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Reading together, thinking aloud about stories, asking each other questions about the text cultivates curiosity.  https://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/shared-reading-opportunities-direct

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Students need to step into different perspectives in history. In any time period, students can look into an event, problem, or issue, trying to imagine things from a different viewpoint. They can be a hunter in the Paleolithic age, a President in US History, or Buddha as he's searching for enlightenment. It can develop speaking/writing from different perspectives.

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Students develop the habits of mind and the skills necessary to unpack the deep, embedded meanings found in complex, challenging texts in order to become college and career-ready.

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https://22f31f84-97a6-460e-abe6-d05e7f89a3bb.filesusr.com/ugd/c5ef3d_42887955cde94c5e960c2aa11ca37839.pdf

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Student did peer editing the day before the presentations to catch any missing information https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-02-12-five-ways-to-make-peer-feedback-effective-in-your-classroom

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Many choices with what to add but within specific guidelines
Picture/Image to represent...Who Jesus is
Add quotes/Words....people and Jesus use to describe himself
Canva option, for those like me, who can't draw. :)

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Sponsored by Chill Expeditions and Kiddom

Have you heard the whispers about one-pagers in the online teacher hallways? The concept of a one-pager, in which students share their most important takeaways on a single piece of blank paper, has really taken off recently.

The one-pagers I see on Instagram draw me in like a slice of double chocolate mousse cake. The artistry students bring to representing their texts on a single piece of paper, blending images and ideas in creative color, is almost hypnotizing for me. Perhaps you've had the same experience.

But it's the very beauty of the models that get posted that can drive students and teachers away from the one-pager activity. Sure, it's great for super artistic students, we tend to think, but what about everyone else?

Turns out it CAN be great for everyone. As long as you know how to structure it.

What Is a One-Pager?

Let's backtrack a bit and talk more about what a one-pager is. It's pretty simple, really. Students take what they've learned-from a history textbook, a novel, a poem, a podcast, a Ted Talk, a guest speaker, a film-and put the highlights onto a single piece of paper. AVID first developed this strategy, but now it's widely used in and out of AVID classrooms.

But why is this seemingly simple assignment so powerful?

As students create one-pagers, the information they put down becomes more memorable to them as they mix images and information. According to Allan Paivio's dual coding theory, the brain has two ways of processing: the visual and the verbal. The combination of the two leads to the most powerful results. Students will remember more when they've mixed language and imagery.

Plus, one-pagers provide variety, a way for them to share what they've learned that goes beyond the usual written options. Students tend to surprise themselves with what they come up with, and their work makes for powerful displays of learning. Plus, they're fun to make. Let's not pretend that doesn't matter.

So, assuming you're sold on trying this out, you're probably wondering what exactly goes into a one-pager?

Students might include quotations, ideas, images, analysis, key names and dates, and more. They might use their one-pagers to make connections to their own lives, to art or films, to pop culture, to what they're learning in their other classes. They might even do it all. You'd be amazed at how much can fit on a single piece of paper.

Many teachers create lists of what students should put inside their one-pagers. Knowing they need two quotations, several symbolic images, one key theme, etc., helps guide students in their work.

The Art Problem

When creating one-pagers, artistic students tend to feature more sketches, doodles, icons and lettering. Students wary of art tend to feature more text, and can be reluctant to engage with the visual part of the assignment at all.

It was this issue-the issue of the art-haters-that first drew me into one-pagers two years ago. I had seen some stunning one-pagers posted in my Facebook group, Creative High School English. But the comments that followed were always the same. "That's amazing work! But so many of my students don't like art...."

Those comments struck a chord with me. For years I had dealt with comments from some of my own students about their distaste for artistic materials when I would introduce creative projects. No matter how much I explained that it was the intention behind their choices that mattered, I always got some pushback if there were any artistic elements involved in a project.

Was there a way to tweak the one-pager assignment so every student would feel confident in their success?

Another problem was one of overall design: Though they knew they needed to hit all the requirements their teachers listed, students still seemed to be overwhelmed by that huge blank page. What should go where? Did colored pencils really have to be involved?

A Simple Solution: Templates

As I thought about the problem, I wondered if students would feel less overwhelmed if they knew what needed to go where. If the quotations had to be in the middle, the themes in the upper left, the images across the bottom, etc. I began to play around with the shapes tool in PowerPoint, creating different one-pager templates.

