Ways to Enhance Teacher Development Sustained professional development time has been curtailed due to changes in school scheduling. In addition, there is an online course management tool (MBC) that was underutilized. Some professional development materials and discussion topics were presented via MBC. Teachers responded to pertinent topics such as cultural competency, engaging children from poverty, […]
Category: 2014 Showcase
Reducing Office Referrals for Targeted Students
Creation of a Progressive Discipline Plan Helps Keep Students in the Classroom Assistant Principals have reduced the number of referrals for targeted students who had 5 or more referrals during the previous school year. Students who have consistently violated school rules have missed instructional time due to office referrals, suspensions and parent meetings to address […]
Community Support at Wes-Del Elementary
Partnering with Community Organizations Shafer and Smith have partnered with numerous community organizations in an effort to meet the continuing needs of their students. They believe that through this partnership, their students will not only be supported academically, but will have both physical and emotional needs met as well. Submitted by: Tracy Shafer and Rachel […]
The Community in the School
Students and School Staff Give Back to Their Community The school relies on active parental involvement, supported by the people, places and things of the community. The whole community is a component of the school’s programming with place-based learning activities. The students and school staff give back to their community. Submitted by: Susie Pierce, Rural […]
All Pro Dad’s Breakfast Program
Fathers Join Children for a Monthly Breakfast at School This practice is encouraging and increasing parental involvement by creating a forum for fathers to connect with their children. During this time, fathers and children set monthly goals for spending time together and sharing their feelings for each other. Fathers are given strategies for becoming the […]
Academic Field Trips: Gettysburg, Mt. Vernon and Washington, D.C.
Field Trips as a Learning Experience The world is your classroom. Learning can—and should—happen everywhere. But valuable learning experiences outside the classroom require planning, execution and follow up in addition to financial resources. Convincing a principal or superintendent that the experience is valuable is not always easy. But Despite these challenges, a carefully planned and […]
Reciprocal Reading
Group Reading Encourages Continual Engagement Based on the four fundamental comprehension skills (summarizing, questioning, clarifying and predicting), this research-based approach challenges all readers to think within, about and beyond the text. Students work together collaboratively within a group and assume roles to complete the task at hand. Participation of all group members is essential for […]
Renaissance 4th-8th Grade Reading
Students Read an Impressive Variety of Literature and Share Their Findings The Upper Elementary Reading Program is one of the great strengths at Renaissance Academy. Students read an impressive variety of literature which they discuss in small book groups. The reading program is coordinated with the social studies curriculum, and also tied to the science […]
Placement
Placement Testing We test new students with a 32-question placement test. This is combined with the student’s mathematics SAT score and adjusted based on the courses the student has already taken to determine the placement in junior-year mathematics courses. Developing the placement process included determining the weights for each input (placement test, SAT and previous […]
Responsive Instruction Plan
Changing School Diversity Creates a Need for Change At Orchard Park Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana, we are seeing increasing diversity in our school population. As the population changes, we are seeing more need for student services that help with academics, behavioral issues, social skills, and other areas related to issues of poverty, English as a […]
Solar House Activity
Construction of a Solar House Promotes Sustainability Education This is a Solar House construction activity originally from Wendy Van Norton developed for College Board AP Environmental Science but can be used at both Middle School and High School levels successfully. The activity engages teams of students in the design and construction of a passive solar […]
Brain Breaks: Energized for Learning
Giving Breaks Enhances the Brain Brain breaks introduce physical activity into the classrooms from the classroom teachers. It assists in transitioning students between classroom subjects and increases student engagement for further classroom functioning. With the guidance of the PE staff, teachers are given training modules and resources to assist with the brain break activities. These […]
High School Social Studies
Exercise to Encourage Students to Embrace Politics Teaching the American Presidential election of 1960 using the commercial simulation “1960: Making of the President” (Z-Man Games: 2007). This is a relatively sophisticated simulation that uses familiar board-game concepts (turns, cards, mapboard, marker cubes, etc.) to examine the classic — and close — Kennedy vs. Nixon electoral […]
Practice Leading to Student Achievement
Individualized Service Plan Helps Students Students who attend schools today are facing an array of challenges unlike any we have seen in previous generations. When they attend school many of these challenges significantly impact their ability to perform civically, socially, and academically. Students who enroll at Options Charter Schools enter the enrollment phase by filling […]
