pairs. Write questions on one set of cards and answers on the other. Shuffle the cards and lay them, one by one, face down on a table. Students take turns turning over two cards trying to match a question card with the correct answer card. If a student makes a match, he gets another turn. If he does not, it's the next players turn. The student with the most matches wins.

Concentration is an extremely versatile game. You can use math facts and their answers, vocabulary words and their definitions, or historical figures or events with their dates or details.

At the end of each day or week, have your students complete an exit slip before leaving the classroom. Index cards work well for this activity. You can have the questions printed on the cards, written on the whiteboard, or you can read them aloud.

Ask your students to fill out the card with answers to statements such as:

Three things I learned

Two questions I have

One thing I didn't understand

What I found most interesting

This is an excellent activity for gauging what students have retained about the topic they are studying and to determine areas which may need more explanation.

Demonstration

Supply the tools and let students show you what they know, explaining the process as they go. If they're learning about measurements, provide rulers or a tape measure and items to measure. If they're studying plants, offer a variety of plants and let students point out the different parts of the plant and explain what each does.

If students are learning about biomes, provide the settings for each (drawings, photos, or dioramas, for example) and model plants, animals, or insects that one might find in the biomes represented. Let students place the figures in their correct settings and explain why they belong there or what they know about each.

Drawing is an excellent way for creative, artistic, or kinesthetic learners to express what they've learned. They can draw the steps of a process or create a comic strip to depict a historical event. They can draw and label plants, cells, or the parts of a knight's armor.

Crossword puzzles

Crossword puzzles make a fun, stress-free informal assessment tool. Create puzzles with a crossword puzzle maker, using definitions or descriptions as the clues. Accurate answers result in a correctly-completed puzzle. You can use crossword puzzles to evaluate understanding of a variety of history, science, or literature topics such as states, presidents, animals, or even sports.

Narration is a method of student evaluation widely used in homeschooling circles and inspired by Charlotte Mason, a British educator, at the turn of the 20th century. The practice involves having a student tell you, in his own words, what he has heard after a read-aloud or learned after studying a topic.

Explaining something in one's own words requires comprehension of the subject. Using narration is a useful tool for discovering what a student has learned and identifying areas that you may need to cover more thoroughly.

Invite students to act out scenes or create puppet shows from topics they've been studying. This is especially effective for historical events or biographical studies.

Drama can be an exceptionally valuable and easy-to-implement tool for homeschooling families. It's common for young children to incorporate what they're learning into their pretend play. Listen and observe as your children play to evaluate what they're learning and what you may need to clarify.

Student Self-evaluation

Use self-evaluation to help students reflect on and assess their own progress. There are many options for a simple self-assessment. One is to ask students to raise their hands to indicate which statement applies to them: "I fully understand the topic," "I mostly understand the topic," "I'm a little confused," or "I need help."

Another option is to ask students to give a thumbs up, a sideways thumb, or a thumbs down to indicate fully understand, mostly understand, or need help. Or use a five-finger scale and have students hold up the number of fingers that corresponds to their level of understanding.

You may also want to create a self-evaluation form for students to complete. The form can list statements about the assignment and boxes for students to check if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that the statement applies to their assignment. This type of self-evaluation would also be useful for students to rate their behavior or participation in class.

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13 Creative, Observation-Based Assessments for the Classroom

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Informal assessments play a vital role in both traditional and homeschool classrooms. Try these creative ideas to assess student progress.

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Finding new and unique ideas for formative assessments is always a struggle. However, the team over at the Global Digital Citizen Foundation has some ideas in the following blog, originally posted on their site last April 1) Postcards From the Past.

Formative assessment tools used in the classroom provide critical feedback to teachers, helping them to monitor and modify their instruction methods and lesson plans. Teachers are better able to meet the unique needs of individual students, empowering them through personalized and timely feedback.
2) Collage or Poster

3) Journal

It's important to use a variety of teaching and learning formative assessments, changing them frequently to stimulate both students and teachers. Assessment techniques are only as limited as the teacher's imagination!

4) Doodle
Here are 12 awesome formative assessment examples that we like. These ideas are very creative, low tech, fun and engaging for students, and easy for a teacher to implement right away.

5) Caption Photos
Have students adopt the personality of a historical figure and write a postcard to another historical figure from the same era, discussing a significant event that has just occurred.
6) Metacognition Table
Ask students to make a collage or poster from magazine photos to demonstrate understanding of a concept.