Then I began shaping my requirements, correlating each element with a space on the paper. Maybe the border could be the key quotations. The center would feature an important symbol. The themes could go in circles around the center. I developed a bunch of different templates for varied ways to respond to novels. Then I tried podcasts. Films. Poetry.

As I shared these templates with other teachers, I kept getting the same feedback: "It's working!"

That little bit of creative constraint actually frees students to use their imagination to represent what they have learned on the page without fear. They know what they need to put down, and where, but they are also free to expand and add to the template. To choose their own colors. To bring out what is most important to them through their creativity and artistry. And those super artistic students? They can just flip the template over and use the blank page on the back.

Beyond Novels

There are so many ways to integrate this creative strategy into your classroom. While one-pagers lend themselves beautifully to final assessments after reading independent novels, literature circle selections, or whole class novels, that's really just the beginning.

You can use them to get to know students better, as with a name tent or "about me" one-pager at the beginning of the year. One school used templates to have every student create a one-pager about their own lives, collecting them all into hallway displays as part of a project they called "Tell your Story."

You can also use them to help students focus in on the most important information in nonfiction articles and books. One EFL teacher in Croatia used the templates to have students share key takeaways from articles they read about social media. Not only did students have to analyze the text deeply to figure out what was most important, but the dual-coding theory suggests the process of creating the one-pagers will help them remember the information better.

Another great use for one-pagers is to keep students focused while absorbing media. When students are watching a film, listening to a podcast, or even attending an assembly with a guest speaker, they can be creating one-pagers as they listen, a kind of formalized version of sketchnotes.

Simple Steps for One-Pager Success

Whenever you're considering your options for assessment, throw one-pagers into the mix. The steps below should help you in creating an assignment for which every student has a roadmap to success.

1. Choose the elements you want your students to put onto their one-pagers. For example, quotations, key themes, literary elements, discussion of style, important characters or dates, connections to other disciplines, connections to their lives, connections to modern culture.

2. Create a layout using the shapes tool in PowerPoint or something similar (or grab a free set of templates here or here).

3. Connect your instructions to your layout. Make it clear which elements should go in which area of your template.

4. Create a simple rubric with the key categories you want your students to succeed with. With literary one-pagers, I use "Textual Analysis," "Required Elements," and "Thoroughness."

5. As you introduce the assignment, show students some examples of one-pagers to give them a sense for how they might proceed.

6. Give students time to work on their one-pagers in class so they can ask you questions. Consider providing some artistic materials if you can, or inviting students to bring them in. You can always let them complete the work at home if necessary.

7. Do a gallery walk of the one-pagers before you collect them, or have them present to each other in small groups. The students will learn a lot from seeing each other's representations.

8. Create a display after you grade the one-pagers with your rubric.

You can find more of Betsy's great ideas on her website, Spark Creativity.

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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A Simple Trick for Success with One-Pagers

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These visual tools allow students to synthesize learning, but some kids don't think they're talented enough to make them. A bit of creative constraint helps.

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In English 6 & 7, we are learning words that stem from Greek & Latin root words. Students are given a choice (menu) of 10 different ways to practice and learn both the connotation and denotation of new words.

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Students modelling the Tragedy of the Commons Phenomena through a Goldfish Lab

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https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/See%20Think%20Wonder_2.pdf I see I think I wonder....

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Students collaborated to model how Earth's surfaces changes through drawing: volcano, mountain, fault line and ocean ridge formation. During this activity, each student used a different color marker to hold accountability and further promote collaboration.

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White Board Practice with teacher and peers to check for understanding.

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Create 8-16 measure music and perform it.

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Create 8-16 measure music and perform it.

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Each student creates an 8-16 measure selection of music on SmartMusic composer that they perform for someone that plays the same instrument. Students then switch music and perform/assess each other's composition. Phase 2 would have students writing a harmony part to their original melody. Advanced students would compose 3-4 parts for different instruments.

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Students working on a Mars Rover Engineering Project. We integrated math skills of calculating rates, the engineering process, and Space Science content to create our rovers.

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Encourages problem solving and collaboration with "non-traditional" math problems that engage students. May be used for early test finishers or to supplement instruction.

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As a review strategy at the end of a unit, students can either summarize the entire unit or from a specific section. Then students share with the class or a small group, what the most important ideas of the unit are.

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Real-World Experts invited into the Classroom

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Real-World Experts invited into the Classroom

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Pediatric Oncologist, Dr. Paul Gordon, visited our 7th grade Life Science classes to discuss the implications of cancer in children.