Data Drive Instruction
Data Team Summaries Drive Educational Instruction Grade level teams meet weekly to discuss both formative and summative data. For example, upper grades use daily math work to form small intervention groups at the end of each day. Primary grade levels often look at the depth of knowledge about a newly introduced concept. Decisions are made […]
Reading and Writing Across Subjects
Writing Enhances Student Achievement This is an assignment that would benefit most a high school level 3 French class. However, it can be altered to fit other levels and other languages. At the end of the first semester, for the final of their second year in French, students are to write a children’s story. Students […]
In-class Work Time
Mastery of School Material is Enhanced by In-class Work Time In order to ensure student mastery of the material, we provide our students with time in class after the lesson to help solidify the targeted skill set listed in the objectives for the day. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Students can become confused when they […]
Smartboard Technology in the Classroom
Using a Smartboard in the Classroom This Best Practice utilizes a Smart Board Projector to aid in classroom instruction. Using all the features of this technology provide great benefit to the teacher as well as the student in classroom teaching effectiveness. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Working with whiteboards (or even chalkboards) present certain problems […]
REA2CH: Results of Effective Academics for ALL Children through High School
Collaboration Helps Prepare Special Education Students Burris Laboratory School practices a full inclusion model for the delivery of special education services for students identified with a disability in grades K-12. This contributes to a exceptionally high school graduation rate for students with disabilities. These students are prepared academically and socially for post secondary options of […]
Aluminum Can Recycling
Children Learning About Recycling as They Help the Ronald McDonald House Our 4/5s preschool class collects, crushes and recycles aluminum cans. Can crushing is an active center in our classroom each day. Our children learn to work together to achieve a common goal, and take pride in their accomplishments. Learning to recycle and care for their environment […]
Etiquette Counts
Professional Dinner Etiquette These events prepare students for professional dinner and reception-style events they may attend after high school graduation, such as: events for scholarships, job interviews, fundraisers, mix and mingle events for membership organizations, or even wedding receptions. Whatever the event, we want out students to be prepared—to be educated in proper social and […]
Utilizing Expeditionary Learning
Expeditionary Learning Creates Positive Changes Utilizing Expeditionary Learning as the structure of my teaching has achieved incredible results. In an Expeditionary Learning model, each semester, the teacher creates and executes an expedition. The expedition is standards-based, hands-on, and community focused. It is grounded in either science or social studies standards and acts as the integrated […]
Literacy Framework: Focus on LLI
Workshop Models Help Benefit LLI The Project School Literacy Model is based on the systematic coordination of curriculum and instruction best practices that we have researched and selected to work together in order to ensure the success of all readers and writers. At The Project School, the majority of the teaching of reading and writing occurs […]
Exhibition Night
Student Presentations Enhance Learning Experience Inspire Academy increases parental involvement each semester with a school-wide celebration of learning called “Exhibition Night.” The event features the culmination of a semester of student work a they unveil their final products. Students present their learning to a broader audience by giving informational speeches and substantive question and answer […]
Success Academy
Instructional Coaching Benefits Students in an Alternative Program The Success Academy is a new alternative program at Anderson High School. The 75+ students are educated by seven teachers throughout the day (focusing on core subjects and freshmen appropriate electives). All classrooms and lockers are located within the same hallway, to ensure maximum support. Research-based strategies […]
Vocabulary Call and Response
Transitional Practice Helps Students Learn Vocabulary Vocabulary Call and Response is a best practice that can be used during transitional times throughout the day. Students are introduced to a new vocabulary word that can be tied to any subject or course. We began by using Common Core vocabulary in Language Arts and Mathematics. When the […]
Success in Effectively Scheduling Success Periods
Remediation Period Helps Students Who Are Potentially Falling Behind The Success period is a significantly important component of the 8-Step Process designed to increase student achievement. This best practice represents our third iteration—and we believe the most effective—of how to conceptualize and implement ways in which to effectively schedule the Success period for all students […]
Success
Remediation, Maintenance, and Enrichment Period Helps Students Achieve Success We offer a Success period at the beginning of each day. Our periods are tiered into three levels for both math and ELA. We have remediation, maintenance, and enrichment. Our enrichment period is project and community-based learning with the current math and ELA standards wrapped into […]