Students periodically record their thoughts and feelings about how they are progressing in the class. They can also share feelings about particular assignments or indicate areas in which they may be experiencing difficulties in the classroom, either with the material, the teacher, or their classmates.

7) Four Corners
Challenge students to use a drawing rather than words to show understanding of a concept.

8) Vote with Thumbs
Choose three photos that represent a process. Ask students to caption each photo.

9) Stop & Go Cards
At the end of class, each student answers the following questions presented to them on index cards:

What did we do in class?

Why did we do it?

What did I learn today?

How can I apply it?

What questions do I have about it?

10) Twitter Board
This is a great way to encourage dynamic movement while learning multiple-choice questions. Designate each corner of the classroom to represent A, B, C, and D. Students go to the corner that they believe corresponds with the correct answer.

11) Roll the Die
Ask the class if they understand a concept. A thumbs up is "yes", thumbs down is "no," and "not sure," is thumbs middle.

Students create index cards with a large green marker circle on one side and red on the other. If they are following along and understanding the lesson, the green side of their card is upright and visible to you. When they do not understand something and need clarification, they flip the card to show you the red side.

12) Enthusiasm and Learning Formative Assessment Example Chart
Here is an alternative method that can be downloaded for free and printed on colored card stock for quick use.

Students summarize what was learned in a lesson using 140 characters. Pin small strips of paper to a poster or corkboard to resemble a Twitter feed.

Put a die at each desk. At the end of class, each student rolls and briefly answers aloud a question based on the number rolled:

1. I want to remember ...

2. Something I learned today

3. One word to sum up what I learned

4. Something I already knew

5. I'm still confused about ...

6. An "aha" moment that I had today

This chart is great for not only collecting feedback, but also introducing scatter plots to students. Students rank what they learned that day and how much they enjoyed the lessons. They then elaborate on a Post-It, offering details about what they found helpful to them in having a successful learning day. They can also share what prevented them from having a fulfilling day. Compile the data and discuss it in class the next day.

Hopefully these creative formative assessment examples have inspired you to devise your own engaging assessment tools! Let us know which methods you find to be the most fun and valuable.

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12 Awesome Formative Assessment Examples

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The Association of American Educators (AAE) is the largest national nonunion professional teachers association, advancing the profession through teacher advocacy and professional development, as well as promoting excellence in education, so that our members receive the respect, recognition and reward they deserve.

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Writing Rubrics Evaluate Student Writing

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Creating a writing rubric helps students improve their writing skills by determining their areas of opportunity as details and example rubrics shows.

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Browse resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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English & Language Arts / ELA Writing Rubric

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Differentiation has been a buzzword in education for years. As a literacy specialist, it is a critical part of my job. Differentiation is how a teacher adapts instruction to meet the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. It means meeting the needs of all learners through differentiated instructional ideas. In this article, we'll explore differentiated instruction in the classroom and opportunities to incorporate it into lessons. Also, available for download is a tip sheet with 13 ideas for differentiated reading instruction in the elementary classroom.

Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

Differentiation can be applied to: the instructional approach, the subject matter, and/or to the learning environment. Differentiated lesson plans are based on learning styles and incorporate a variety of modalities in order to reach all learners. During differentiated student work time, students can work independently on a personalized goal or in small flexible groups based on interest, topic or ability.

There are endless opportunities to incorporate differentiation into your classroom!

With instruction...
Be sure to not only verbally explain the topic or idea you are instructing on, but also to have a visual. You can create an anchor chart to use as a reference guide or draw a picture/table/diagram/graph to foster a clearer understanding. If applicable, provide a video clip on the smartboard (this is a sure-fire way to engage students). Remember to always repeat what you are teaching with varying explanations. Also, tap into background knowledge for students to build upon, and pre-teach any vocabulary words that might be unfamiliar to your students.
With subject matter...
Hold conferences with students to find out what they want to learn more about. Use surveys to incorporate student interests whenever possible. If students are interested in the topic, they are more likely to retain what you are teaching them. Use inquiry-based learning to allow students to investigate areas of interest. Inquiry-based learning is also great for cross-curriculum work!
With the environment...
There are many things you can do to design a classroom that promotes learning for all students. Some examples include preferential seating and seating that allows for movement, partnerships, or small group work. Anchor charts should be displayed for students to reference. Graphic organizers and resource guides should be readily available for students to take as needed. Students should have access to technology for many reasons. Of course, one important reason is for research, but for me as a literacy specialist a very close second is to help improve a student's reading ability. There are many online resources that support students in the areas of fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary by using leveled texts with corresponding reading exercises.