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Start the day with problems that require critical thinking, number sense, and argumentation skills

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Hands on activity, allowing students to find and study artifacts from all throughout history. As we learn about cultures/time periods, students visit stations around the school using clues, role playing archaeologists. They will examine the artifacts they found to form ideas about daily life in different civilizations. Afterwards, they read the student text to learn what archaeologists have determined about these ancient objects and structures.

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Students are given differentiated "playlists" that they can work on when they have free time. This includes extra math practice and opportunity reflection.

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Philosophical Chairs is an exercise that fosters careful listening and encourages every student to contribute their thoughts.

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Philosophical Chairs is an exercise that fosters careful listening and encourages every student to contribute their thoughts.

An exercise called Philosophical Chairs is a versatile way to get students speaking and listening to one another. It's a student-centered strategy that can be used in any content area around a multitude of topics. It's set up like a debate-and one explicit objective is for students to be open to changing their minds.

The other objectives-which can be tied to standards-are for students to practice respectful dialogue, provide evidence for claims using prior knowledge, organize their thinking and logical reasoning, and avoid disputable statements. The exercise also provides a venue to challenge students' assumptions.

Getting Set Up

The teacher or a student presents a statement for the class to consider;

All students spend three minutes writing their ideas about the statement;

They decide which position they'll take on the statement (yes, no, undecided);

They discuss their ideas and positions for about 10 to 15 minutes; and

They write a reflection that includes the comment that most challenged their thinking; whether they changed their mind or not; and how open-minded they were at the start of the conversation.

The basic outline of Philosophical Chairs is this:

One person speaks at a time;

Look at the speaker and use body language that shows you're listening;

Restate what the person before you said;

Let three people on your side speak after you before you speak again; and

Gently and quietly remind others if they're not following the norms.

Before starting any speaking and listening activity, it's important to have discussion norms. In my class, the norms generally include:

I provide students with a sheet of sentence stems for politely disagreeing, adding on to someone else's comments, and redirecting the conversation back to the topic. We use these for the first few discussions, but after that students generally don't need them.

An In-Depth Look

A more detailed explanation of Philosophical Chairs goes something like this. A statement about a topic is presented to the class by the facilitator-it can be either teacher- or student-generated.

It's a statement that doesn't have a right or wrong answer, but is relevant to the content. For example, in a health class, Philosophical Chairs could begin with this: "Tobacco products should be allowed for ages 12 and up if monitored by an adult." In math class: "Using a car-sharing service makes more financial sense than owning a car."

I like to give students at least five statements to ensure that we have some with sufficient disagreement to generate a good discussion, and they spend a few minutes writing their responses to each one-yes, no, or undecided-and providing a rationale. I quickly poll the class before we begin to ensure there's a fair division of opinion-if there is not enough for a robust discussion, I'll drop a statement, or participate with the side that has less advocates, but otherwise I'm an observer.

After students write their initial responses and thoughts, they move to sit or stand in a yes row and a no row facing each other. Undecided students stand at the end of the two rows, facing them.

A student facilitator moderates the discussion. They read the statement, call on students to speak, and gently remind students to stay focused on the topic. I coach facilitators ahead of time, teaching them how to ask clarifying questions, and asking them to call on those who seem like they have something to say but are not raising their hand.

The two sides alternate speaking at first. But as the year goes on, and the class gets better at listening and respecting each other, it's normal for students to relax about the order-everyone still contributes.

I give the facilitator a roster so they can mark off who they've called on, in an effort to broaden the number of students who talk at least once. Students are not required to speak. I ask for everyone to show that they're listening respectfully, but it's important to let kids not talk. Eventually they will-I've never had a student who never speaks, because their classmates eventually prompt them, and they do share their thoughts.

As the discussion begins, the first person to speak gives a clear rationale for their belief. The next student must then summarize what that person said before they share their own thoughts.

Students are allowed to switch sides at any time. They don't give an explanation-they just move. They frequently speak up soon after moving to share what point changed their mind, and then add their thoughts.

Students who are undecided never have to pick a side, but they do have to share what they see as the strongest points from either side and say why they thought those points were the most compelling, even it they were not ultimately convinced. The facilitator shares their opinion at the end of the discussion.

Occasionally, when I sense that both sides are not being open-minded about a statement, I'll have them do something I call a Lincoln Debate-everyone has to switch sides and argue for the opposing position. This challenges students' thinking and pushes them to see other perspectives.

I think it's important to praise students for open-mindedness, and not for their excellent points. They get a lot of positive feedback on zingers, but how often do we acknowledge open-mindedness as a skill we want to cultivate?