Streamlined Fitness Infusion Heart Rate Technology PE Program
Instruction Used to Increase Heart Rate We developed a streamlined pattern skill development curriculum in order to improve our heart rate time on task with our heart rate technology in our daily physical education classes. With refined instruction we are able to provide students with 60-75% or In Zone or Above heart rate during our […]
Staff-led Professional Development: Analyzing Marzano’s ‘The Art and Science of Teaching’
Professional Development Day Helps Teachers to Improve Student Performance and Engagement Our staff was given copies of Marzanos The Art and Science of Teaching and felt it was best addressed in short presentations. We divided the staff up into small groups and assigned each group a chapter from the book. During our Professional Development Day, […]
Skillstreaming: Pro-social Skills Instruction
Pro-social Behaviors and Skills Taught to Teachers to Decrease Problem Behaviors in the Classroom The Burris Counseling Center implemented an intervention of social skills training, called Skillstreaming, in the elementary grades (K-5). SkillStreaming consists of sixty different pro-social behaviors/skills for students. To establish which skills to choose, a needs assessment was administered to all elementary […]
A Response to Intervention (RTI) Model for Elementary Grades
Increasing Individualized Reading and Mathematics Instruction Helps Failing Students Burris Laboratory School developed a Response to Intervention (RTI) model during the 2010-2011 school year as a collaborative project among elementary teachers facilitated by Dr. Susan Albrecht and Mrs. Dawn Miller. RTI is a process of providing increasing individualized, intensive instruction in reading and mathematics to students […]
Read Like A Historian
Social Studies Teaching Strategy Helps Children Learn Read Like a Historian is an instructional strategy that emerged from Anderson High School’s implementation of the RAISE (Reading Apprenticeship) efforts to improve academic literacy in secondary content areas. Students are taught reading strategies specifically necessary to understanding primary documents and other forms of texts found in the […]
Studying World Language in High School
This is an assignment for 1st or 2nd year students of Latin who are in high school in grades 11 or 12. This project revolves around culture as it is an integral part of the study of any world language. The Romans are known for their great works of architecture and engineering. Some of these are the amphitheaters, temples, baths, aqueducts, military camps, streets, to list just a few.
My Friends and Me
Making Discoveries with Friends Enhances Personal and Social Growth MY FRIENDS AND ME is a program of group activities and versatile materials to help nurture the personal and social development of preschool children. With FRIENDS, children participate and are encouraged to make discoveries about themselves and their friends and to develop healthy, realistic attitudes about […]
Mini-assessments for High School Biology
Assessments Help Teachers Improve Students Biology Knowledge Starting in the summer of 2013 the biology teachers at Anderson High School in an effort to get ahead of the day when biology may become a graduation requirement. As coordinator leader of this project to the the goal was to be simple: a. Develop a common calendar […]
Lost Generation Literature: Parisian Salon Simulation
Simulation of Literary Characters Sparks Higher Level Thinking This literary salon simulation is the final exam and major scholarly project of the Lost Generation Literature class I teach at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. Students who take this course not only read the great literature written by such twentieth-century literary giants as […]
The Language of Anatomy
Creation of a Life-Size Body Helps Students Learn Anatomy A comprehensive, semester long project creating a life-size shell of the anatomy student from the inside out! Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Practice leading to student achievement and student performance Major Challenges to Implementation: The only major challenge is the initial cost of the supplies. Benefits […]
iLit Reading Instruction
Student Personalized Learning Support Helps Students Who Struggle With Reading Pearson’s iLit core reading program for struggling readers is designed to meet the national crisis of students who simply cannot read at the appropriate grade level and who, by the time they reach high school, are dropping out, checking out, or acting out. iLit engages […]
High School World History Lesson: How & Why Major Cities Around the World Developed and Expanded 1500-1820
Using NPR as a Model to Present Historical Information About a Major City Students used an NPR article about “How Paris Became Paris” as a model; chose a major city in the world that also developed and expanded some time between 1500 to 1820; and created and presented their own article. Issues this Best Practice […]
Fluency Development Lesson
Developing a New Way to Build Reading Fluency and Comprehension In The Fluent Reader, Timothy Rasinski describes “slow, disjointed, and labored” reading from struggling readers as an underlying factor in decreased comprehension. As an answer to this issue, he created a reading intervention, the Fluency Development Lesson, to help build reading fluency (and consequently comprehension). […]
Environmental Design for Infant Care
