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VAN WERT - According to the most recent statistics, half of the U.S. population is not able to read and comprehend a book that is at an eighth grade level. Stephanie Renner, a junior high intervention specialist at Lincolnview Local Schools, is doing her best to help her students increase their reading levels, while helping them gain a love for reading that will benefit them long after graduation.

While Renner has a wide range of students at different reading levels, some of her students are on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help them advance their reading skills as much as possible. To aid in this, Renner begins each year finding books that will interest her students.

"Each year I'll go to Barns & Noble, and different book stores, and say, 'Okay what are the top books for this age group?'" said Renner. "I try to find books that don't look like a baby book, but the level might be a third or fourth grade level. I'll try to find series that are fun. If you don't make reading fun for the kids, they don't want to do it."

At the start of each school year, Renner gives a survey to the students that asks what kind of books they like and what they like to learn about outside of school. She then tries to find books that accommodate those interests.

"For all the kids, we want to see their reading level go up a year's growth," said Renner. "That may not be possible for everyone but even half a year's growth is major for some kids."

The goal for Renner is to get her students to a fourth or fifth grade level by the time they enter high school. She uses several different strategies to help students comprehend what they are reading.

"Sometimes when you give a kid a book it's so overwhelming for them," said Renner. "I encourage them to do audio books or to have someone read with them at home, and I think they get it when they hear someone read to them. Some kids are very auditory, others are very visual so we try to play on that both ways for the kids. I think the biggest thing is to find the love of reading. If you can't read, everything else is going to fall apart."

Another strategy she uses is to read books that also have movies so that the students can visualize the story better.

Books in the class room are used to not only advance the student's reading abilities, but to teach them about social issues in the world as well. This year, students read a book called, "A Long Walk To Water," which depicted the struggles of other countries who do not have clean water or access to school every day.

"A book opened their eyes to not just our little corner of the world, it opened them up to the fact that there are still places in 2018 that don't have clean water and don't have a school," said Renner.

"My goal is to teach kids to love to read and to show them that even if you struggle, that doesn't mean you're going to struggle your whole life," added Renner. "Sometimes junior high will be the key point that if I can reach them, and I can work with them a little bit one on one or even in a class setting, if I can plant that little seed of getting them to like reading, by the time they get to high school and beyond, I feel like they have a better grasp at life in general."

According to the National Council for Adult Learning, low literacy rates cost the U.S. at least $225 billion each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.

Children who are read to at a young age are more likely to count to 20 or higher than those who were not, are more likely to write their own names, are more likely to read on their own, and are more likely to test higher on other subjects like math and science.

"If you can't read and comprehend something, no matter what job you have, you're going to struggle, and there's not always going to be someone there that you can constantly ask questions of," said Renner. "I tell the kids it's important to see that reading is the key to everything. Education is power; education isn't just reading, writing, math, science, and getting good grades, it's learning to comprehend, it's learning to judge a situation, read into it, comprehend what to do, think about your choices, and then act on that."

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Lincolnview teacher aims to develop students' reading skills

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VAN WERT - According to the most recent statistics, half of the U.S. population is not able to read and comprehend a book that is at an eighth grade level. Stephanie Renner, a junior high intervention specialist at Lincolnview Local Schools, is doing her best to help her students increase their reading levels, while helping them gain a love for reading that will benefit them long after graduation.

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Reading Aloud:  A Method for Breaking Down Equity Barriers

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Reading Aloud:  A Method for Breaking Down Equity Barriers

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It is harder now for high school students to focus on and make sense of long, complex texts, particularly the underserved students who were already struggling with reading.

The 24-hour news and entertainment cycle, cellphones, work schedules and family problems are just a few of the pressures competing for teens' attention. That means when teachers assign the reading of literature for homework and use class time for lectures and quizzes, they may not be providing the engagement necessary to compete with such distractions.

One strong solution is to have teachers read aloud to their classes, then move into leading inquiry-based discussions about texts.

In this shared-experience vision of reading aloud, students are following along, taking notes with old-school technology: a pencil.
Related: Students can't learn if they don't show up at school
The benefits of reading aloud to students have been known for decades. A landmark report called " Becoming a Nation of Readers " identified listening as "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading." This report by the National Academy of Education, the National Institute of Education, and the Center for the Study of Reading may have been published more than 30 years ago, but that truth is timeless.

"In this shared-experience vision of reading aloud, students are following along, taking notes with old-school technology: a pencil."

More recent research indicates that for students - even those in high school - hearing literature aloud helps model fluency in diction and tone, build background knowledge, and develop language acquisition skills. So, for better literature comprehension and appreciation from their high school students, teachers should continue to read aloud to their classes.

Here are five reasons why:

1) Even if a text is above a student's reading level, that doesn't mean it's above their comprehension level. Some students are able to listen to high-level texts that they could not read on their own. In turn, the students push their own complex ideas further when they're read to aloud. Listening to a piece read at someone else's pace allows high school students the freedom to follow their own curiosity as they absorb a text. Their attention is no longer split between decoding and critical thinking. To further support their lines of thought, teachers can encourage students to mark their texts as they listen, which can help teachers know what questions students have and maximize their engagement with a text.

2) Teachers can access a wide range of reading levels within one classroom. The opportunity to listen to a text - instead of reading it independently - makes literature accessible to students who struggle to read on their own. If learners follow along with a text as they listen, it will allow them to gain a better understanding of unfamiliar words and the language as a whole. Reading aloud is also a tool to support, rather than call out or section off, those who read independently at a slower pace or are still emerging fluent readers.

3) Reading aloud is an effective replacement for both "popcorn" and "round-robin" reading. Though the merits of these approaches have been argued for many years, both approaches require focus on decoding a text rather than thinking about the narrative itself. Therefore, a reader's ability to discuss thoroughly is diminished. Further, if students are anticipating, or even dreading, their turns to read, they're not truly comprehending the words on the page. And constantly changing voices, speeds and tones is not a natural way to hear a story.

4) Hearing a text read aloud also supports students' ability to remember key information. This enables them to think critically about the text, and formulate and express their own reflections, which allows the students the ability to share their thoughts in writing or discussion.

5) Listening to a story can be more relaxing for busy high school students, and can lead to a lifelong appreciation for storytelling and literature. As everyone listens silently to the same story at once, it's a fun, communal experience. For many high school students, reading a book they're not interested in for class becomes an aversive experience reinforced by similar ways of approaching a text. All too often, this can lead to a disdain for reading later in life.
Related: A school once known for gang activity is now sending kids to college
A talented, expressive teacher can bring a poem, story or other written work to life and allow listeners to experience things they may not have noticed had they simply read the piece to themselves.
Macbeth: But what if we fail - Lady Macbeth: We, fail?
That makes it easier to understand a story and empathize with characters, thus boosting appreciation for the story as well as comprehension of it.

A teacher can also model multiple interpretations of a text by reading aloud. For example, consider these lines from Macbeth, Act I, Scene 7:

Lady Macbeth's interruption can be understood in many ways. One interpretation could be "There is no we - only you," to Macbeth. In other words, she is telling Macbeth before the journey begins that if the overthrow is a failure, he will die alone. Another way to read the line could be a foolhardy and resounding, "We won't fail, you dolt. I, unlike you, have thought this out. We're going to end up ruling." Finally, a potentially less confident Lady Macbeth could respond with a cracked, high alto of "Why would you say that to me when I'm already nervous enough?"

By reading these lines aloud to a classroom, teachers can illustrate the possibilities of this response so students can choose the lens through which they'll interpret a text, putting students back in charge of their own minds and building upon the engaging experience of hearing a story aloud.

However, simply listening to an audiobook isn't enough. It's also crucial for students to interact and follow along with the words on the page as they listen.
This story was produced by Danielle Martin, an education consultant with the Great Books Foundation, has more than 15 years of experience in the education sector. She began her work as a teaching artist in Philadelphia, winning a Barrymore Award for her ability to create inclusive learning environments. The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for our newsletter.
Students should participate in critical, inquiry-based classroom discussions led by their teacher to further comprehend and appreciate works of fiction and non-fiction.

The discussions encourage students to slow down, pick up a book and relax with a great story, regardless of what else might be going on in their lives. This fosters an interest and engagement in literature that is exciting for all students.

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OPINION: Here's a way teachers can help break down equity barriers in high school: reading aloud to students - The Hechinger Report

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It is harder now for high school students to focus on and make sense of long, complex texts, particularly the underserved students who were already struggling with reading. The 24-hour news and entertainment cycle, cellphones, work schedules and family problems are just a few of the pressures competing for teens' attention.

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What Doesn't Work:  Literacy Practices We Should Abandon

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What Doesn't Work:  Literacy Practices We Should Abandon

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from Edutopia

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What Doesn’t Work: Literacy Practices We Should Abandon

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The number one concern that I hear from educators is lack of time, particularly lack of instructional time with students. Although we can’t entirely solve the time problem, we can mitigate it by carefully analyzing our use of class time.

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From Edutopia. A really great article with ideas for talk and sentence stems for various content areas.

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Strategies for developing confident speakers who can share their thoughts and learning.

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Teaching Learning Targets in the Classroom

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Teaching Learning Targets in the Classroom

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A rather lengthy video, but good information.

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Teaching Learning Targets in the Classroom

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Leveling the Playing Field:  Sharing Learning Targets

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Leveling the Playing Field:  Sharing Learning Targets

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We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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Listening Closely to Students Talk about Math

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Listening Closely to Students Talk about Math

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Great ideas for math teachers!

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A MiddleWeb Blog

A few weeks ago I led a study session to help students prepare for an AP exam. I put students in groups of 2 or 3 and asked them to discuss and answer multiple choice questions. These were not my students and we were not in my classroom, nor my school.

I walked from group to group and listened, I mean really listened. There were some very good discussions. Sometimes students would get something wrong, but for the most part they were able to talk it out and reach the right answer. When they didn't get the right answer, it helped me understand what their misconceptions were. I learned so much!