It's illuminating for me to listen to the insightful commentary my students share. But the best part is reading their reflections, and seeing the growth on the page: "I changed my mind because...," or "I didn't change my mind because..., but I learned that...." I can see their growth in their own words.

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Philosophical Chairs is an exercise that fosters careful listening and encourages every student to contribute their thoughts. An exercise called Philosophical Chairs is a versatile way to get students speaking and listening to one another. It's a student-centered strategy that can be used in any content area around a multitude of topics.

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This is a great idea for summarizing one's knowledge about a particular religion, event, civilization, historical figure, etc.

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Sponsored by Chill Expeditions and Kiddom

Have you heard the whispers about one-pagers in the online teacher hallways? The concept of a one-pager, in which students share their most important takeaways on a single piece of blank paper, has really taken off recently.

The one-pagers I see on Instagram draw me in like a slice of double chocolate mousse cake. The artistry students bring to representing their texts on a single piece of paper, blending images and ideas in creative color, is almost hypnotizing for me. Perhaps you've had the same experience.

But it's the very beauty of the models that get posted that can drive students and teachers away from the one-pager activity. Sure, it's great for super artistic students, we tend to think, but what about everyone else?

Turns out it CAN be great for everyone. As long as you know how to structure it.

What Is a One-Pager?

Let's backtrack a bit and talk more about what a one-pager is. It's pretty simple, really. Students take what they've learned-from a history textbook, a novel, a poem, a podcast, a Ted Talk, a guest speaker, a film-and put the highlights onto a single piece of paper. AVID first developed this strategy, but now it's widely used in and out of AVID classrooms.

But why is this seemingly simple assignment so powerful?

As students create one-pagers, the information they put down becomes more memorable to them as they mix images and information. According to Allan Paivio's dual coding theory, the brain has two ways of processing: the visual and the verbal. The combination of the two leads to the most powerful results. Students will remember more when they've mixed language and imagery.

Plus, one-pagers provide variety, a way for them to share what they've learned that goes beyond the usual written options. Students tend to surprise themselves with what they come up with, and their work makes for powerful displays of learning. Plus, they're fun to make. Let's not pretend that doesn't matter.

So, assuming you're sold on trying this out, you're probably wondering what exactly goes into a one-pager?

Students might include quotations, ideas, images, analysis, key names and dates, and more. They might use their one-pagers to make connections to their own lives, to art or films, to pop culture, to what they're learning in their other classes. They might even do it all. You'd be amazed at how much can fit on a single piece of paper.

Many teachers create lists of what students should put inside their one-pagers. Knowing they need two quotations, several symbolic images, one key theme, etc., helps guide students in their work.

The Art Problem

When creating one-pagers, artistic students tend to feature more sketches, doodles, icons and lettering. Students wary of art tend to feature more text, and can be reluctant to engage with the visual part of the assignment at all.

It was this issue-the issue of the art-haters-that first drew me into one-pagers two years ago. I had seen some stunning one-pagers posted in my Facebook group, Creative High School English. But the comments that followed were always the same. "That's amazing work! But so many of my students don't like art...."

Those comments struck a chord with me. For years I had dealt with comments from some of my own students about their distaste for artistic materials when I would introduce creative projects. No matter how much I explained that it was the intention behind their choices that mattered, I always got some pushback if there were any artistic elements involved in a project.

Was there a way to tweak the one-pager assignment so every student would feel confident in their success?

Another problem was one of overall design: Though they knew they needed to hit all the requirements their teachers listed, students still seemed to be overwhelmed by that huge blank page. What should go where? Did colored pencils really have to be involved?

A Simple Solution: Templates

As I thought about the problem, I wondered if students would feel less overwhelmed if they knew what needed to go where. If the quotations had to be in the middle, the themes in the upper left, the images across the bottom, etc. I began to play around with the shapes tool in PowerPoint, creating different one-pager templates.

Then I began shaping my requirements, correlating each element with a space on the paper. Maybe the border could be the key quotations. The center would feature an important symbol. The themes could go in circles around the center. I developed a bunch of different templates for varied ways to respond to novels. Then I tried podcasts. Films. Poetry.

As I shared these templates with other teachers, I kept getting the same feedback: "It's working!"

That little bit of creative constraint actually frees students to use their imagination to represent what they have learned on the page without fear. They know what they need to put down, and where, but they are also free to expand and add to the template. To choose their own colors. To bring out what is most important to them through their creativity and artistry. And those super artistic students? They can just flip the template over and use the blank page on the back.