Classroom Design Meets the Needs of Infant Care Best practice for infant care focuses on the unique characteristics and needs of each individual child. Our best practice is exhibited by the environmental design which includes those individual needs/characteristics. The design of our infant room acknowledges and reflects the field of study’s researched elements of such […]
Dramatizing Within and Outside the Context of Text to Engage and Motivate Learners
Drama Performances Increase Student Engagement Students utilize a variety of drama performances in order to enhance their thinking and understanding of the concepts from the text. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: This Best Practice was developed to increase student engagement and to encourage all students to be an active part of developing understanding while reading. […]
Dinosaurs and More
Dinosaur Presentation Allows for Student Creativity and Expression This is a cross-curricular unit of study that is used for showcasing all kindergarten core subject areas. Kindergarten students collect and present expository information about an assigned dinosaur. Science facts and information are used to conduct inquiry research that is presented to K-12 peers, faculty, and family […]
Digital 8-step TEAM Data Wall
Google Spreadsheet Helps Teachers to Analyze Students Standard-Based Data The 8-Step Process steps 1 & 4 require a school to do “test score disaggregation & assessment”. After being in our third year of implementation we have developed an efficient tool to meet that requirement. Our digital “8-step TEAM data wall” is LIVE with Google Docs. […]
Developmentally Appropriate Learning Activities
A Mixture of Teacher-directed and Student-directed Learning is an Effective Tool Best Practice includes developmentally appropriate learning activities that encourage a mixture of teacher-directed and child-directed activities. Teacher-directed learning involves the teacher as a facilitator who models learning strategies and gives guided instruction. Child-directed learning allows the child to assume some responsibility for learning goals. […]
Co-Teaching
Use of Differentiated Teaching Methods Helps Students Learn For the school year 2013-2014 the first grade team at Burris Laboratory School implemented a co-teaching model. All first grade students are taught together using differentiated teaching methods. Teachers use whole group, flexible small group, and one-on-one instruction. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: There are several issues […]
Constructing a Constructed Response
School-wide Initiative Helps to Improve Student Writing Northside Middle School implemented a school-wide initiative to improve student writing on extended and constructive response questions. We implemented a formula for all students to use in all settings. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Our data showed that our students were not successfully responding to constructed response questions. […]
Bottledome!
Student Driven Activity Sparks Learning About an Ecosystem Building a little ecosystem in a bottle! Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Inquiry-based instruction/ Ecosystem concepts and standards Major Challenges to Implementation: This does take several days to implement the project and then requires daily observations and journaling. Benefits Derived from Implementing this Best Practice: This project […]
Blogging in the Classroom—A remedy for Disinterested Writing Students
Blogging Serves as a Way to Practice Communication Skills My students participate in weekly blogging activities. These activities are designed to have students practice writing paragraphs in proper form, help them learn to keyboard, and to assist students in learning modern communication skills. Students are given writing prompt they must answer with a five sentence […]
Analyzing Poetry
Students Find Elements in Poems I teach students to analyze poems by introducing them to a list of elements that appear in many poems and helping them learn to find these elements themselves and think about how they work together. Rather than asking them what the poem means, or inviting them to respond only in […]
ABCDEF Card Voting
Multiple Choice Voting Sparks Classroom Discussion and Debate This best practice uses ABCDEF voting cards as a method of increasing student participation among all students in the classroom. Students are presented with multiple choice questions based on material discussed earlier in class. Students work individually to start, then vote for what they conclude is the […]
iPads Help Level the Playing Field
Technology is integrated into the curriculum through the use of iPads. Students utilize the iPads through skill building and practice, creating projects, and researching classroom topics as well individualized projects. The iPads also help in the differentiation for all learners. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: Through the use of iPads students are allowed different creative […]
Discipline Pyramid
Tiered Discipline Plan Pyramid Helps to Decrease Negative Behaviors This is a tiered discipline plan that has been proven through data to decrease negative behaviors and increase student time in the classroom. This additional time in the classroom has led to little to no instructional time being lost. Issues this Best Practice Addresses: The number […]
Multigenre Research Project
Research Project Created Through Multigenre Writing According to Best Practice, Third Edition by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde, the recommendations for teaching writing are increased student ownership, writing for real audiences, teacher modeling writing, learning grammar and mechanics in context, and writing across the curriculum as a tool for learning. All of these recommendations are found […]