Turns out, just listening, really listening, to students provided me with some great formative assessment. I have always known that it is helpful to the students to talk with their peers about math. I think math talk helps students solidify their thinking, make connections, and remember what they have learned. What I have been underestimating is how much it would help me.

Teacher as Listener

On the way home (it was a six-hour drive) I started thinking about why I seemed to get so much more from listening to students during this workshop than I usually do in my own classroom. And I do walk around and try to listen to my students as they discuss math problems and concepts.

It dawned on me that, at the workshop, I wasn't responsible for all the logistics that normally accompany the classroom experience. I didn't have to take attendance, I didn't have to answer the intercom or check my email for a list of students who would be on a field trip. In my own classroom my attention is divided. At the workshop I was able to focus on the math learning process and really listen to what the students were saying.

So, I am glad I had this opportunity because it reminded me how important math talk is in the classroom. Although I can't eliminate distractions in my own teaching space, I can control how I respond to them.

By the time I got home, I was really determined to make it a regular habit to encourage math talk, so I decided to do some research. I was looking for some specific information:

1.) Strategies (activities) that would promote student conversations about math and would fit into my current classroom routine.

2.) How I can become a better listener and actually focus on what my students are saying.

Strategies and Activities that Promote Math Talk

I remembered that the Formative Assessment Lessons provided by MARS (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service) dealt with the teachers' role while students discussed math activities. (If you haven't had the chance to do a formative assessment lesson, I really recommend that you try one.) Embedded in almost every lesson is an activity for a student to do with a partner, such as a card sort or some matching activity.

After we return from Christmas Break will be a great time to incorporate a MARS lesson. I am looking at Properties of Exponents (8th grade). As students work with a partner to match equivalent expressions, the teacher is instructed to "note different student approaches to the task and to support student problem solving." The teachers are further instructed to "listen to...students carefully." ( Source) I'm excited to try this lesson, with renewed attention to listening and the goal of formatively assessing my students' understanding.

Eavesdropping on the Gallery Walk

Another strategy that I want to try is called a Gallery Walk. I have used Gallery Walks in the past, but I wanted to focus on listening closely to students' discussions as they rotated through the "Gallery." I found a great explanation for a gallery walk at "Gallery Walk, Math Congress and Bansho." ( Source)

The way it works is that students are given a problem, which they work on in small groups. They then post their solution on chart paper. Groups spend 3-5 minutes at each posted solution and add comments and suggestions which they write on sticky notes.

Groups rotate until every group has had a chance to visit each chart poster, giving students an opportunity to "discuss their classmates' solutions." As students are having these discussions, the teacher listens, observes, and "gauges student understanding."

Becoming a Better Listener

I have had to admit that I am not always a good listener. I think my attempts to multi-task have caused me to develop some bad listening habits, which has kept me from really benefiting when I try to listen to students' discussions about math. To a degree, multi-tasking is unavoidable for teachers, but I can certainly make the effort to improve my listening skills.

I found the following articles to be helpful: Training the Brain to Listen: A Practical Strategy for Student Learning and Classroom Management and 9 Listening Strategies that Develop Active Listeners. Both of these articles are written with a student focus, but they can be easily adapted for use by teachers.

"9 Listening Strategies that Develop Active Listeners" suggested that making predictions as to what would be said would increase listening skills. To adapt that suggestion for my classroom, I plan to work the problem that the students are working in advance, and do so using more than one method. I plan to really think about how students might approach the problem and what misconceptions they might have.

Another suggestion was to take notes. In practice, I do find it easier to focus when taking short notes. Question-writing is also useful. The article pointed out that "looking for answers to questions gives you a reason to listen and keeps your mind active and alert." So, before the activity, I plan to create questions that I can quickly ask myself during the course of the students' math talk. For example, what strategy/strategies did the student use? Or perhaps, what did the students learn from this activity? Or what misconceptions did students have?

Looking Forward

In the coming months I plan to spend more time listening and providing students with an opportunity to talk to each other. I know I need to continue to hone and improve my listening skills and make the effort to implement activities that encourage math talk.

If anyone has any suggestions for how to promote good student math discussions, or tips for being a better listener, please share!
Additional Resources I found helpful
... Talking Math: 6 Strategies for Getting Students to Engage in Mathematical Discourse

... How to Improve Mathematical Discourse in Your Classroom

... Three Ways I've Become A Better Listener

... Student Discourse Observation Protocol
Photo credits: Kevin Jarrett, Bigstock

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Listening Closely to Students Talk about Math

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A MiddleWeb Blog A few weeks ago I led a study session to help students prepare for an AP exam. I put students in groups of 2 or 3 and asked them to discuss and answer multiple choice questions. These were not my students and we were not in my classroom, nor my school.

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Protocol for Grounding

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Attribution

Developed by Gene Thompson-Grove.

Description

Connections is a way for people to build a bridge from where they are or have been (mentally, physically, etc.) to where they will be going and what they will be doing. It is a time for individuals to reflect - within the context of a group - upon a thought, a story, an insight, a question, or a feeling that they are carrying with them into the session, and then connect it to the work they are about to do. Most people engage in Connections at the beginning of a meeting, class, or gathering.

Last Updated

March 30, 2017

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Connections is a way for people to build a bridge from where they are or have been (mentally, physically, etc.) to where they will be going and what they will be doing. It is a time for individuals to reflect - within the context of a group - upon a thought, a story, an insight,...

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Graphic Organizer for planning lessons.

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Want to see what the Thinking Strategies look like specifically for your content area? This booklet explains Thinking Strategies for various content areas.

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A good intro resource for conferring.

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How is it going? Those four little words can be one of the best questions you ask your students each day.

As educators we are always looking for the best resources, strategies and lessons to use when teaching our students. But I can tell you one thing that we often overlook is conferring. In my classroom, I conferred with students daily on their reading, writing and math. Conferring with our students can be beneficial for many reasons and can easily become a part of your classroom routine too.

Conferring is simply having a discussion with your students to exchange ideas and gather input from them about their own learning. It can be used in reading, math, writing or with any other content area. Conferring can help build community and positive relationships with your students, as well as give you and the students insight into how they learn best.

During a conference you can offer differentiated instruction as you monitor each student's individual growth, provide him or her with specific feedback and set goals for improvement. Conferring is also useful in helping you plan instruction for your students.

How do you confer with a student?
For an effective conferring session - or conference - start with the location. You can go to the individual student where he or she is already working. Sit beside the student one-to-one to show your attention is focused on the individual. This is a great set up for sharing books or materials. It makes for a more relaxed discussion and allows you to really listen to what the student shares.

Listening during the conference is key. You may ask the student a question to get started, but leave it very open ended. I find it best to simply ask "How is it going?" and then give him or her time to answer. As I listen, I focus on what the student is telling me and make simple notes, but at the same time I stay focused on the conversation.

I honestly don't know the second comment or question I will ask in a conference because it is specific to what the student shared. This can make it very difficult in knowing how to continue a conference once you begin, so here is some advice "listen, think, teach, try."

I found these words in an article by Isabel Sawyer, a regional director at the Center for the Collaborative Classroom. Sawyer said, "Listen to what the child has to say; think about what is most important to praise them for and help them with; teach them one thing that is new and give them a way to try it out." In other words, there is no way to predict what you will say or teach in a conference because it is based on the student's needs.

What do you teach during the conference?
Think about how you can best use the conference to meet the needs of each student. During a conference you may hear several things you want to discuss or teach the student, however, only focus on one. Decide on the one strategy or skill that will be most beneficial or effective to him or her. Maybe the student needs to practice decoding words, drawing out mathematical thinking or adding dialogue to their writing. Keeping the conference focused on one teaching moment will help the student feel focused and not overwhelmed.

How long should a conference be and how often should they occur?
A typical conference should be about 5 to 7 minutes long. I know it doesn't seem like much time, but those few minutes can have great rewards. Keep in mind that you won't be able to sit down with every student every day. With planning, however, you can reach many students each day and throughout the week.

I kept a list of my students and recorded who I had conferred with and when. Each day I would have a goal of reaching out to three to four students; sometimes I would get in more and sometimes less. But for those I was able to reach, the time was well spent.

How do you keep documentation during conferences?
You can use a binder, notebook, clipboard or even technology. Just make sure that you have a place where you can record each student's conference notes. I used a binder for each subject that was divided by the students in my class. Each section had several sheets for me to record the student's progress, my teaching and the goal or next steps.

In reading, I carried the binder with me from student to student. However, in math I found it more useful to carry a clipboard with a single sheet for the whole class and a few sheets for individual students. On the whole class sheet I could record notes about each student and where they were in the lesson. On the other sheets, I could record specific notes about each pair of students who were working together that I conferred with too. The key is to do what works for you and your students.

So, how is it going? Has your interest in conferring been piqued?

Even if you aren't able to commit the time for conferring with students every day, try giving it some time each week. The more you are willing to try, the easier it will get. Remember that those four little words - how is it going - can help you get to your ultimate goal of improved student learning.
Belinda Furman is beginning her first year as the curriculum specialist at Mason-Corinth Elementary School (Grant County). She is in her 18th year at Grant County Schools. She taught last year at Sherman Elementary as a 2nd-grade teacher and her first 16 years at Dry Ridge Elementary. Furman earned her bachelor's degree from Northern Kentucky University, her master's degree in instructional leadership from Eastern Kentucky University and achieved her Rank 1 through National Board certification. She is the 2018 Kentucky Elementary Teacher of the Year.

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How is it going? Those four little words can be one of the best questions you ask your students each day. As educators we are always looking for the best resources, strategies and lessons to use when teaching our students. But I can tell you one thing that we often overlook is conferring.

