HIST 3300 Tool Kit by Carly Gordon

Circle the Sage Strategy

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-23 00:28:18 UTC

This teaching strategy has the students broken up into groups. Each group of students have special knowledge on a topic; thus being called "sages". The teacher then proceeds to ask the class if anyone could explain a certain topic. "Those students with knowledge (the sages) stand and spread out in the room" (Norris, 2012). As shown in the model I created with the smiley faces, each group member explains their topic to the others in their group. These groups should have 1 person from each topic area. This allows the other group members to learn from their peers.

Reflection:
This strategy is an awesome way to make students engage in academic discussions. They will be working together to discuss their topics. To me, this form of teaching has a huge impact on students for the reason that they are learning from their peers. This promotes inquiry because of the manner for which the material is being taught. Students are more likely to share their opinion to a smaller group of their peers than the whole class. This strategy would probably work good for grades K-5. This would be best implemented with discussion based curriculum. Possible ways to differentiate could be:
-Placing higher level thinkers with lower.
-Have "sages" be pairs.

Circle the Sage Visual

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-29 22:31:46 UTC

Freeze Frame Strategy

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-29 22:32:41 UTC

This strategy is has students broken into equal groups in the classroom, as shown above. Students are asked to come up with a reenactment of a scene from the text or material provided. After a given amount of time to plan the teacher will say "freeze". All motion will stop and the groups will be still like a statue. "Then, one at a time, each group is asked to 'Come alive'. They add dialogue and movement to bring the text to life" (TKI). This makes the curriculum a fun and engaging activity to learn or review course material.

Reflection:
This strategy is an awesome way for students to learn new information from their peers. From this teaching strategy, I learned that there are fun and inventive ways to teach Social Studies curriculum. Children are often hesitant for their interest of the subject, which makes this strategy a game changer. I think this method would be best as a review of material. Reenacting events like: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Boston Tea Party, or even Martin Luther King's speech. This method promotes inquiry because it allows students to put their spin and interpretation on the material being taught. This can open up classroom discussion on the manner for which the students present their topic. Possible ways to differentiate could be:
-Placing higher level students with struggling students.
-Giving specific topics to specfic groups.
-Give certain perimeters to each group.

Freeze Frame Visual

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-30 17:53:29 UTC

Mind Maps Strategy

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-30 19:17:13 UTC

This strategy is a important strategy that students in the upper K-5 grades can use while they are learning new material. This method allows students to take notes in a more individualized way for them. At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher gives each student a big piece of paper. On this paper, the students can write down things they think is important from the lesson. They can arrange the material in a way that makes sense to them and they can reference at a later time. The visual above is a rough example of what a mind map can look like. Though, students will most likely be writing theirs instead of typing it. This method of breaking apart the information being taught to them will help them pay attention more. Students will be able to remember material better when they listen and write it on their own terms.

Reflection:
This strategy is best for the upper grades. Although, it could be used in the lower grades but would need some modifications. For example, drawing pictures for things instead of writing. I learned that there are different ways to take notes for students. It individualizes the students note taking to make it just for them because they can do whatever they want to best remember the content. This would be best implemented during content heavy lessons so that the students can see it broken apart. This promotes inquiry and thinking critically because it allows students to reference back to the material and possibly compare their mind maps with their classmates. By comparing, this promotes academic conversations amongst peers. Possible ways to differentiate could be: 
-Allowing students to type notes on a I-Pad or computer.
-Use voice typing for students using electronics.
-Have a mind map pre-written for students that can not write.

Mind Maps Visual

carlyg0108 — 2018-07-30 19:28:23 UTC