You can also differentiate based on ability!

Differentiated Instruction Ideas Based on Diverse Learners

For struggling students...
Scaffold your instruction by giving clear explicit explanations with visuals. Next, practice the strategy with your students. Then have your students try it independently. Offer a variety of graphic organizers to help focus their thinking. This method of scaffolded instruction is known as the I, We, You method. Be sure to give these students self-monitoring and fix-up strategies to allow them more independence when working alone.
For average students...
Offer opportunities for small group work or partnerships (often, hearing the thoughts of peers will inspire students, and being a member of a group can motivate students to contribute to the best of their ability). These are students you want to challenge, as well, so offer extension activities when they are ready. For example, a good extension activity in reading is to rewrite the end of the book or to write about what would you like to discuss with the main character or the author.
For above average students...
Raise the bar with challenge/enrichment activities ( Making Thinking Visible activity downloads, which encourage students to think more deeply about a topic or text, are great resources). Pull questions for these students from DOK levels 3 and 4.

Using Assessments to Guide Differentiation

Personally, I have found the best way to differentiate for my students is by using assessments to guide my instruction. Students need to be assessed in order to collect information about how much knowledge and skill they have acquired (assessment as a measurement tool). Students also need to be assessed so as to gauge the student's level of learning (assessment as an evaluative tool).

There are two basic types of assessments: formative and summative.

Formative assessments are assessments FOR learning and include journaling, conferring, observation, self-assessment, portfolios, and so on.

Summative assessments are assessments OF learning and include unit assessments, standardized assessments, portfolios, and so on.

Assessing students is critical for differentiation because it...

allows you to get to know individual readers

provides summaries of student learning

gives information about student learning progress

diagnoses strengths and weaknesses of an individual's learning

supplies direction for further learning

helps with goal-setting for very targeted instruction

I find the best way to differentiate for my students is to periodically set personalized goals with each student, based on formative and/or summative assessment data. I use a variety of assessments with my students to help them set these goals. Below are some resources you may find helpful in assessing individual students.

Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Reading Conference Forms

Reading Survey for Students

Ideas for Differentiated Reading Instruction In the Elementary Grades

1. Have students read books at their own level.

Level the classroom library in order to help students find appropriate books for independent reading time. Color-coordinating the shelves is an easy way for students to find books that are suitable for their reading skills.

2. Provide different levels of support after a class lesson.

Create a "Teacher Station" or "Center" and meet with your struggling learners to give them extra support and instruction. Have on-level learners work in small groups to complete a task. Invite above-average learners to complete the same task in pairs or alone.

3. Differentiate text assignments.

After students have read (or listened to) the same text, vary follow-up assignments. For example, after a read aloud, ask struggling learners to complete a simple story web. Have on-level learners complete questions about key ideas and details. Task above-average learners to retell the story from a character's point of view.

4. Scaffold instruction by giving clear explicit explanations with visuals.

Verbally and visually explain the topic or idea you will be teaching. Use anchor charts, drawings, diagrams, and reference guides to foster a clearer understanding of the topic you will be reading about or teaching. If applicable, provide a video clip for students to watch.

To get nine more differentiated reading instruction, download my What Does Differentiation Look Like? Tip Sheet now.

Conclusion

Differentiation is how a teacher adapts instruction to meet the specific learning needs of an individual learner or of a group of students. It means the instructor is meeting the needs of all learners through differentiated instructional ideas and methods. Differentiation can be applied to the instructional approach, the subject matter, and/or to the learning environment. One key approach to differentiation is individualized goal-setting based on assessment data. Use formative and summative assessment data to differentiate instruction for individuals or small groups of students.

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13 Ideas for Differentiated Reading Instruction in the Elementary Classroom

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Ideas for meeting the needs of all learners through differentiated instruction. Here are 13 ideas for differentiated reading instruction in elementary...

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Let's face it, our students come to us with an incredible array of both talents and needs. When faced with the task of differentiating instruction, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I admit, I was one of those who said, "Yeah, right, with the little planning time I have, how can I possibly create different plans for all my levels of learners?" Plus, sometimes I just think, This is 7th grade, and I should be teaching to my grade level. But looking out at our students, and also considering the demands of administrators, we all know that differentiation is a necessity.

Well, the good news is . . . I discovered it doesn't have to be time-consuming! I had been doing these things all along! I'm going to share some quick and easy ways I differentiate instruction with my 7th and 8th grade students.