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Interesting blog with specific ideas for how to confer. From teachingthinkingblog.com

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Teaching Thinking is on a mission to make our classrooms about thinking, choice, and collaboration. Let's make our schools thinking-centered environments where struggle is encouraged and celebrated for what it brings us- growth!

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How American History Teachers Are Using "Hamilton" the Musical in Classrooms.

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How American History Teachers Are Using "Hamilton" the Musical in Classrooms.

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Love the musical, love the ideas here for increasing student engagement.

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Teachers are using the music in various ways, with multiple educational goals. Andrea Moverman, who teaches U.S. history to 11 th graders at Millennium Brooklyn High School, used snippets of songs to provoke interest in the Revolutionary War.

"I played the beginning of ' Guns and Ships, ' and then asked them, 'What was our secret weapon?' " she said, referring to Hamilton's friend and ally, Marquis de Lafayette, which the song soon reveals. "The kids wanted more," she added. "They said, 'Keep playing it!' "

To help her students understand the arguments for and against creating a national bank - a subject many kids might find snooze-worthy - Moverman played the song Cabinet Battle #1, which pitted Alexander Hamilton in a rap duel against Thomas Jefferson. Her students' delight over this exchange prompted Moverman to assign rap battles as projects; she divided kids into competing sides and asked them to craft arguments in rap form. One of her favorite rap battles: two opposing camps debating the legacy of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, some representing plaintiffs and others defendants, and all relying on major court cases to make their case.

"I've rethought almost all my projects after this rap battle was so successful," she said.

Lois MacMillan also assigned historical hip-hop raps for her eighth-graders, all of them grounded in historical documents. They performed their rap debates on a variety of issues - the soldiers' conditions in the American Revolution, the virtues of Henry Knox, the legacy of various British kings - in front of their class.

Teachers insist that the learning goes beyond composing and memorizing catchy lyrics. Using excerpts from biographies, Hamilton's correspondence, clips from the soundtrack and other primary documents, Emrich's eighth-graders try to discern if Hamilton's character caused his death. MacMillan's main educational goal in focusing on Hamilton is to underscore the primacy of writing. Alexander Hamilton wrote his way out of poverty, she said, and she reminds her students that skilled writing is the clearest sign of scholarship - and the best way to rise up and alter your circumstance.

For his part, history teacher Dr. Jim Cullen, who will be offering an elective course for 11 th and 12 th graders on the musical Hamilton at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, will ask students to delve into three themes: looking at a period of history through one person's eyes, studying the artistry of the play itself and exploring how non-historians understand the past. Like MacMillan and Emrich, Cullen uses primary sources to ground the course in scholarship. "They are learning at such a deep level," Emrich said of his students.

Hamilton is especially galvanizing for the student who believes that stories about 18 th century America are distant and irrelevant. For many history teachers, making "ancient" subjects come alive is their biggest challenge. "As much as we'd like to make it exciting, history is mostly about a bunch of dead guys," Emrich said.

Hamilton works in the classroom - and the theater - because these founding fathers aren't bloodless, two-dimensional cutouts who devoted their lives to abstract principles. Rather, they're husbands, rivals, fathers, friends, lovers - all of them human, and afflicted with vices along with their virtues: pride, arrogance, anger, envy, lust and greed. Emrich's students are so emotionally involved in the music and the story of Alexander Hamilton that some blew up when they learned about his extramarital affairs. "Some kids were destroyed by his infidelities; that's how passionate they are," Emrich said. One hopeful student wrote Miranda and invited him to the school.

Eighth-graders in MacMillan's U.S. history class are equally enthralled with Hamilton, both the man and the music. "I've memorized the soundtrack," said Alexandra Baksay, who added that she's never felt for a historical figure the way she does about Alexander Hamilton. Her classmates, many of whom have read David MuCullough's mammoth account of the Revolutionary War, 1776, while preparing their rap battle assignments, nicknamed her "AH" in honor of Hamilton.

"He was a super-inspiring person who took advantage of his brilliant mind and changed the world for the better," said classmate Elie Lindsey. Briony Bowman chimed in: "The musical aspect made it a lot more fun, and easier to learn about Alexander Hamilton." The complexity of the material she's encountered while studying Hamilton, adds Jenna Robinson, has improved her understanding of language arts. And the racial diversity of the cast, Alexa said, "is really empowering."

None of these students in Grants Pass, Oregon, has seen Hamilton performed in New York. But starting in April, some 20,000 public school students in New York City will be given tickets to the play for a mere $10 each. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, a nonprofit devoted to improving history education, was awarded a substantial gift from the Rockefeller Foundation to make the play accessible for kids who otherwise wouldn't likely see the show - a deprivation felt by many for the sold-out play. To make the performance more than a fleeting experience for the students, and to help teachers guide discussions, Gilder Lehrman has provided an online reservoir of resources on Alexander Hamilton, including primary sources, videos and essays.

Teachers needn't let geographic or economic obstacles, nor their unfamiliarity with modern music, keep them from introducing Hamilton to their students.

"I had to learn what hip-hop was," said MacMillan, who tends to prefer jazz. "It just turns on kids," she added, especially those who find history sedating and lifeless. At least 100 kids at her school have downloaded the soundtrack; they play it nonstop at lunch, and several performed the opening number from the play at the school's talent show. Andrea Moverman in Brooklyn encourages teachers to try just snippets of songs in the class if the whole soundtrack feels overwhelming; use it as a hook to engage and introduce a subject, she suggested. Justin Emrich, on the other hand, advises teachers to listen to the entire soundtrack.

"You will be emotionally connected to Hamilton at the end of the music, and you'll want to use the soundtrack," he said. Either way, he added, "You've got to use this thing! It's awesome!"

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How Teachers Are Using 'Hamilton' the Musical in the Classroom

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Teachers are using the music in various ways, with multiple educational goals. Andrea Moverman, who teaches U.S. history to 11 th graders at Millennium Brooklyn High School, used snippets of songs to provoke interest in the Revolutionary War. "I played the beginning of ' Guns and Ships, ' and then asked them, 'What was our secret weapon?'

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from Edutopia

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How well do you know your students? In a Nevada school, a simple strategy pushes teachers to look beyond the lessons.

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Stepping Back and Letting My Students Go

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Stepping Back and Letting My Students Go

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An interesting project that combines history and poetry and student choice!

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A MiddleWeb Blog

Why did I worry?

In my last blog post, I wrote about my fears surrounding a new project. My eighth-grade U.S. history students had chosen an issue they cared about in the news, and they were about to write and film spoken word poems about it.

I was nervous, and the project seemed a little overwhelming. The serious tech use, extensive free time to write and film in class, and lack of specific guidelines for the poems unsettled me.

But after the dust began to clear - after I dealt with videos that wouldn't upload, talked with kids who didn't want to hear the sound of their own recorded voice - one of those rare magical teaching moments happened.

We watched the poems in class. After each one, students shared what they liked: the power of a repeated phrase, specific words that rang true for them, a classmate's intense tone.

And with each additional poem, on topics as disparate as Pakistani women's education, the threat of nuclear warfare, and the importance of cybersecurity - the room felt like a stronger community.

These middle schoolers were rooting for each other. They shot up their hands with props for classmate after classmate. They leaned forward to make out the words when a video had too much background noise. They demonstrated the power of language to inspire action, to surmount compassion fatigue, to generate "hard empathy."

So why did I worry?

To give myself confidence with future wide-ranging projects, I'll look back at the questions I had in my last blog post and answer them.

Am I spending too much time on this project? Will students get enough out of it?

The length of regular periods at my school is 43 minutes. We spent a period and a half introducing the project, including watching and discussing successful elements of model spoken word poems.

Then students explored topics in the library for a day or two, spent a day learning NoodleTools and creating a bibliography, and took a day or two choosing, printing and annotating three news and feature stories about their topic.

Then we had two days in class to draft the poem, one day for peer response and revision, and two days for rehearsing and filming.

In giving so much in-class time to work, I hoped to mitigate the students' homework load and also give feedback and trouble-shoot. All of this ended up happening.

And even though we took so much time in class, many students said in an anonymous survey afterward that they would suggest more time for peer editing and writing, possibly shortening the topic brainstorming at the beginning to make room. Their comments included: "More time for feedback because I felt a little rushed during the editing part" and "I would add some more time to work with partners and do proofreading in class."

Should I be doing a model poem of my own? I didn't write one deliberately, because I didn't want the structure or content of my model to influence them too much - but should I be making myself vulnerable too?

Before we started writing in class, I did end up showing students a poem I had written at the Get Lit - Poetic Convergence conference I attended. It wasn't a spoken word poem, but it did show me as a flawed human being and definitely made me feel vulnerable!

I'm pretty sure I'm giving enough guidance on how to find news and feature articles on subscription databases and newspaper websites. But for the poem itself, am I giving too much guidance? Too little?

The several spoken word model poems we watched at the beginning of the project gave a strong sense of the genre, and I would add even a few more examples next time. In addition, going over poetic devices beforehand in students' English classes turned out to be invaluable.

Should this kind of assignment come later in the year, once we've read more current events and have more background in them? Or will doing the project now spark students' empathy for current issues during the rest of the year?

The second question turned out to be much more accurate. Now I think that doing a project like this at the start of the year will prime the pump not only for current events, but also for any historical primary source that requires empathy. I can't wait to see how this understanding plays out in our regular history units.

On a related note, given that we jumped into this project in September, at times I've felt as if I've blown through the entire "fun quotient" of my year already. But I imagine that knowing students better from the beginning - their passions and capabilities - will only make the rest of the year richer. I hope!

Of course I'll tweak details for next year - for example, taking into account a student's comment that "it should be a requirement that all the poems should be in first person" because "I found that the poems that had the most impact on me were in first person."

But as of now, this is a project I want to do again and again, both to learn about my students and to be inspired myself.