Beyond Novels

There are so many ways to integrate this creative strategy into your classroom. While one-pagers lend themselves beautifully to final assessments after reading independent novels, literature circle selections, or whole class novels, that's really just the beginning.

You can use them to get to know students better, as with a name tent or "about me" one-pager at the beginning of the year. One school used templates to have every student create a one-pager about their own lives, collecting them all into hallway displays as part of a project they called "Tell your Story."

You can also use them to help students focus in on the most important information in nonfiction articles and books. One EFL teacher in Croatia used the templates to have students share key takeaways from articles they read about social media. Not only did students have to analyze the text deeply to figure out what was most important, but the dual-coding theory suggests the process of creating the one-pagers will help them remember the information better.

Another great use for one-pagers is to keep students focused while absorbing media. When students are watching a film, listening to a podcast, or even attending an assembly with a guest speaker, they can be creating one-pagers as they listen, a kind of formalized version of sketchnotes.

Simple Steps for One-Pager Success

Whenever you're considering your options for assessment, throw one-pagers into the mix. The steps below should help you in creating an assignment for which every student has a roadmap to success.

1. Choose the elements you want your students to put onto their one-pagers. For example, quotations, key themes, literary elements, discussion of style, important characters or dates, connections to other disciplines, connections to their lives, connections to modern culture.

2. Create a layout using the shapes tool in PowerPoint or something similar (or grab a free set of templates here or here).

3. Connect your instructions to your layout. Make it clear which elements should go in which area of your template.

4. Create a simple rubric with the key categories you want your students to succeed with. With literary one-pagers, I use "Textual Analysis," "Required Elements," and "Thoroughness."

5. As you introduce the assignment, show students some examples of one-pagers to give them a sense for how they might proceed.

6. Give students time to work on their one-pagers in class so they can ask you questions. Consider providing some artistic materials if you can, or inviting students to bring them in. You can always let them complete the work at home if necessary.

7. Do a gallery walk of the one-pagers before you collect them, or have them present to each other in small groups. The students will learn a lot from seeing each other's representations.

8. Create a display after you grade the one-pagers with your rubric.

You can find more of Betsy's great ideas on her website, Spark Creativity.

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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A Simple Trick for Success with One-Pagers

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These visual tools allow students to synthesize learning, but some kids don't think they're talented enough to make them. A bit of creative constraint helps.

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3 D Modeling. Students created  models to visualize human organs and cells.

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3 D Modeling. Students created  models to visualize human organs and cells.

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For the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, I posted these around the pod.  Students walked around with a graphic organizer, read each poster, and wrote down how each principle helps one attain Nirvana.

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Students explore kinematics (motion) through the construction of model roller coasters. It is a cross-disciplinary activity which includes the writing of a persuasive paragraph describing and marketing their coaster design. In this paragraph, they must include key terms from science as well as vocabulary from their English class.

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Students collaborated to write a skit and design models of the processes involved in the water cycle.

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Create songs to help cement mathematical concepts.

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Students are given a specific small section of music or a line of sight reading and put into small groups of 4.
Each student has a role:
1. Counter--counts the group in
2. Pitch Perfecter--listens to see if all notes are played/sing correctly and in tune.
3. Rhythm Perfecter--listens to see that all rhythms are played/sung correctly.
4. Fixer--after others share places to fix and the group works on them, they go pack to sing/play again, and the fixer checks to make sure the corrections have been made.

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Students review their dance videos and share with the class something they did well and something they need to improve. They go around in a circle sharing with the class!

Ex: Justin Bieber knows where he's supposed to dance, but needs to improve his timing.

*I tried uploading the video of this, but it's too big :(

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In our US History class, we are learning about amending the US Constitution and exploring the idea of promoting the ratification of the 28th Amendment. Some of the strategies that I will explore using during this lesson are:

Headlines
https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Headlines_1.pdf

This routine draws on the idea of newspaper-type headlines as a vehicle for summing up and capturing the essence of an event, idea, concept, topic, etc. We will use this strategy to brainstorm ideas on which proposed amendment would be most impactful. The routine asks a core question:
1. If you were to write a headline for this topic or issue right now that captured the most important aspect that should be remembered, what would that headline be? A second question involves probing how students’ ideas of what is most important and central to the topic being explored have changed over time:
2. How has your headline changed based on today’s discussion? How does it differ from what you would have said yesterday?