Now we've all seen articles and info-graphics on what differentiation is and isn't. To me, differentiating is simply meeting the needs of the individual student. It does not mean students have to be ability-grouped or that I must offer three different levels of texts for study. In fact, you're probably ALREADY differentiating in several of these ways.

Here are my 6 EASY ways to differentiate instruction:

1. Partner Work - When students are given opportunities to work with a partner, that's differentiating. Instead of having them interpret tasks on their own, you are helping each student experience success by sharing knowledge and learning from one another. Example: When students are given close reading questions, working with a partner helps them to unlock the text together, especially when the questions increase in complexity. I know they will not be afforded the luxury of a partner to discuss complex questions with when they take the state assessment. However, I am using the partner support as a differentiation tool as they practice their strategies.

2. Choice Independent Reading - In reading workshop, students choose their own novels for independent reading, and with this practice a teacher is differentiating. Each student is allowed to read a book at his/her own reading level. I love keeping the reading workshop going all year long-it's an ongoing means of differentiation. Choice reading also comes in very handy as a task for early finishers! One year, my administrator complimented me on the wonderful differentiation he saw as the higher level learners finished their task earlier than others and picked up their choice novels and read. Score.

3. Topic Choices - You name it, whether it's writing prompts or research topics, I try to offer choices. I have the best success with the end product that way, so there's another way that I'm meeting the individual needs of students! With writing topics, I like to have an A, B, or C. If I require a theme essay, I provide a list of theme topics students can choose from. With research projects, students invest so much more of themselves when they get to choose the topic based on their background knowledge, strengths, or interests.

4. Product Choices - With a little brainstorming, it's easy to come up with some variety in products for an assignment. Most likely, you are doing this already! For example, a student might have the choice of creating a poster, flip book, comic strip, or two-page written paper to demonstrate learning of the same concept. Using technology, there are lots of engaging options as well. What's key is that the expectations and assessment piece are similar for all product choices. Try a RAFT writing assignment as a great differentiation tool. You just devise four different Role, Audience, Format, and Topic choices based on a text and students choose the ways they want to respond. To differentiate my independent reading assignment, students choose from three different styles of to demonstrate understanding of their novel.

5. Writing About Themselves - Offering learning activities that allow students to draw from their own lives is a simple means of differentiating. I use free verse poetry at the beginning of the year where students write about themselves. Then we move to narrative writing where they tell stories from their lives. Any project where students can draw on their own interests and strengths instantly energizes the learning climate and showcases individual student potential. We do a Persuasive Project where each student creates his/her own business! It's amazing the effort students show. When they enthusiastically present their business ideas, I know that they have benefited greatly from the embedded differentiation.

6. Scaffold Instruction - When designing a lesson, plan lots of scaffolds so that all levels of learners can be reached. Example: Start with an interesting quotation or anecdote. Then show a short video clip. Next, model something or read something authentic. Use graphic organizers and let students work with a partner on practice, and then graduate to an independent piece such as an exit slip to demonstrate understanding. With writing lessons, using paragraph-by-paragraph graphic organizers, word lists, anchor papers, and mentor texts offers specific support to ensure that students at every level are on board. By taking the time to build in a lot of steps, you are maximizing your chances for individual student success AKA differentiating instruction.

These are the EASY ways to differentiate, and sometimes we overlook them! So if you're asked how you're differentiating, maybe you can add some of these ideas to your list.

Thanks for reading!

You might like these Differentiated Short Response /Exit Slips or the . They're a quick and easy differentiation tool I keep on hand to use with any literature.

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6 EASY Ways to Differentiate Instruction

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Let's face it, our students come to us with an incredible array of both talents and needs. When faced with the task of differentiating instruction, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I admit, I was one of those who said, "Yeah, right, with the little planning time I have, how can I possibly create different plans for all my levels of learners?"

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You have probably come to this article for one of two reasons: Either you want to start differentiating instruction in your classroom and don't know where to start, or you already differentiate, but want to see if you're missing anything. I have combed through tons of online resources on how to differentiate instruction, and have put together this collection of the clearest, most high-quality resources for learning how to differentiate in your classroom. Off we go, then!

Lots of teachers think they are differentiating, when they really kind of aren't. So before you get started, give yourself a solid overview of what differentiation is (and isn't) and how it works. To do that, you need to read Carol Tomlinson, whose work is the gold standard in differentiation. Her book, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms , is the best one I've seen on the subject. And it's short: At just over 100 pages, it's a fast, easy read, and is full of useful information that will set you on the path toward high-quality differentiation.