In fact, I would love to showcase the eighth graders' videos online so that people beyond our campus could see them. I'd even like to see other teachers do this project with their students and upload their poems to a searchable database of spoken word poems by topic, so that many more people can be inspired to act.
So why did I worry?

Because I believe in scaffolding skills and don't always know when to let students lay the planks or install the elevator themselves.

Because too often I feel I need to be prepared to give all the answers at the beginning, even with a student-centered and open-ended project like this.

Because I thought my expectations might be too high and I didn't want to be disappointed.

When our wonderful tech support specialist checked during the final presentations to see how everything was going, I sent him a debrief about how we fared with technology during the project (pretty well, overall).

At the end of the email, I wrote, "I feel much more flexible and daring as a teacher than I did before."
Note to self: Next time, don't worry.

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Stepping Back and Letting My Students Go

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A MiddleWeb Blog Why did I worry? In my last blog post, I wrote about my fears surrounding a new project. My eighth-grade U.S. history students had chosen an issue they cared about in the news, and they were about to write and film spoken word poems about it.

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Ideas for Teaching Literacy across the Curriculum

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Ideas for Teaching Literacy across the Curriculum

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The very first year I taught middle school science, I found myself teaching more reading lessons than I had ever expected-and that didn't change when I switched to a middle school math classroom two years later. Add in the fact that I had several English language learners in my class, and my lessons on mitochondria and tetrahedrons largely started with basic vocabulary and sentence flow instruction.

But looking back, I shouldn't have been surprised. It's not just the Language Arts or Reading teacher's sole responsibility to teach literacy. In fact, teaching literacy is connected to any and every subject-and it's only getting more necessary as the online and offline worlds become more intertwined.

"But I wasn't trained to teach literacy," you say-and I'm right there with you. In fact, to this day, I'm not entirely sure that my ways of teaching literacy were standard or acceptable practices. But after talking to a number of different educators and reading their various accounts, what I can tell you is that your peers have discovered creative, technology-supported ways to approach teaching reading, writing and vocabulary in their multi-subject classrooms-and they were willing to share it to help you out.

Science

Dora Kastel may not be a traditional classroom teacher, but she and the team at the American Museum of Natural History have founded a number of professional learning programs and tools related to the Next Generation Science Standards. Among them-a cheatsheet for science teachers looking to integrate literacy strategies into their curriculum and instruction.

One of the strategies listed in the cheatsheet (discussed in the video above) encourages teachers to help students make sense of natural phenomena by asking those students to develop explanations with the writing scaffold " Explanation Tool" ( downloadable here). Essentially, the tool functions as a guide to the scientific method, but with a small dose of mind mapping inspiration. For further support, AMNH also provides a rubric that science teachers can use to evaluate the proficiency of a student's written explanation.

Art / Music

In 2014, California teacher Ricardo Elizalde took to the EdSurge website to share how he's blended teaching literacy to English Language Learners with projects involving animated shorts and tools like iMovie. While not specifically an art teacher, Elizalde's tactics could be adopted by teachers in both ELL and art instructional courses.

In his class, one of Elizalde's best students, Lourdes Lopez, was surprised when her mother, "said that she thought that now, after six years in the United States, Lourdes' English should be better." He continues, "The comment surprised and insulted the rambunctious but thoughtful teen. She was a good student but lacked the confidence to speak her mind outside of the EL classroom."

And so, Elizalde put a plan together. He asked his students to do reflections of themselves as language learners, and then interview someone who knew them well. After that, they created a video using iMovie in which they simply read their results aloud.

"This was," Elizalde explains, "the initial assessment for a framework called the Learning Record... One key component to the Learning Record is to measure how you develop along the Dimensions of Learning: confidence and independence, skills and strategies, knowledge and understanding, prior and emerging experience, reflection and creativity, imagination and originality." And in Elizalde's classroom, one way he accomplished this was through these movie-making projects.

"It is important that we don't take for granted the language used to talk about and describe math problems and situations."

Math

A few years ago, former math teacher Bethany Lake (known online as "Math Geek Mama") left her classroom to become a homeschool teacher to four students of her own. Figuring out how to teach literacy across all subject areas was essentially a non-negotiable-especially when it came to math.

"Math is a foreign language," Lake writes, "and it is important that we don't take for granted the language used to talk about and describe math problems and situations."

In one of her posts, Lake offers her recommendations for how to use literacy strategies to teach math, and one of her biggest points relates to using "word sorts," where students actually write out the physical words to describe what an equation implies. (Here's an example: Underneath "3 x 5 = 15," a student writes "three times five equals fifteen.")

But wait-are you finding that students struggle doing word sorts when they don't even grasp the basic vocabulary? Time for a word wall. And for those interested in more than just putting up something physical on the classroom wall, Padlet can provide the "virtual" word wall you're looking for.

Coding / Computer Science

If you want to teach the importance of punctuation, look no farther than computer science instruction; put one "<" out of place, and an entire program might not run. But for Dr. Susan Klimczak, L2T Director of Special Programs at South End Technology Center in Boston, computer science offers so much more than teaching about exclamation points and periods. Rather, coding instruction should be about teaching how to write a story.

In her July 2016 account, former librarian Mary Moen witnessed a computer science training for school librarians where Klimczak encouraged teachers to think about how the five-stage story structure is right there in computer science instruction. "When you code, you set the scene, build tension, create climax, include falling action, and come to a resolution-think Minecraft game design," Moen writes. "The possibilities for librarians to collaborate with English and reading teachers using code are wide open and exciting."

"When you code, you set the scene, build tension, create climax, include falling action, and come to a resolution."

Fast-forward to the following school year, and Moen describes how a fellow school librarian, Jennifer Robinson, created a collaborative English language arts and coding project for a fifth grade class. The initiative? Students created a computer program using free online coding platform Scratch to show their progress on a particular Common Core narrative writing standard. "First, students read a biography and then created a narrative script highlighting important parts in this person's life. After a brief tutorial on Scratch, students attempted to master the broadcast and receive commands to code a dialogue sequence from their script," Moen explains.

Social Studies / Current Events

Social studies is no stranger to the literacy discussion, given how often students find themselves reading primary sources from the 1800s or writing accounts of what happened during the suffrage movement. But talk to Christine Sciascia, an 8th grade social studies teacher at Mark Twain Intermediate School in Brooklyn, and she's got some favorite edtech products that have effectively switched her role "from lecturer to facilitator."

"Their learning has become more self-directed; these new digital tools and materials are allowing my students to engage with primary sources, current events, and historical subject matter in deeply meaningful ways," she wrote on EdSurge last year.

For the best repositories of content, Sciascia recommends the Library of Congress and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which she writes, "have a wealth of digital resources that illuminate American history at my students' fingertips." Following that up, TIME Edge also falls into Sciascia's "favorites" category, both because of its specificity for middle schoolers and because of its paired content "from 90 years of primary sources from TIME Magazine through the TIME Vault."

The fun doesn't necessarily stop here, though. What literacy strategies do you incorporate into your classroom or school? Tell us in the comments section below.

Mary Jo Madda-@MJMadda-is the former Director of Audience Development and Senior Editor at EdSurge. She recently joined the Code Next team at Google, and is a former STEM middle school teacher and administrator. In 2016, Mary Jo was named to the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in education.

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Not Just for Reading Class Anymore: 5 Tips for Teaching Literacy Across Multiple Subjects - EdSurge News

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The very first year I taught middle school science, I found myself teaching more reading lessons than I had ever expected-and that didn't change when I switched to a middle school math classroom two years later.

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Great explanation of annotation

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Cris Tovani and Samantha Bennett: So What Do They Know? Interview, Part Two

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Questions teachers can ask to get students thinking

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5 Powerful Questions Teachers Can Ask Students

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Protocol for discussing text

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Attribution

Adapted by Jennifer Fischer-Mueller and Gene Thompson-Grove.

Description

The purpose of this protocol is to give each person in the group an opportunity to have their ideas, understandings, and perspective enhanced by hearing from others. With this protocol, the group can explore an article, clarify their thinking, and have their assumptions and beliefs questioned in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issue.

Last Updated

March 30, 2017

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The purpose of this protocol is to give each person in the group an opportunity to have their ideas, understandings, and perspective enhanced by hearing from others. With this protocol, the group can explore an article, clarify their thinking, and have their assumptions and beliefs questioned in order to gain a deeper understanding of the...

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10 WHAT Questions to Develop a Growth Mindset in Children

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10 WHAT Questions to Develop a Growth Mindset in Children

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How Dialogue Journals Build Relationships

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How Dialogue Journals Build Relationships

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So important if we want to increase engagement and learning!

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Listen to my interview with Liz Galarza ( transcript):

How well do we know our students? They sit in our classrooms five days a week, we certainly spend lots of time with them, but how well do we really know them? How well do we know their thoughts, their worries, the things they obsess about? And how well do they ever get to know us beyond our role as a teacher?

I've been hammering away at the importance of the teacher-student relationship for about as long as Cult of Pedagogy has been a thing, but every now and then I come across a method or approach that can really help build those relationships more effectively.

My friend Liz Galarza, who teaches middle school writing in New York, has been telling me for ages about the dialogue journals she uses with her students and how transformational they have been in building relationships. The journals had such a profound impact that Galarza made them the focus of her doctoral dissertation.

A dialogue journal is any kind of bound notebook where students and teachers write letters back and forth to each other over a period of time. This is very similar to the kinds of journals described in Smokey and Elaine Daniels' book, The Best Kept Teaching Secret, but since Galarza has had such powerful experiences with these journals, I thought another post was merited.

In Galarza's class, students purchase whatever kind of journals they want, "as long as it's going to withstand a year's worth of back and forth," she says. "Most of them use the marble composition notebooks. I ask them to decorate with pictures or quotes, and it really does show their personality."
The First Entry
In the first few days of school, Galarza gets to know her students through intake forms (not included in the journals) where she asks students to tell her five things about themselves that she wouldn't be able to tell by looking at them or their school records. Next, she goes into the journals and writes the first entry, starting with a very general welcome, then beginning to connect with students based on things they wrote on their intake forms.

