This Encourages All Students to Pay Attention in the Group, and Be Ready to Talk

Notes 6.24.14 -- Watson

Don't ever just pair students for the sake of pairing; have a vision for the pairs

“Random Reporter”--any student could be called upon to be the reporter for the group

(this encourages all students to pay attention in the group, and be ready to talk)

--choose student who doesn't look at you, as reporter

--use this approach to participation with any of the below activities

“Put the Pictures Back Together”

Ways to use this in our classroom:

cut apart Shakespearean sonnets

find the other 3 or 4 people who fit in your group based on rest of poem

once they think they're settled, ask questions:

*could ask what thematic realm the sonnet fits into and why

*could ask what the overriding tone is and why

*then ask about the random reporter

cut out the pictures that are associated with the title of the story

have students find each other based on common pictures and the title they

think the pic goes with

once they're settled, ask questions:

*what is it about the title that causes you to match this picture and why

Cut out (or have students bring a certain # of vocab words on cards); find 4

other people whose words you think fit in your group of words

*are they all the same part of speech?

*are they all synonyms in some way?

--and then have student groups justify verbally why they paired

“Do this now Activity”:

--have them read something briefly and then have them highlight 10 vocab

words that stand out to them or capture the writer's/author's clear message

--have them only offer back 10% because this forces them to reread and

Summarize (and perhaps access their vocab book to check prefix meanings)

Common Core espouses 4 C's

--Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking

--formative assessment gets students to Critical Thinking

--#1 way to know if a student is getting it--have them write

I.R.E -- initiate, response, evaluate

-“if we only call on the hand that is up, we only hear one student's idea

--that's why think/pair/share works because you have to travel around and hear

their ideas (formatively assess, not sit at desk, while they're working/talking)”

10 and 3 rule still alive and well

--“if teacher talks/lectures for 10 minutes, students must have 3 minutes to

make sense of what they've learned”

“Quote-Reaction Activity”:

--teacher chooses quotes first and aim to have controversial ideas from a
reading

--then students do the next quote activity but they select the quotes

--encourage them to choose quotes that will elicit discussion

--if it's a video quote-reaction, have the quotes written on the chart and then

ask that they watch fully and then they'll have the quotes readily available

when they're done
--could do this with quotes where there are a vast number of words using the
prefixes we’ve studied, and ask students to work together to deduce
meaning based on context. Then submit one paper for a grade.

“Lit Circle (with 2 cents)Activity”

--everyone gets 2 cents and they chime in and physically give their 2 cents

in to the pot

--teacher also gets 2 pennies so he/she doesn't dominate the conversation

--everyone has to speak then, and teacher gets to formatively assess student's

understanding

--perhaps use this approach with vocab and pair with the most recent chapter
we’ve read in a novel. For example, use the vocab we’ve studied, or at least
words with the prefixes we’ve studied, in your 2-cent discussion point
*to assess—teacher keeps notes on iPad and records these in Comment
section of PowerSchool (time saved on grading 60 tests…) to note
which students can/did effectively use the vocab we’ve studied

“Written Conversations Activity”

time the first response by the initial writer

time the 2nd response by the next writer as the next group member weighs in

on the 1st person’s written comment

--last person summarizes all the other topics from other 3 writers

--then all 4 boxes are filled in and returned to the original writer

--thick questions (vs. thin questions) will garner the thick type of responses
you're looking for

--not what questions

--use why/how questions

--require certain vocab to be used in the conversations and/or have the
initial question/conversation-starter be about how/why one would use
a particular word at all (time saver: grade one group’s paper vs. 60
individual papers)

“3-2-1 Activity”

used to lead into a Lit Circle

can use this in place of a diff. reading guide sheet

can do 2-2-1, or modify for IEPs and do 1-1

can also modify by having students write down one ? and one ""
(see my example sheet or sample online)

--with vocab—could make each of the 3, 2, 1 categories about the words
under a particular prefix and then have the Lit Circle respond to the ideas
generated on the papers
(time saver: no need to grade the actual papers b/c you’ll use them in
class and see who did the work, then just record the full credit or no
credit in PowerSchool

“Ticket in the door Activity”

--Today will be a success with vocab if....

--and then have them put their sticky notes on the "parking lot"

--just have a space on the wall or board for them to stick notes

To
--whatever activity you’re doing with the vocab that day (perhaps just
working with words that come up in the close reading passage on the
board), you can spend the last 5 min. seeing how many of their tickets

you actually did accomplish.

“See 3 Before Me Activity”

--way to get students to test out their answers

--b/c it's better for kids to fail and try again rather than having teacher

give them the answer

“Phone a Friend Activity”

--same purpose

Keeping time on the board is a good way to let students know your time limits

are valid and consistently held. Almost all of the activities listed should be timed.

--put the stop time on the board

--tell students they have 2 minutes and then show a count-down timer

--say 58 seconds instead of 1 minute

--say the time limit and then say the directions again (so students are thinking

now about their directive) and then start the time limit

“Create Your Own Test Question Activity”

--offer students types of questions and examples

--let them work in groups to develop questions

--tell students that if their question is used on the actual test, they will automatically receive 1 extra credit point

Examples of Formative Assessment Techniques

ones that we use

--close reading and what good readers do

--I swivel around on my chair and record comments by name

that I then share back during the last 10 min. of class, and state

"do you see how this is what good readers do, and where this

led the group?" I also point out funny things they say, but it's

all positive. Then these end up in my grade book in the Class

Engagement category (which plays into the final grade).

Chris’s modified Multiple Choice Vocab Tests:

--not only does he have students select the word that fits in the
sentence (from a set of multiple choice), but then……..

--students have to write a single sentence explaining their answer
choice. The true “test” is their written explanation.

“Red/Green/Yellow cards on desks”

--have students self-assess

--they can hold up a red/green/yellow card

--have to hold them accountable by asking clarifying questions or

asking them to show you their understanding in some way

“If students are able to easily cheat, than this means that the work that they can easily look over at their partner's desk and copy, is not work that is substantial enough or rigorous enough.”

--Example: asking for info from students, and asking for writing responses

“Quotation Mingle”

--not meant to replace totally, a lecture

--it is to introduce info you're about to study or newly introduce

--usually mingling is superficial; this is how to make it meaningful

--this is used to elicit student feedback

--you don't want to hand out all different quotes/vocab words that are new that
day

--read your quote to your partner; even if your partner has the same quote/vocab word and definition as you, that's OK

--after you're done, find a new partner and read the quote/definition to them

--point is to get tidbits of info from others, while simultaneously reading your

tidbit over and over and mastering one particular point

--modify: HSers can make their own quotes/vocab cards and then go share

**Jenn John does something similar with having students make cards;
this would be a great way then, to assess students as they’re working,
have them actually using the vocab, and then saving grading time

--this activity can get loud, so try to only give about 5 different quotes/vocab
words

--don't tell kids how many quotes/vocab words there are, or tell them that they
should see "how many they can get in 3 minutes", because then they'll be
focused on counting, and not listening

“A paced, every teacher of this grade be at this same point each day, will move on the next day....worst case scenario

--worst case scenario too, to have same assessments on same day”

“Move is being made from the sage on the stage, to the guide on the side -- for teachers”

6 Word Memoirs

--All American Rejects

--Hemingway's famous example: Baby shoes for sale, never worn

--Inner Harbor examples on post cards

--very effective summarization techniques

--For those of us who took PLN 1 this past year, we did these.
*This would also be a fun way to have students use maybe 2-3
vocab words we’ve just studied, in the memoir, and again—the

grading is much quicker than 60 sets of exercises, etc…