In addition to explaining basic principles, the book shows you how to manage a differentiated classroom, teaches you specific strategies, and lets you peek inside a few sample differentiated classrooms so you can see how all the parts work together. I really can't recommend this book highly enough...get it!

Reading about how to differentiate on paper is helpful, but seeing other teachers actually doing it will give you a far better understanding of how to implement the strategies in your own classroom.

This Edutopia video shows how one school has set up a system they call Reteach and Enrich, where time is built into the schedule every day to reteach students who haven't met learning targets or provide enrichment activities for those who have. Watching this process in action makes it really clear HOW to make it work:

In this Teaching Channel video (click below), high school math teacher Maria Barchi demonstrates how she tiers instruction by giving different exit slips to students based on their mastery of a lesson, then adjusts instruction the following day based on their responses:

Below, second grade teacher Robert Pronovost shows how he uses two separate online programs, Planet Turtle and Dreambox, to meet students' individual needs in 2nd grade math (Teaching Channel):

The next video shows 5th grade teacher Stacy Brewer demonstrating how she differentiates process for readiness in writing responses to a text: Because this group of ELL students needs additional help, she works with them while the rest of the class responds to their questions independently (Teaching Channel).

Finally, this Teaching Channel video shows how Mary Vagenas uses Learning Menus to differentiate in her 7th grade Social Studies class:

Once you understand the basic principles of differentiation, it's a good idea to have a few basic tools on hand.

Task Cards
What are task cards? They are all the rage in some classrooms: The basic idea is that you take tasks and questions that might normally appear on worksheets and put them onto laminated cards (one item per card), which allows you to better individualize instruction, set up centers, and group students according to need (plus, you can re-use them year after year!). You can make your own or browse through thousands on Teachers Pay Teachers. This free e-book by Rachel Lynette explains how to use them in detail:

Tiered Lesson Template
This blog post from Marsha McGuire at A Differentiated Kindergarten shows you how to plan a tiered lesson and includes an editable template. Even though the featured classroom is a kindergarten, Marsha's system would work effectively with all age groups.

Using Color to Help You Tier Differentiated Activities

Learning Menus
This packet from the University of Virginia Curry School of Education teaches you how to create learning menus or choice menus, which offer students a variety of learning activities to choose from, depending on their interests and learning profiles.

Choice Menus (PDF)

There's No Time to Differentiate: Myth-Busting DI, Part 2
by John McCarthy
This Edutopia article discusses some of the myths about and objections to differentiation.

Dr. Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum
This website is based entirely on the Layered Curriculum philosophy. Somewhere between a learning menu and a tiered unit, a layered curriculum looks like an interesting take on differentiation and is worth a look once you've got the basics down.

Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom
by Carol Tomlinson and Marcia Imbeau
Although I have not read this one, I got a recommendation from Dr. Jennifer Beasley, an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas. "This is a practical guide for how to begin to establish routines and practices that facilitate differentiation. We all know that we could have the most beautiful lesson on paper and see that same lesson fall apart in the classroom as a result of forgetting to give directions for handing out materials. This resource offers many practical examples for putting some routines in place to allow for working in groups, answering questions, or even talking with your students about differentiation."

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A Starter Kit for Differentiated Instruction

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A collection of the clearest, most high-quality books, articles, videos, and downloadable documents for learning how to differentiate in your classroom.

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Make math learning fun and effective with Prodigy Math Game. Free for students, parents and educators. Sign up today!

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Quality professional development is essential to improving public education and the teaching profession. In addition to CTA's numerous events designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to enhance your livelihood, your own colleagues are providing assistance to fellow educators as they navigate the Common Core State Standards and other pertinent areas within our profession. Whether it's attending one of CTA's annual conferences, participating in some of the many trainings or workshops offered throughout the year, or learning from the true experts in the field - classroom teachers - you will find a wealth practical information and resources for successful educational experiences in and outside of the classroom.

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Quality professional development is essential to improving public education and the teaching profession. In addition to CTA's numerous events designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to enhance your livelihood, your own colleagues are providing assistance to fellow educators as they navigate the Common Core State Standards and other pertinent areas within our profession.

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Professional Development - CA Teacher Workshops

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Professional Development - CA Teacher Workshops

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Professional Development & Teacher Workshops in California

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Nationally Recognized Education Resource Website. We help find the right School, College, Camp, Library, Museum, Program, Business in your community.