Although many teachers begin these kinds of journals by having students write the first entry, Galarza has had more success by starting them herself. "I think the kids who have less confidence when it comes to writing would feel paralyzed by that. So I try and make it very, very open."

In the sample letter below, Galarza connects with this student about her love of reading and writing, softball, and pets. "The first letter I ask more questions than any other time, but I get them to see that I'm human. We have commonalities. I'm interested in you. You're important to me. This is going to be fun."
Student Responses
Once the teacher's first letter is written, students write back. In this sample, Nick responds to Galarza's opening letter, where she mentioned Derek Jeter leaving the Yankees. "In his intake sheet, every single thing he wrote about was about baseball and the Yankees," so Galarza made sure she mentioned that in her first letter.
Time and Grading
As the school year progresses, the journals go back and forth between teacher and student. Galarza asks students to write one letter a week, although some students write more often than that. About once a week, Galarza will ask each class period to hand in their journals, staggering these on different days so she only has one class period per day to respond to. She takes about an hour to respond to a single class set of journals, so if it's a busy season, she may end up only collecting them every two weeks, rather than once a week.

As for grading, students are simply given credit for completion. Even if they don't write a lot, they get credit for doing it. And that's it. Galarza does not mark errors or evaluate the work for any kind of score. Because this journal is about building a relationship, Galarza doesn't want to take away its appeal by assigning a grade to it. "The more often you put a grade on something," she says, "the less empowering you're making it for the students."

Shifting the Power Differential: Because dialogue journals allow students to see their teachers as people, they shift the teacher from the "all powerful" role and create a stronger, more meaningful connection between teacher and student. "As a teacher we always have that authoritative stance: We're the teacher, and they're the student, and they know that," Galarza explains. "I think the more you use that as leverage, the less you're going to get out of students."

Writing Fluency: When students write in dialogue journals, there's no pressure to fulfill an assignment or construct perfect sentences. Students just write. And the more a person writes, the more confident they become and the better their writing gets. If the teacher can identify topics that are important to the student, this can inspire far more writing than a student would ever produce for an assignment. Nick, the student above who wrote about Derek Jeter, initially told Galarza he hated to write. After their first exchange about the Yankees, Galarza says the topic stayed with them for the rest of the year, and Nick ended up filling more pages than any other student that year.

Formative Assessment: Although the journals are not designed for this purpose, having students write regularly allows the teacher to spot errors or weaknesses that can inform teaching. "I can use the multiple language errors that I find in many of the journals as a basis for my mini-lessons," Galarza explains. "So if I see that many of my students are not using commas when they're offsetting a list, that might become a grammar mini-lesson."

Individualized Instruction: "You can literally teach them something within the journal without anyone knowing that you're doing it," Galarza says. "I've said something like, 'You know, you can use a semicolon in your sentence' ... I might even highlight it. 'You know in this sentence up here? You don't need a period there. You could use a semicolon.' I'll just throw in a little grammar instruction as we're going along only if I think that they would be receptive to it."

Mentor Texts: As the teacher and student go back and forth, students pick up on the teacher's style of writing, and the teacher's letters effectively become mentor texts. For example, when Galarza responds to her more advanced writers, "I might use a more complex sentence structure. I might combine sentences or use phrases and just more sophisticated language." Often she notices students using these same structures in their own responses.

Funds of Knowledge: Keeping dialogue journals with students over time helps teachers discover students' unique funds of knowledge, areas of expertise they might not have known about otherwise. "I had this student this year who was into taxidermy and hunting," Galarza says. "I was so interested in it, so I asked him to give me information on it, and he really did. Like technical. Like it belongs in a book. And then he drew pictures." She asked him if he ever thought about writing a comic book about hunting or taxidermy, and in his response, he considered it:

Relationships: Ultimately, the most important benefit of the journals is the relationships they build. When students feel they have a trusted adult in school, when they feel heard and seen, that makes school a place they want to come to.

"I don't look at teaching the way many people do," Galarza says. "I know that they could learn anything they need to learn from their homes with a device on their lap still in their pajamas. They don't need me to learn. They need me to care." ♦

There's a lot more where this came from.
Join the Cult of Pedagogy mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to my members-only library of free downloadable resources, including my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, which has helped thousands of teachers spend less time grading. If you are already a subscriber and want this resource, just check your most recent email for a link to the Members-Only Library-it's in there!

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How Dialogue Journals Build Teacher-Student Relationships

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Listen to my interview with Liz Galarza ( transcript): How well do we know our students? They sit in our classrooms five days a week, we certainly spend lots of time with them, but how well do we really know them? How well do we know their thoughts, their worries, the things they obsess about?

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While this talks about high school English, it's also vital for middle school!

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This summer, we'd like to Please return to this topic and talk with us in the comments-how and why do you confer return and talk about some of our most useful, engaging, or popular posts. Today's post, written by Amy in 2015 , reminds us that conferences aren't just for assessment-they're for nurturing, too .
The Attention. Every child needs one-on-one conversations with an adult as often as possible. Adolescents, by nature of their age, struggle with identity, fairness, stress, and a slew of other issues that contribute to all kinds of problems. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. reports that "9 out of 10 Americans who meet the medical criteria for addiction started smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before age 18." This is not surprising since according to this study, "75% of all high school students have used addictive substances, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine."

I know there are many reasons for teenagers to partake in these substances. I also know that many students think that adults do not care, or will not notice, if they are in class, participating in class, or lucid in class. One way to show our adolescent students that we care is to talk with them. And face-to-face conversations about books and reading is a pretty safe way to do so, not to mention that we model authentic conversations about reading when we do.

Try questions like:

How's it going? (Thanks, Carl Anderson)

Why did you choose this book?

Do you know anyone else who has read this book? What'd she think?

How'd you find the time to read this week?

What's standing in the way of your reading time?

The Relationship. Once students know they can trust us, they will tell us things about their lives, their struggles, and their hopes beyond high school. According to the Zur Institute, teen internet and video game addictions, violence in the media, online bullying, and violence in the home top the charts as some of the major influencers of teen behavior. On the Zur website, there's a section titled " What You Can Do." We find language that mirrors the words and phrases that lead to the most effective reading conferences, like "learn what [it] means to your children by talking with them about it," and "be genuinely curious about what draws them to [whatever it is]," and "discuss balance," and "keep the conversation active."

We hear so much talk in education circles about engagement. Engagement comes as a result of relationships. When we talk to our students about their lives and the things that matter to them, and we help them see that somewhere in some book a character has experienced similar situations, conflicts, and heartaches, we show our students that literature is a living breathing source of hope. This Psychology Today post explains it clearly: "Books are friends we can choose without restriction," believed John Ruskin, an English art critic of the 19 Century who influenced Marcel Proust "who developed the idea of a novel that was not just a friend, but a friend who enables us to become intimate both with other minds and with our own." Proust called readers of his own work "a sort of magnifying glass ... by which I could give them the means to read within themselves."

My students and I talk about windows and mirrors. This is why we read literature: to learn what it means to be human. How do you see yourself in the characters, conflicts, situations, and how do you see out into a world that is very different from your own? The more we grow in empathy, the better relationship we'll have with our friends, our families and all other people we associate with - at least the idealist in me will cling to that hope as I continue to talk to students about books and reading.

Try questions like:

What character reminds you of yourself or someone you know?

What part of the story is the most similar/different to your life?

Why do you think the author makes that happen in the book?

What does he want us to learn about life?

How does this story/character/conflict/event make you think about life differently?

The Learning. There are times when I've done a mini-lesson, I feel like I've talked to myself. I see little application of a skill I know I've taught. Sometimes students completely miss the point of the lesson. However, when I take the time to talk to each student individually, and reinforce the skill in a quick chat, the application of that skill some how seeps into their brains much deeper. And you know those students who are super apprehensive - the ones who have to ask "Is this right?" and show us a teeny bit of work before they will really produce any work? Holding a regular reading conference has solved this problem.

Students know they will get a chance to talk with me about their progress, and they are more willing to take risks than when we talk infrequently. Time for reading conferences, and conferences timed to meet the needs of each one of our learners solves many at-risk behaviors and promotes deeper learning.

Try questions like:

Tell me about _____ that we learned in class today. How does that relate to your book/character?

Remember when we learned _____, tell me how/where you see that in your book.

Think about when we practiced ___, where does the author do that in your book?

You've improved with ___, how could you use that skill for _______?

The Literacy. Sometimes I think we forget that the purpose of our instruction must be to develop the literate lives of our students. We must provide opportunities for our students to grow into confident and competent readers and writers in order to handle the rigor and complexity of post high school education and beyond. We must remember to focus on literacy not on the literature - just like we must focus on the reader not just on the reading. We must validate our readers, ask questions that spark confidence, avoid questions that demean or make the student defensive, and at the same time challenge our readers into more complex texts. We can learn if a child has read a book, or the assigned pages, with a few quick questions. Then we must turn the conversations to the why, the what, and the how that will get students to choose to take a step up the ladder of complexity.

When students know that we care more about them as the person than we care about what or how much they have read, they will trust us. And it's trust between the adolescent and the adult that creates the most movement as a reader, a writer, a student, a young person emerging into adulthood. Students will read the rich literature we bless because they know we are leading them into literature that will in turn bless their lives.

Try questions like:

On a scale of 1 to 10 how complex is this book for you? Why?

What do you do when the reading gets difficult?

Of all the books you've read this year, which was the most challenging? Why?

How's it going finding vocabulary for your personal dictionary?

Tell me how you are keeping track of the parallel storyline?

