Powerful Strategies: ELAR 9-12
Pecos CSS Conference
Presentation Link: goo.gl/eAgWj3
What to Expect Today:
It'll be fast, but everything is linked and posted for you!
Norms & Expectations:
- Be present
- Be participatory
- Be aware of and avoid distractors (e.g.: email, back to school to do list, candy crush, post lunch lethargy, etc.)
- Use the Session Parking Lot: tinyurl.com/pecosparkinglot to ask questions to be reviewed at the end of the session
Turn & Talk: Taking Risks & Our Attitudes toward Failing
1. Share your response and reactions to the video .
2. How might you use this video to inspire your students or establish a culture of risk taking?
A Quick Look at Data and Regional Trends...
- In a nutshell, Figure 19 is embedded throughout our TEKS and throughout the STAAR EOC test, and requires our students to THINK! (analyze, synthesize, make connections, make complex inferences)
- What does this mean for us? Utilize strategies and lenses to get our students engaged, thinking, active, and challenged, with an emphasis on higher level thinking and total participation techniques.
#1: "Pass and Write"...and other variations
- whole group/class circle with rotating papers*
- multiple small groups (group or papers rotate)
- small group gallery walk style
Implementation ideas:
- Recall concepts: timed free write about a concept, pass and correct/add
- Make Connections: complete a graphic organizer or Frayer model vocab exercise
- Analyze & Respond (clip, piece, concept): silent discussion (ie: read and respond)
- Defend and explain: add to previous person's idea
- Synthesize: create your own (story, character analysis, poem analysis)
*Also try "Musical Editing" a version of musical chairs for targeted and focused editing of drafts.
#2: CRAFTS
C: Context (What is the context for the piece you are creating?)
R: Role (Who or what are you?)
A: Audience (Who are you addressing? Who is this writing for?)
F: Format (What form will the writing take: essay, editorial, response, journal, etc.?)
T: Topic (What is the purpose and topic of the piece? Why?)
S: Strong Verb (What verb defines the purpose of the assignments?)
Use to teach Point of View, Character Analysis, Intended Audience, STAAR Prompts (both Expository, Persuasive)
Use sample ideas chart from Michigan Department of Education
Use the RAFT handout template here
#3: "Speed Dating"
Implementation ideas:
- Discussion topics
- Content review
- Answer or write questions in pairs
- Discuss poem/literary analysis
- Extend: have students create their own discussion questions
Pro tips: train your students, work up to longer intervals of time, figure out logistics ahead of time [odd number plan]
#4: Summarizing, Making Connections, & Making Predictions: Activities
Activities & Strategies to promote summary:
- Concept: 30 Second Bunnies Theater
- 30 Words or Less Challenge
- Paper Tweets (template here)
- #Hashtags
- Six Word Memoirs
- Literary/Classroom Memes
- Word Clouds (preview, review essays, etc.) Tagul, Wordle, Tagxedo
- Padlet: (summary, brainstorm, post a question, tone selfies, check in, etc.)
Literary Memes
Identify themes or summarize concepts via memes.
Paper Tweets
#5: Gamify your classroom!
Engage your students with an interactive and competitive review!
- Use Kahoot! or Pear Deck (with your Google Apps for Education accounts) to review and interact with your students.
- Ideas: review concepts, vocabulary, grammar, elements of a STAAR rubric, classroom rules
- Enrich: have students create their own Kahoots! to play as a class
- Let's play! Go to kahoot.it
- Ready to create your own? getkahoot.com
*note: if you need any assistance getting set up with either of these programs or the logistics of how it looks and works in a classroom, talk to me!
#6: Vocabulary Enrichment
Animoto: video creation (why it works: easy to use & acclimate, quick process [one class period]
Students create videos to explain a concept (literary device), visually depict vocabulary words, visually explain an analogy
See student samples here.
Pro tip: make sure the computers you're working with have updated flash players; be sure your students use your educator code to give them the free pro version
Frayer Model Vocabulary (sample template here)
Exit Ticket:
Laura Kile
Secondary ELAR & GT
Please contact me with any questions, requests, suggestions, or feedback!
Email: lkile@esc18.net
Website: http://www.esc18.net/site/default.aspx?PageID=1
Location: Region 18 Education Service Center, La Force Boulevard, Midland, TX, United States
Twitter: @mslkile
Random Resources you should check out:
Utilize these tools to manage your classes and make your life easier!
- Online classroom timers: (my favorite is the snails!)
- Random name generator: (use to call on students randomly, assign groups, assign topics to study, choose vocabulary words or concepts to recall, etc.)
- Text your class (and their parents!) updates, reminders, attachments: Remind has made some major updates! Sign up and include your class code in your syllabus!
- PD & Lifelong learning: Twitter chats and hashtags to follow: #elachat, #aplit, #aplang, #gtchat, #txed