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Professional Development - Classroom Management

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Professional Development - Classroom Management

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Professional Development - Supporting ELL Students

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Professional Development - Supporting ELL Students

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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Professional Development - Supporting Students with Special Needs

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Professional Development - Supporting Students with Special Needs

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It can be challenging to select instructional materials and methods, which will enrich student learning. The key is first understanding the needs of every student. In particular, all teachers need to understand how to provide for students with special needs.

There are an estimated 6.6 million special needs students in our schools today, making up 13% of our school population. How can we make sure that all teachers are prepared for special needs students, especially when the majority of teachers are not certified special education teachers, nor may engage in regular training related to special education.

I recently attended a session on "inclusion" at EdCamp Pittsburgh which was a very informative, open discussion, where two special education teachers responded to the questions and concerns expressed in regard to special needs students. There were three main questions with some really helpful ideas shared.

Common Questions

How can teachers create a supportive learning environment for students?

Start with the relationships. Create opportunities for students to interact by designing some relationship building activities. For example, one teacher mentioned taking three minutes in class to have students group themselves according to animals or foods they like, or their birthdays. When students see what they have in common with one another, they begin to build trust and relationships. Realizing that they might have a lot in common, that someone else in the class is "just like me", can be used as a springboard to ongoing relationship building.

What do you do when having a mix of auditory, visual, and IEPs in a regular classroom?

Offer opportunities for students to engage in reading together. Place students into mixed ability groups and have time to interact with each group. Students need to hear fluent reading and have practice, so by pairing students with fluent readers, students can build their skills. In these activities, both students get practice modeling good reading and working together. Some tools used for this are Lexia and Alphabet Prosody.

How do teachers learn strategies, what are tools to use, what works best for students in your classroom environment?

When possible, co-teaching is a great way to provide additional support in the classroom. It opens up the opportunity to work with small groups or to design independent learning centers, which focus on specific skills. One EdCamp attendee shared that in her classroom, two learning centers may be focused on the same skill but delivered in a different format, or offer adaptations to help students become more independent. Making time to work with the special education teachers and share strategies is key.

Start with the Right Resources

It can be difficult to find enough tools or instructional strategies to use, but with the right resources and connections, it becomes easier to find something for each student. We also need to be prepared to provide additional support for the families of our special needs students.

Special Education Teachers: When I took my graduate courses in special education, I developed a much greater understanding and appreciation of the work done by special education teachers. There was so much that I did not know, and it is critical that teachers have time to work with one another and build relationships. The phrase "I wish that general education teachers knew...about special education" would be a great way to start a conversation, as there is so much to know and it can be confusing to a general education teacher. Making time to collaborate and even co-teach will have a great impact on student-teacher/teacher-teacher relationships. With technology, connecting can be done through tools such as Twitter (follow #specialneeds, #spedchat, #inclusion) or create a group to talk using a tool like Voxer.

Supporting Families: Families need advice, assistance and advocates. Finding the time can be difficult, so it makes sense to share the resources which enable families to access information when they need it. There are books focused on special needs, that can help families to better understand and explain special needs. There are local, state and national organizations which focus on special needs as a whole, or that are specific to a disability or serve as an advocacy organization. Educators and families can connect in a Google Community to learn about AT (Assistive Technology) which includes many Chrome extensions. The use of a messaging app such as BloomzApp or Remind enables families to reach out with questions when needed.

Tech Tools: There are tremendous apps and digital tools that educators and families can use to provide ongoing support for students.
1) Common Sense Media includes sample lesson plans, digital tools and apps with user reviews, providing a reference point for educators or families looking for additional learning materials.

2) AbiTalk offers numerous apps for different target areas and also more specific apps for Speech Therapy and special needs, with a description of each and link to directly download.

3) EdShelf, where you can look at the recommended apps and read what other educators have said about the tools and their benefits for classroom use.

4) One resource, A Day in Our Shoes, recently offered a list of 100+ apps for Autism and Special Needs, including different categories specific to disability type and skill.

5) Bridging Apps offers apps and reviews, to "bridge the gap between technology and people with disabilities." Most recently included a list of the 7 best apps for Autism Awareness month

6) Helper Bird is a Chrome extension which uses OpenDyslexic font, overrides the text on a webpage to make it easier to read.