The Reward. We can experience powerful rewards as we meet with our students in regular reading conferences. (I wrote about one here.) Every year, after students get to know me a bit, they tell me things like: "We were scared of you at first. You seemed so strict," and "You intimidated me, and I was afraid to talk to you." I get how students see me. I'm tall for one thing. For another, I get right to the point and state the learning that will happen in my classroom. Structure and routine are important for the work we do here, and I explain what that looks like within the first twenty minutes of day one. We work bell to bell with very little down time. I get that many students are not used to such habits, especially in our 85 minute classes.
What kinds of questions work for you in your reading conferences?
My students experience breakthroughs regularly. It's during our reading conferences that they tell me my instruction works. "Miss, I only read two books in all of 10th grade. I was so behind. This year I've read SO many. I can't count. You've helped me so much. I wish I could go back in time and read this much in 10th grade," one girl tells me. Another says, "I never thought I would like to read. Now, look at me," as she shows me the copy of Anna Karenina she bought over the weekend. (We'd done a mini-lesson on beautiful sentences, and I talked about the books our mentor sentences came from - not really expecting anyone would want to read that one. Oh, they can surprise us!)

I ask students about their confidence levels in our little chats, and they tell me they know they have grown as a readers. This is the best kind of reward.

Try questions like:

How has your confidence grown as you've read this year?

What do you think is the one thing we've done in class that's helped you improve so much as a reader?

How will the habits you've created in class help you in the reading you'll have to do in college?

Why do you think you've grown so much as a reader the past few weeks?

What's different for you now in the way you learn than how you learned before?

Describe for me the characteristics you have that make you a reader.

©Amy Rasmussen, 2011 - 2015

Tagged: Conferring, conferring in high school, Readers Writers Workshop, reading conferences, reading conferences in high school

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5 Reasons Reading Conferences Matter-Especially in High School English

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This summer, we'd like to return and talk about some of our most useful, engaging, or popular posts. Today's post, written by Amy in 2015, reminds us that conferences aren't just for assessment--they're for nurturing, too. Please return to this topic and talk with us in the comments--how and why do you confer?

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April 2016 | Volume 73 | Number 7
Looking at Student Work Pages 91-91

Social Studies Gallery Walk

At a schoolwide professional development event, I facilitated a gallery walk to allow teachers to view and comment on interactive student notebooks for social studies. That year we had begun implementing social studies notebooks in the elementary grades, but not all teachers were fully on board. The gallery walk helped teachers see the notebooks' potential.

The student notebooks highlighted the importance of both vertical and horizontal alignment. In terms of vertical alignment, the 1st grade teachers saw how labeling a simple drawing in the early grades would eventually lead to creating annotated, content-based illustrations in the upper grades. Teachers who had not implemented the notebook structure with fidelity realized the purpose of horizontal alignment when they observed the success of colleagues within their grade level. The opportunity to view a continuum of student work allowed teachers to see our students' potential to analyze primary sources, integrate drawings and maps, record their thinking, and learn in a meaningful fashion.

- Natacha Scott, assistant director of history/social studies, Boston Public Schools, Boston, Massachusetts

A PLC's Realization

In a recent meeting of our professional learning community, we discussed how we used the same task and rubric to assess student writing. However, as we talked, we realized that each of us had unknowingly stressed different components of student writing in our lessons and activities. For instance, one teacher taught numerous lessons about thesis statements and organization. Another teacher spent more time helping students generate ideas and use textual examples as evidence. So although all of the students' papers were assessed on analyzing and organizing, we each had focused our feedback according to our areas of instruction. We realized that we not only had to develop the same task and rubric, but we also had to truly agree on how deeply we were going to teach particular objective strands as they applied to student writing. The experience led us to great reflection and also created a stronger PLC.

- Shawn Reed Parsons, IB coordinator, Academy School District 20, Colorado Springs, Colorado

An Eye for Rigor

As a university supervisor for student teachers, I incorporate a focus on examining student work for cognitive rigor in my practicums. I decided to do this as a result of the Common Core's emphasis on higher-order thinking, which requires my student teachers to move their own students beyond recall and comprehension levels of thinking.

For these sessions, the student teachers shared copies of an assignment or assessment and the resulting student work. In groups, the student teachers followed a protocol like Critical Friends or Guest Book. By viewing various types of student work using the reflection and analysis dictated by the collaborative protocols, my student teachers gained insights into the types of assignments that truly represent rigor. This ultimately led them to consider how to refine their practice. The student teachers' comments from these sessions, such as "we need to do this more often" and "this makes more sense now," confirmed that this was an enlightening experience.

- Rebecca Maddas, assistant professor, California University of Pennsylvania, California, Pennsylvania

The Writing Lives of Students

At Old Town Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas, where I served as an instructional coach last spring, we had a broad and urgent goal to "improve student writing." During our first discussions about writing, each teacher brought a student writing sample. We quickly realized that our directive to "bring a piece of writing" was too vague, as we saw everything from poetry to prompted writing.

So we set a goal to collect narrative writing samples from each student. The teachers agreed that we needed to look at student writing from kindergarten through 5th grade in a way that would measure growth. I used Writing Pathways Performance Assessments and Learning Progressions, Grades K-8 by Lucy Calkins as a guide to support teachers on this journey. Teachers created an aligned rubric to look at students' writing, which helped them identify strengths and next teaching points.

At the beginning of the next school year, each teacher received an end-of-year writing sample for each student that included a list of strengths and areas of growth (completed by the student's previous teacher). It was such a gift for teachers to have a glimpse into the writing lives of their students before those students walked in the door.

- Victoria Arms, elementary science curriculum specialist, Round Rock ISD, Round Rock, Texas

Solutions, Not Excuses

Using Bob Greenleaf's micro-feedback analysis framework, our school has been focusing on students' errors and determining strategies to address what they don't understand. Our conversations are turning away from excuses, such as "He just had a bad day" and "She really meant to write the number 5." Instead, we share responses like, "Based on this answer, we need to find a way to communicate that the digit in the tens place has greater value than the digit in the ones place."

We decide on intervention strategies for instruction and then repeat the process every three weeks. We graph data and share it as a grade-level team. This process has created a safe entry point for goal setting, and facilitated dialogues of problem solving and support instead of blame and fear. We are improving collegiality, student achievement, and the climate and culture of our school by looking at student work together. It makes a difference.

- Danniel Cherry, principal, Maple Avenue School, Claremont, New Hampshire

Vague Expectations

A team of 7th grade teachers at my school recently used the Standards and Looking at Student Work protocol to examine three student writing samples. The protocol guides teachers as they compare their expectations for an assignment with their students' work products. At a glance, it was easy to see a marked difference in the three work samples-one student wrote a full page, another crafted a lengthy paragraph, and a third wrote a few sentences. However, as the team talked, they concluded that all three students did exactly what the assignment had asked. Without clear guidelines, students were left to their own interpretation of teacher expectations. Using the work samples as a guide, the teachers crafted a rubric that was much more explicit.

Students are sometimes labeled as lazy or unmotivated. In reality, they are often simply being concise and giving us exactly what we ask for-but not necessarily what we expect.

- Jill Edwards, instructional partner, Florence Middle School, Florence, Alabama

A Collegial Effort

A group of teachers with whom I worked examined student work for the purpose of identifying and annotating papers that would serve as anchors for an argumentative writing rubric. The result was more revealing than anyone had anticipated. The teachers repeatedly noticed that there were no examples of students' ability to cite text to support their claims. As a result, the teachers decided to build a collegial collection of instructional strategies and activities to address this need. When the group returned at a later date with a new collection of work, the samples clearly showed that the students had been explicitly taught to cite evidence.

- Angela Di Michele Lalor, educational consultant, Learner-Centered Initiatives, Garden City, New York

Bringing Work to the Table

Once when I brought student work from my high school English as a Second Language class to share with my learning community colleagues, I worried they would find it irrelevant. But instead they were astonished by the quality of the work. Their feedback allowed me to see my work and my students' work with fresh eyes and to more fully appreciate what my newly arrived English language learners were accomplishing.

But looking at work together requires skill, trust, and care; it matters very much how teachers bring work to share. Sharing teacher or student work should be voluntary, not mandated. Using a protocol (like those available at www.schoolreforminitiative.org) provides a systemic, respectful, and productive way to analyze what the student or teacher has produced, rather than rush to a hasty evaluation and simply mark items as right or wrong.

- Susan R. Adams, assistant professor of education, Butler University College of Education, Indianapolis, Indiana

Together Everyone Achieves More

John Hattie's visible learning study of more than 800 meta-analyses shows that "collective teacher self-efficacy" matters to student learning and achievement. In fact, this factor tops Hattie's rankings of what actually works in schools.

At the Independent Schools Foundation Academy in Hong Kong, teachers get collaborative time built into their timetables every two weeks. Teacher teams come together to address vertical and horizontal articulation. This ensures a shared understanding of learning experiences, including evaluating performance and student-tracking information. Teams also plan for effective instruction, assessment, marking, and feedback to students, including reviewing how students communicate their learning. The underpinning protocols that focus the dialogue integrate collaborative planning and reflection into a single concept, which leads to informed, effective, and efficient teacher action that promotes learning.

Although this school-based practice is rooted in an International Baccalaureate Standards and Practices compliance framework, it provides a learning-focused, culture-building platform from which to turn rhetoric into reality. The collaborative nature of the structured dialogue gets teachers to systematically evaluate their impact on student achievement. Teachers see that their collective beliefs and actions make a difference to student learning.

- Eric Jabal, secondary principal, Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Hong Kong

Emerging Patterns

For many years, I have been fortunate to coach teachers at Oak Ridge Elementary School in Sacramento, California, where I regularly lead grade-level teams in analyzing student writing. Teams examine writing samples and discuss the strengths and challenges we notice. These conversations address discrete writing skills, as well as other elements that contribute to writing achievement, such as stamina, use of classroom resources, and the quality of peer feedback. I act as facilitator and recorder, charting our observations.