T.A.G. Feedback
https://www.edutopia.org/video/60-second-strategy-tag-feedback

Students will Tell each other their ideas for a new amendment, Ask questions for clarification; Give each other feedback on why the proposed amendment can work or not.

Misconception Check
http://www.rcsthinkfromthemiddle.com/misconception-check.html

Misconception check is a type of formative assessment.  It is meant to see if students, when given a false fact, can identify what is the correct answer. In this lesson, I will give "false" information by voicing the objections to the proposed amendments, forcing the students to come up with counter arguments.

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Students answer a question or write a question as they leave the room.

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Based on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vy6NNHb44JKSgqcWyerdNzifNLQ94d6E/view

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Gamify Your Classroom! Here is a debate we did in 7th grade History. This is based upon the Gamify your classroom concept. Students were assigned to different groups and allowed to research topics under the challenging essential question: Which event/invention was most responsible for bringing about the downfall of feudalism? 2 class periods can be utilized for research, and 2 can be set aside for the debate tournament (March Madness style). I posted the bracket for "teams" and how they fared the last time I ran this simulation. Looking forward to restarting this post Covid!

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Here is the final bracket from the Medieval debates! This is based upon the Gamify your room concept.

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Students reflect their learning in the unit using pictures and phrases.

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Engineering - Using our talents to serve the community

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Engineering - Using our talents to serve the community

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Students built a new Gaga pit for our MS community through their engineering class.

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As the class looks together through finished photographs students are encouraged to comment on something the photographer did well and then ask a question.

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This quick exercise scaffolds peer critique for elementary students.

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Students research textile artwork from a chosen country and individually create artwork in that style. Before starting students discuss the color palette and design they would like to achieve after assembling their pieces together. They are then responsible to cut their artwork into pieces and arrange it in a way that showcases the artwork of the entire class. The final piece is assembled by the students into a collaborative piece of art.

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Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL)

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Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL)

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POGIL is an acronym for Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning. Because POGIL is a student-centered instructional approach, in a typical POGIL classroom or laboratory, students work in small teams with the instructor acting as a facilitator. The student teams use specially designed activities that generally follow a learning cycle paradigm. These activities are designed to have three key characteristics:

They are designed for use with self-managed teams that employ the instructor as a facilitator of learning rather than a source of information.

They guide students through an exploration to construct understanding.

They use discipline content to facilitate the development of important process skills, including higher-level thinking and the ability to learn and to apply knowledge in new contexts.

The POGIL approach has two broad aims: to develop content mastery through student construction of their own understanding, and to develop and improve important learning skills such as information processing, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and metacognition and assessment.

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Student Centered Discussion Prompts: Hot Topics

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Student Centered Discussion Prompts: Hot Topics

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On a 3x5 notecard, each student in class is asked to come up with three "Hot Topics" for discussion and/or debate. At least one topic must be related to a biblical topic and the other two can be related to a current event (political, religious, social, etc.)

After reviewing the collections of questions, I will pick a topic each week that seems to be popular among the students. We will often open class with the question.

Sometimes we play four-corners (Strongly Agree, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree).

Part of the pedagogy is to analyze the discussion prompt, discuss the benefit of mastering the art of asking questions, and learning to present our positions with Claim, Evidence, Warrant.

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This unit is on the impact art can make in the world. Students look at art that is making a positive impact in the community. They then write down observations of the artwork using See, Think, Wonder. Then they create their own artwork with the intent of making a positive impact on their community.

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Students created PowerPoints to retell a Bible story using their own words.  They were allowed to pick their story and were given some creative liberty to add in details where the Bible is silent or rewrite the story using a specific theme.  This integrated learning PowerPoint (academic tech standard) with reviewing Era 1 in Bible class and giving the students an opportunity to inject their own creativity to the process.  Isaiah Wong rewrote the creation story with a baseball theme and did a wonderful job with it!

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Desks are rearranged in a pinwheel formation and students are split into discussion groups. The inner circle consists of four tables facing one another and the outer wheel is the rest of the students contributed their ideas. They rotate as their ideas flow. The conversation is tallied on the board by the teacher. A more detailed description is provided on the website.

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The idea for the pinwheel discussions was passed along to me from @brenthurley who frequently fires emails my way that have subject lines like “you might lik

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Pinwheel Discussions

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After students create a unit project, we can use this strategy to help them provide peer feedback.

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Classroom Techniques: Formative Assessment Idea Number Six

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Two Stars and a Wish is a formative assessment strategy that can help teachers elicit evidence of student learning and engage the entire classroom.