7) Magnus Cards is a new, free autism app, for use on a handheld device, serves to help the user follow a step-by-step guide to get through various situations. It is an app to help people with cognitive special needs, for example to sensitivity to sound, crowds, or confusion based on certain situations.

8) Autism Speaks helps families to locate community events and centers, links to other resources such as information about grants, non-English resources, and other helpful tips. There is an option to search for Apps based on the function of the app itself or more specific apps for developing social skills, behavioral interventions, and others which are based on specific learning targets. Apps have been quite effective in helping students with Autism.

All teachers need to be invested in providing for all students. We also need to make sure that the families have access to the information and resources they need in order to provide support at home as well. By setting up a means of communicating with our colleagues, the families, and continuing to look for and share resources, it becomes easier to facilitate the best possible learning opportunities for all students.

For more, see:
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Rachelle Dene Poth is a Foreign Language and STEAM Teacher at Riverview Junior/Senior High in Oakmont, PA. Follow her on Twitter at @rdene915

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Working with Special Needs Students: What Do All Teachers Need to Know?

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It can be challenging to select instructional materials and methods, which will enrich student learning. The key is first understanding the needs of every student. In particular, all teachers need to understand how to provide for students with special needs. Rachelle Dene Poth shares what she has learned.

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Professional Development - Supporting Gifted and Talented Students

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Professional Development - Supporting Gifted and Talented Students

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Gifted students-you may or may not spot them in your classroom. They may be highly visible, like the high achievers or straight- A students. But they may also be among those students who don't finish their work (it's never perfect enough), who zone out or act out in class (they're bored), or who test poorly because they overthink things ("Hmmm, this answer might be true in this case, but it might not be true in that case").

Some schools and districts have substantial resources to identify and support giftedness, wherever it shows up. Some offer pull-out programs. Others offer cluster grouping, in which gifted students are grouped in specific classes at each grade level.

Dina Brulles, director of gifted education in the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Ariz., believes gifted students need less grade-level work, faster-paced lessons, deeper and more advanced content, and opportunities to work with other gifted students. They also require a different kind of interaction with the teacher, who must be less of a "sage on the stage" and more of a "guide on the side."

M. René Islas, executive director of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), notes one persistent challenge to gifted education-a lack of uniformity in programming. A recent NAGC study found that 19 states don't monitor gifted programs at the local level, only seven require their districts to report on gifted student achievement, and fewer than half report on the race and ethnicity of their gifted students (minorities are significantly underrepresented in gifted programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights).

But there are promising signals as well, explains Islas. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states and districts to track the progress of their highest-achieving students and allows schools to use Title I funds to identify and support gifted students. Plus, the law opens up the possibility for schools to use computer-adaptive assessments to recognize student mastery of content above grade level.

Then there are the challenges and opportunities at the school level. With the following strategies, teachers can tend to the complex needs of their high-ability students in the heterogeneous classroom.

"Gifted students don't need to do 25 problems in math when they can do the five most difficult first to demonstrate mastery," says Brulles. She offers this opportunity to all students, not just those identified as gifted. Students who successfully complete the five problems are excused from that night's homework. If classwork is involved, the teacher simply needs to have a few extension activities on hand-tasks that carry the concept to the next level-for students to work on quietly while others complete the regular assignment.

"Most Difficult First" is one manageable way for teachers to compact the curriculum for their high-ability students. With compacting, students get to "throw away" the part of the curriculum that they already know, while receiving full credit for those competencies. This frees up students to work on more challenging content.

Let's say a teacher is teaching two-digit multiplication. He might do some direct instruction for 10 minutes, then offer students the end-of-chapter test, saying, "If you get 90 percent or higher, you won't have to do the homework or practice work. You'll have different work to do." According to Brulles, some gifted students will take this option, whereas others may decide, "I don't know this; I need the practice work." Again, as in Most Difficult First, this strategy requires having extension work for students who test out of the material.

Susan Flores, a 2nd grade teacher in Paradise Valley, meets a range of student abilities by using the standard as her baseline. "My desk serves as a staging area. I have several piles of activities there that take a concept up or down."

For example, when the class is working on the distributive property in math, those "piles" might include differentiated worksheets, word problems, and task cards. Depending on how students grasp the concept, Flores can either reteach, offer practice, or enrich.

Flores also uses "choice boards." In math, she might offer nine ways that students can demonstrate learning of multiplication. "Students can [use] one of their iPad apps or create a game. They jump in where they want to jump in," she notes.