In a recent collaboration with teacher teams in kindergarten through 6th grade, some patterns emerged across the school, revealing that students needed assistance with description, pacing, and revision. Identifying only a few topics helped focus professional learning and promoted collaboration across grade levels. A unified approach to instructional change makes these efforts more manageable and reaps benefits for educators and students alike.

- Julie Webb, education consultant, J. Webb Consulting, Woodland, California

A Shift in Focus

The Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) evaluation process is constantly evolving. Administrators and teachers are beginning to incorporate student work into teachers' evaluations, both formal and informal. In doing so, we are shifting the focus away from what the teacher is doing and toward the impact that the teacher's instruction has on student learning. Incorporating student work in evaluations ultimately ensures that our focus remains exactly where it belongs-on students!

- Scott Duncan, TEAM coach, Tennessee Department of Education, Nashville, Tennessee

Insights into Mistakes

I often gain insight into colleagues' mindsets when we look at student work together. In some cases, patterns of student mistakes are simply looked at as wrong answers. Instead, we should mine those patterns, reflect on them, and then make appropriate instructional changes.

- Carole Seuber, math instructional lead teacher, Flintstone Elementary School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

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How Your Group Examined Student Work - Educational Leadership

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April 2016 | Volume 73 | Number 7 Looking at Student Work Pages 91-91 At a schoolwide professional development event, I facilitated a gallery walk to allow teachers to view and comment on interactive student notebooks for social studies. That year we had begun implementing social studies notebooks in the elementary grades, but not all teachers were fully on board.

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10 Things Teachers Should Never Do When Teaching Native Kids

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10 Things Teachers Should Never Do When Teaching Native Kids

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Don't ask Native students to speak for their entire race: Every tribe is different as are opinions among Indigenous Peoples

Each year, teachers with no background or understanding of Native history, culture, or current affairs, offer mainstream and Native students damaging, stereotypical curriculum. As summer winds down and kids get ready to go back to school, let's discuss some things teachers shouldn't do and ways parents can help.
Don't Ask Native Students to Speak for Their Race
Teachers often ask Native students about anything that comes up about Native Americans. Tell your child's teachers that every tribe is different as are opinions among Indigenous Peoples, and your child cannot speak for everyone. Recommend books like 500 Nations by Alvin M. Josephy.
Don't Have Students Make Indian Names or Animal Totems
Many teachers try to teach about Native peoples through crafts projects or assignments like letting students choose Indian names for themselves. Consider it a teaching moment and print out this letter from Wisconsin Activist Richie Plass.
Don't Host Powwows or First Thanksgivings Without Tribal Input
Some teachers think hosting a student powwow without any tribal input is okay, and honors Native people. Approach teachers as soon as school starts, and let them know you would be happy to help plan an appropriate celebration for Native American Heritage Month. If you don't, imitation powwows with fake animal names, paper bag vests, and fake feather headdresses could happen. Direct teachers to read " The Harm of Native Stereotyping," and " American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving."

RELATED: Video: Florida High School's Horrific Display of Cultural Stupidity
Don't Ever Tell Native Students They Are Going to Drop Out
There is no excuse for it but there are some non-Native teachers who have been known to say things like this. Many Native students report that teachers told them it didn't matter if they attended school or got good grades, because they would fail anyway. Native students graduate and attend the best colleges in the country, some in the face of many hardships. Teachers should be supportive of all students
Don't Say that Columbus Discovered America
This should be old news by now, but non-Native teachers are uncomfortable with the truth. Tell them to do some research and even read Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen.

RELATED: American History Myths Debunked: Columbus Discovered America
Don't Use Words Like Primitive, Savage, Or Uncivilized
Please. Mainstream science is only just beginning to understand astronomy, geology, and other sciences that have been common knowledge to indigenous people for thousands of years. Is your child's teacher not so sure about that? Show them this link to StarTeach Astronomy and their page on "Ancient Astronomy of the North American Indians."

? Check Reading Lists: Avoid Racist Commonly Used Books

Books like Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Williams and Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare are still commonly used in the classroom and feature hateful and/or stereotypical portrayals of Native people. Other books may not be overtly offensive to an unsuspecting teacher but are still incorrect or misleading. Read "' I' Is Not For Indian: The Portrayal Of Native Americans In Books For Young People" on Native Culture Links before deciding to use a book in your curriculum. Teachers can also check out the American Indians in Children's Literature blog.
Don't Speak About Natives Only in the Past
Too many teachers are disconnected from Native peoples and have no sense of Natives in the present. If you suspect this is the case, offer to come into the classroom to do a presentation or even provide the teacher with a link to Oyate.org, purveyors of tribally approved curriculum and information. You can also recommend Native news sources.
Don't Allow Mainstream Students to Bully Native Kids
If teachers see students doing the woo-woo thing, making fun of long hair, calling Native students by mascot names, etc., do not assume it will "toughen them up." Bullying can result in suicide, damaged self-esteem, embarrassment and more. Teachers can use this as time to teach about diversity and respect.
Teacher Shouldn't Assume They Know Anything About Natives
When teachers have no understanding of Native culture, they teach stereotypes. Have them contact their local tribes for speakers and be sure they have appropriate sources to get them on the right path to teaching accurately about Native peoples. Native Web Search has loads of resources.
The story was originally posted on Aug 6, 2014.

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10 Things Teachers Should Never Do When Teaching Native Kids - Indian Country Media Network

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Don't ask Native students to speak for their entire race: Every tribe is different as are opinions among Indigenous Peoples Each year, teachers with no background or understanding of Native history, culture, or current affairs, offer mainstream and Native students damaging, stereotypical curriculum.

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Modeling in a Sped Classroom

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How would you describe the teacher's role in this classroom?

2. In what ways does this lesson illustrate differentiated instruction?

3. How does the Workshop Model help the teacher address his students' various learning needs?

School Details

Shaw Middle School
4106 North Cook St
Spokane WA 99207

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Students in Mr. Allen's 7th grade English Language Arts classroom work on a persuasive writing unit using the Workshop Model. Some students work on completing an editorial while others develop an advertising campaign. In this highly differentiated classroom, the teacher works with individual students and small groups to meet them where they are at in the assignment.

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All of these activities fit well within the Workshop Model

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A few years ago when I was working with several groups of teachers on a new language arts curriculum for a K-12 school district, I provided them with a list of "non-negotiables" for reading instruction to be included in all curriculum documents. I first heard the term non-negotiable in this context from literacy specialist, Cindy Mershon. These instructional practices were "non-negotiable" because research had overwhelmingly confirmed that they were effective practices. Over the years as new research has come out, the list has changed slightly. If I were writing the list today, here is what would be included.

Daily Read Aloud
One of the more disturbing aspects of current trends in literacy education is the reports I keep getting from classroom teachers who tell me that reading aloud is being discouraged because it is not "rigorous" enough or because more time needs to be devoted to test prep. So, let me state this as clearly as I possibly can, read aloud is a central part of effective literacy instruction and should be happening daily in every classroom. This is not open for debate. Don't take my word for it, here is a list of 13 scientifically based reasons for reading aloud to children. Among these well researched benefits are exposing students to a greater variety of literature, encouraging students to view reading as a part of their daily life, building background knowledge, providing a model of fluent reading, encouraging student talk about text, increasing vocabulary and helping students view reading as a pleasurable activity. Here is another resource on the importance of reading aloud.

When choosing a read aloud, I would encourage teachers to choose the very best that literature and informational text has to offer, whether that be picture books, novels, histories or scientific texts. When reading aloud, we can aim high because kids listening comprehension outpaces their reading comprehension by about two years and because we can easily scaffold their understanding by "thinking aloud" about the text as we read. Read aloud also provides a great opportunity for teachers to model important comprehension strategies. Just do it.

Sharing reading
Most elementary teachers are familiar with the instructional activity called "shared reading", but teacher, administrator, writer, Shelley Harwayne, offers a broader view of the activity, calling it sharing reading. When teachers share reading they first choose something that is worthy of sharing, a poem, a big book, a song or chant and then display the piece so that students can join in the reading. Shared reading allows children to work together as a community of readers to enjoy, discuss and participate in a real reading experience. But sharing reading can also include the teacher sharing environmental print found in the classroom and hallways.

Sharing reading can also be effective with older readers, when texts are chosen wisely for specific purposes. Potential texts for sharing reading with older students include poetry, newspaper articles or particularly knotty passages from novels or informational texts. Displaying these texts on the Smart Board, document camera or overhead allows all students to share in the reading work.

Self-Selected Reading
Kids need lots of time to read independently in self-selected books to become proficient readers. Independent reading is an important instructional strategy that allows students to practice and consolidate all the good reading strategies the teacher has been teaching. Self-selected reading should not be confused with reading that is not guided by the teacher, however. In a quality self-selected reading program, teachers guide students to find books that they will enjoy and that they will be able to read successfully without teacher instruction. While students are reading, teachers have the opportunity to confer with the students to check on their progress. For more on independent reading try this article.

One-to-One Conferring
When students are reading indepently, teachers have an excellent opportunity to hold a one-to-one conference. These brief conferences give the teacher a chance to check that the book is a good choice, to listen to the student read and have the student do a retelling to assess comprehension. Anecdotal notes taken during these conferences provide the teacher with guidance for future reading instruction for the student. Jennifer Serravallo literally wrote the book on conferring with readers. You can find her webinar on the topic here.

Direct Instruction in Reading Strategies
Direct instruction in reading strategies works. While many readers develop strategies on their own, many do not. The good news is that research has demonstrated that students can learn to use these strategies to improve fluency and comprehension. Among the strategies that can be taught and are shown to be helpful are question asking and answering, activating background knowledge, summarizing, visualizing and making connections. Much of the emphasis in the Common Core has been on knowledge driven reading comprehension, as has been promoted for 30 years by E. D. Hirsch and others. While lots of knowledge of a topic certainly aids in comprehension, so does a strategic approach to comprehension. For more on teaching reading strategies, you may want to look at Michael Pressley's article here.

Small Group Instruction
Children in any one classroom read at many different levels. This means that whole class texts or novels will be too easy for some, too hard for others, and just right for a some others. Only by teaching in small groups can teachers hope to be providing the majority of the students in the class with instruction that is "just right" for them at any given time in their literacy development. Grouping strategies such as those suggested by Fountas and Pinnell in Guided Reading and Guiding Readers and Writers in Grades 3-6 are very helpful in guiding teachers in the design of small group reading.
Rereading
Rereading allows students to improve their fluency and comprehension of text. It is one of the most powerful instructional strategies available to teachers. Giving students opportunities to read and reread short texts is a best practice. Teachers can have students reread poetry, take books read in class home to read to parents, partner with other students to buddy read, and have students participate in reader's theater activities where they rehearse reading a story, poem or play aloud in order to prepare for a performance. For more ideas about rereading as a powerful instructional strategy, you can look here.
Talk about Text

Literacy researcher, Linda Gambrell (2004), says that engaging students in discussion about text results in improved comprehension of text, higher levels of thinking skills and increased motivation to read. In encouraging student talk about text, we have many models to choose from including book clubs, literature circles and questioning the author. The teacher plays the role of model and facilitator, gradually releasing the children to talking to each other about text as we build their capacity both to talk to each other skillfully and to focus on important elements of the text. Here is a transcript of a talk by researcher P. David Pearson on getting the most out of talk in the classroom. Writing in Response to Reading

Writing about what we read is one of the strongest ways to improve reading comprehension. When we write we must reflect on what we have read and attempt to articulate our understanding through summary, analysis and critique. Writing activities engage the whole brain in thinking and responding to text and help us solidify our understanding. As with all reading/learning activities, students need teacher models, scaffolds and feedback on their writing to develop skill in responding to what they read, but research would indicate that the effort is well worth the learning rewards. You can see what literacy researcher Tim Shanahan says about writing in response to reading here.

One aspect of becoming a good reader is facility in decoding words. Decoding is developed through daily reading activities including independent reading, sharing reading, rereading and guided reading, but class time must also be spent on learning sight words that cannot be easily "sounded out" (was, because), learning letter/sound correspondences, learning spelling patterns or word families (right, fight, might, flight), learning to break words into chunks (ch-unk-s), spelling and vocabulary development. Word work can take the form of direct teacher instruction, word wall activities, prompting at the point of difficulty during conferences or guided reading, making words activities and spelling instruction. Word work in kindergarten and first grade will also include phonemic awareness - developing the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words. As children get older and more proficient at decoding, word work will also include a greater focus on vocabulary development.

These are my ten reading non-negotiables. It is a daunting task to balance all of these important aspects of reading instruction in the busy daily activity of the classroom, but this is the challenge for the teacher of literacy. We must find a way to balance all of these priorities to help all students develop both the skill and the will to be excellent readers.

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A few years ago when I was working with several groups of teachers on a new language arts curriculum for a K-12 school district, I provided them with a list of "non-negotiables" for reading instruction to be included in all curriculum documents. I first heard the term non-negotiable in this context from literacy specialist, Cindy Mershon.

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RAFT Writing | Classroom Strategies | AdLit.org

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AdLit.org offers resources (articles, research, teaching strategies, book recommendations) for parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers.

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Ideas for writing across the curriculum

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20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day

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20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day

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Great ideas for exit slips and formative assessment

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20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day
contributed by Saga Briggs
This post has been updated from a previous version
The ultimate goal of teaching is understanding.

But sometimes it's easier to talk than to teach, as we all know, especially when we need to cover a lot of material in a short amount of time. We hope students will understand, if not now then before test time, and we keep our fingers crossed that their results will indicate we've done our job.

The problem is, we often rely on these tests to measure understanding and then we move on. There isn't always time to address weaknesses and misunderstandings after the tests have been graded, and the time to help students learn through strategies to ask great questions is gone.

Below are 22 simple assessment strategies and tips to help you become more frequent in your teaching, planning, and curriculum design.

Book TeachThought Professional Development for training on assessment practices that grow teachers
22 Simple Assessment Strategies & Tips You Can Use Every Day 1. An open-ended question that gets them writing/talking
Avoid yes/no questions and phrases like "Does this make sense?" In response to these questions, students usually answer 'yes.' So, of course, it's surprising when several students later admit that they're lost.

To help students grasp ideas in class, ask open-ended questions that require students that get students writing/talking. They will undoubtedly reveal more than you would've thought to ask directly.
2. Ask students to reflect
During the last five minutes of class ask students to reflect on the lesson and write down what they've learned. Then, ask them to consider how they would apply this concept or skill in a practical setting.
3. Use quizzes
Give a short quiz at the end of class to check for comprehension.
4. Ask students to summarize
Have students summarize or paraphrase important concepts and lessons. This can be done orally, visually, or otherwise.
5. Hand signals
Hand signals can be used to rate or indicate students' understanding of content. Students can show anywhere from five fingers to signal maximum understanding to one finger to signal minimal understanding. This strategy requires engagement by all students and allows the teacher to check for understanding within a large group.
6. Response cards
Index cards, signs, whiteboards, magnetic boards, or other items are simultaneously held up by all students in class to indicate their response to a question or problem presented by the teacher. Using response devices, the teacher can easily note the responses of individual students while teaching the whole group.
7. Four corners
A quick and easy snapshot of student understanding, Four Corners provides an opportunity for student movement while permitting the teacher to monitor and assess understanding.

The teacher poses a question or makes a statement. Students then move to the appropriate corner of the classroom to indicate their response to the prompt. For example, the corner choices might include "I strongly agree," "I strongly disagree," "I agree somewhat," and "I'm not sure."
8. Think-pair-share
Students take a few minutes to think about the question or prompt. Next, they pair with a designated partner to compare thoughts before sharing with the whole class.
9. Choral reading
Students mark text to identify a particular concept and chime in, reading the marked text aloud in unison with the teacher. This strategy helps students develop fluency; differentiate between the reading of statements and questions; and practice phrasing, pacing, and reading dialogue.
10. One question quiz
Ask a single focused question with a specific goal that can be answered within a minute or two. You can quickly scan the written responses to assess student understanding.
11. Socratic seminar
Students ask questions of one another about an essential question, topic, or selected text. The questions initiate a conversation that continues with a series of responses and additional questions. Students learn to formulate questions that address issues to facilitate their own discussion and arrive at a new understanding.
12. 3-2-1
Students consider what they have learned by responding to the following prompt at the end of the lesson: 3) things they learned from your lesson; 2) things they want to know more about; and 1) questions they have. The prompt stimulates student reflection on the lesson and helps to process the learning.
13. Ticket out the door
Students write in response to a specific prompt for a short period of time. Teachers collect their responses as a "ticket out the door" to check for students' understanding of a concept taught. This exercise quickly generates multiple ideas that could be turned into longer pieces of writing at a later time.
14. Journal reflections
Students write their reflections on a lesson, such as what they learned, what caused them difficulty, strategies they found helpful, or other lesson-related topics. Students can reflect on and process lessons. By reading student work-especially - types of learning journals that help students think- teachers can identify class and individual misconceptions and successes. (See also
15. Formative pencil-paper assessment
Students respond individually to short, pencil-paper formative assessments of skills and knowledge taught in the lesson. Teachers may elect to have students self-correct. The teacher collects assessment results to monitor individual student progress and to inform future instruction.

Both student and teacher can quickly assess whether the student acquired the intended knowledge and skills. This is a formative assessment, so a grade is not the intended purpose.
16. Misconception check
Present students with common or predictable misconceptions about a concept you're covering. Ask them whether they agree or disagree and to explain why.
17. Analogy prompt
Teaching with analogies can be powerful. Periodically, present students with an analogy prompt: "the concept being covered is like ____ because ____."
18. Practice frequency
Check for understanding at least three times a lesson, minimum.
19. Use variety
Teachers should use enough different individual and whole group techniques to check understanding that they accurately know what all students know. More than likely, this means during a single class the same technique should not be repeated.
20. Make it useful
The true test is whether or not you can adjust your course or continue as planned based on the information received in each check. Do you need to stop and start over? Pull a few students aside for three minutes to re-teach? Or move on?
21. Peer instruction
Perhaps the most accurate way to check for understanding is to have one student try to teach another student what she's learned . If she can do that successfully, it's clear she understood your lesson.
22. "Separate what you do and don't understand"
Whether making a t-chart, drawing a concept map, or using some other means, have the students not simply list what they think they know, but what they don't know as well. This won't be as simple as it sounds-we're usually not aware of what we don't know.

They'll also often know more or less than they can identify themselves, which makes this strategy a bit crude. But that's okay-the goal isn't for them to be precise and complete in their self-evaluation the goal is for you to gain insight as to what they do and don't know.

And seeing what they can even begin to articulate on their own is an excellent starting point here.
This post was written by Saga Briggins and was first publish by on opencolleges.edu.au; 20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day

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20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day

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20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day contributed by Saga Briggs This post has been updated from a previous version The ultimate goal of teaching is understanding. But sometimes it's easier to talk than to teach, as we all know, especially when we need to cover a lot of material in a short amount of time.

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Good list of questions to keep handy:

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The First 20 Days:  Establishing Productive Group Work in the Classroom

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The First 20 Days:  Establishing Productive Group Work in the Classroom

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by Fisher and Frey. ILA

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from Making Thinking Visible.  Good routines for discussion and reflection.

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Protocol for discussing text

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Thank you for your interest in utilizing NSRF's membership materials. These extended materials are reserved for our members and coaches. Materials reserved for regular members, call for an ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP which can be purchased from our store. You can become a member today!

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Alexis Wiggins on Shadowing a Student

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Ch. 3 from Cris Tovani's book, What Do They Really Know?