All students in Flores's class can choose whether they want to take their learning to the next level. "I don't say, 'Because you're gifted, you get choice, and because you're not gifted, you don't.'" Optional challenge work is available to anyone who wants to try it.

Janice Mak, a gifted cluster teacher and 7th and 8th grade STEM teacher in Paradise Valley, gives students a menu of options in her computer science class. After stu-dents learn the basics of programming-perhaps through an online course from Stanford University or work with Google CS First clubs-they work in teams to create a robot. Students choose the level of complexity, from designing dogs that bark to building miniature disco rooms in which a record plays and lights flash.

Students can also tailor a project to their interests. In a module on architecture, some students designed a playground for Egyptian students using Legos, Build with Chrome, or Minecraft. One student opted instead to recreate the White House using Minecraft.

The Ignite presentation format offers another way for Mak to differentiate work on the basis of student interest. The presenter has exactly 5 minutes and 20 slides, which auto-advance every 15 seconds, to discuss a topic of interest (aligned to the unit). This activity allows students to share their passion with their peers, be it nanotechnology and its role in medicine, the physics of roller coasters, or the latest advances in virtual reality.

According to education expert Jenny Grant Rankin, knowing a student's emotional intensities-what Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski called "overexcitabilities"-is also key to teaching gifted students. Dabrowski identified five areas of sensitivity that are strongly related to giftedness: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional.

Overexcitabilities will often appear as quirks, such as compulsive talking or organizing, heightened sensitivity to smells or tastes, insatiable curiosity, or daydreaming. Knowing a student's overexcitabilities can help teachers shape engaging-and personalized-learning experiences. An imaginational student will benefit from an assignment that he's free to complete in a unique way. An intellectual student will prefer to investigate why certain areas of the world struggle with starvation rather than simply listing those areas. Although we tend to see overexcitabilities negatively, they are often accompanied by great creativity, imagination, and drive.

According to NAGC, research shows that enabling gifted students to work together in groups boosts their academic achievement and benefits other students in the classroom, as well. When gifted students work together, they challenge themselves in unexpected ways. They bounce ideas off one another and take a peer's idea to a new place. They also learn that as smart as they are, they, too, must exert effort with challenging content-and that they'll sometimes fail along the way.

That said, gifted kids need to work both in and out of their group. "As adults, we have to be able to work with everyone," explains Flores, "and gifted students might not learn this if they're always separated out." Teachers can provide multiple opportunities for heterogeneous groupings through Think-Pair-Shares, Clock Buddies, and Season Teams.

This approach relies on planning lessons or units at different tiers of difficulty. But does this require teachers to add to their already full plates?

"I don't see it as doing one more thing; I see it as being more strategic," explains Mak. Teachers have to plan for their lessons, so why not develop deep and complex activities for high-ability students at the same time? This one way of planning-providing work at the entry, advanced, and extension levels or at varying Depth of Knowledge Levels-offers a multiplicity of ways to learn. It may take more time in the planning stage, but it is ultimately more efficient because bored students aren't acting out or zoning out in class-they've got challenging work to do-and struggling students are getting support. Once teachers create these tiered resources, they can use them again and again.

Author Carol Ann Tomlinson advocates teaching up -"a practice of first planning a lesson that's challenging for high-end learners and then differentiating for other learners by providing supports that enable them to access that more sophisticated learning opportunity." It replaces "the more common practice of planning for mid-range performers, then extending that lesson for advanced students and watering it down for others." This approach, Tomlinson says, challenges advanced learners more than trying to pump up a "middling" idea-and serves other students better as well.

All students have the right to learn something new every day, whether they are in regular classrooms or in special education, language acquisition, or gifted programs. And every student will benefit from being pulled up to go beyond the curriculum at times.

But as Tomlinson points out, "Learning should be joyful or at least satisfying, rather than just hard."

Is this challenging for educators? Sure. But according to Flores, "Any good teacher can do these things well. It's just good teaching."

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Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

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Find practical ways to tend to the complex needs of your high-ability students-without taking the joy out of learning.

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Resources on IEPs for Students with Disabilities - Services & Resources (CA Dept of Education)

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Resources on individualized education programs (IEPs) to improve instruction, assessment, and accountability for students with disabilities.

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Studies Weekly Online Curriculum - Interactive Website

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Studies Weekly Online Curriculum - Interactive Website

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Studies Weekly Social Studies Curriculum for K-8

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With engaging and colorful weekly newspapers or magazines, the Studies Weekly K-8 Social Studies curriculum is the modern textbook.