Structured Program Assists Students in Completing Online Work As more classrooms are becoming 1-to-1 with students and technology, two high school teachers chose to differentiate through tiering processes with the Canvas LMS system. The beginning of the year was the first time students at our school experienced Canvas LMS. The first few units were done […]
Category: Jr. High/High School
Fostering Academic Accountability in High School Students While Improving Communication with Parents and Teachers
Weekly Plan Implemented to Help Keep Students Accountable For Their Academic Commitments This Best Practice was implemented to help students improve failing or low grades from the mid-term grading period to the end of the semester. A Grade Improvement Plan (GIP) template was designed to aid students and teachers in tailoring strategies for improvement to […]
Collaboration with Dry Erase Boards
Dry Erase Boards Creates a Culture of Conversation While Encouraging Small Group Interactions In the realm of education and instruction, collaboration is a hot topic. The mathematics classroom thrives on collaboration among students, fostering deeper thinking. Use of dry erase boards can enhance problem solving, boost self-confidence, and assist in the practice of mathematics. This […]
Linking Theory to Practice to Support Authentic Learning for Preservice Teachers
Seminars Created for Student Teachers For decades research polls have identified school discipline and classroom management as among the top challenges most teachers at some point face during their professional careers. New teachers as well as some veteran teachers frequently cite classroom management as a primary concern in their teaching practice, and preservice teachers often […]
Use of “The Recovery Process” for Disruptive Classroom Students
The “Recovery Process” Allows the Teacher to Preserve the Classroom Learning Environment The “Recovery Process” is one of the nine-skills found in the multimedia training program, 9 Essential Skills for the Love and Logic Classroom. This process allows the teacher to preserve the learning environment when nothing seems to be working with the student. We […]
Camping and Hiking Trip
Spring Break Trip Allows Urban Students to Learn About the Wildnerness Being a school focused toward at-risk youth who have grown up in an urban centered environment we wanted to design a program that would allow students to experience a meaningful lesson outside of the typical classroom structure. A program director was able to contact […]
The Egg Drop Project
Hands-On Activity Helps Students Integrate STEM Concepts with Content Writing 7th grade science, math, and English honors teachers at Southside Middle School developed a cross-curricular egg drop project to integrate STEM concepts with content writing. Student were challenged to design, create, test, and analyze a BESS (Better Egg Shipping System) that would protect a dropped […]
Student Led
Students Transform Into Leaders of Their Own Learning Through a Variety of Student Led Activities and Student Engaged Assessments As an EL Education school, we are constantly looking for ways to better serve our students and to learn and grow as educators just as we would ask our students to do. One way to create […]
Flocabulary
Online Music Videos Help Keep Students Engaged in the Classroom Flocabulary is a website that can be found at www.flocabulary.com and the free videos can be accessed from any classroom or home. Flocabulary music videos are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and can be incorporated in multiple subjects such as reading, math, language arts, science, […]
Social Media in the Classroom
Social Media Connects Students with Others at All Times After becoming a connected educator myself, I began to understand the possibilities of connecting my students through social media. After checking our Responsible Use Policy and lengthy discussions with district administration, I began slowly incorporating social media, specifically Twitter, into my lessons. We started slowly, with positive […]
PBIS Initiatives
Students Rewarded for Doing the Right Thing Our PBIS team has created a positive set of school wide expectations for all areas of the school. We have put into place many incentives for students who do the right thing. We have a student of the month breakfast for those students selected in the different curriculum […]
Grissom & Southside: Working Together
Students Encouraged to Give Back to Their Community Southside Middle School 7th and 8th grade teachers have implemented a collaborative and cross-curricular program to encourage students to contribute to the growth and development of their community and begin life-long habits of philanthropy. Once each month, students from the 7th and 8th grade honors program at […]
Assessment: A Window Into Students’ Thinking. Look, Listen, and Learn!
Professional Development Workshop Created to Help Teachers Meet Student Needs In May 2015, Southside Middle School, participated in an AdvanceED diagnostic review. One of the findings and identified improvement priorities was to hold Professional Development regarding topics including best practices, classroom management, team building, and formal/ informal assessment. This workshop will highlight certain formal and […]
Workplace training through JEL
Students are Given the Opportunity to Complete Work Training JEL (J.Everett Light) is a workplace training program offered to our Junior and Seniors. As an alternative charter school, Options High School has a very diverse population of students. Many of these students don’t plan on attending a traditional 4 year college. To help prepare these […]
Game Based Learning in Science Classes
In-Class Games Help Students Apply Key Concepts In my high school science classes I attempt to keep lecture time down per each one hour class. The remainder of the time is spent applying the class concepts to various content related problems. I break students into groups every class for collaborative learning. In an effort to […]
S.W.A.G.G.E.R. Wall
Students Rewarded for Good Grades The goal at Southside Middle School is to promote responsibility and a strong work ethic with students. In order to achieve a positive academic atmosphere, we reward students for good grades. Students who receive a good grade on an assignment, test, or project are identified by their teacher. The teacher […]
Jigsaw Activity in the World Language Classroom
Interactive Activity Helps Students Create Their Own Learning During our unit on travel and transportation, I wanted to design an activity that was more interactive than simply finding information from an authentic French website. I know that the “jigsaw” technique is a cooperative learning strategy that allows students to create their own learning. I found […]
Let’s Get Visual
Visual Cue Cards Enhance Classroom Management This summer, I attended a conference on appealing to special needs students. There were many strategies presented about adding more visual elements to your classroom. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to appeal to the visual learners in my classroom. This year, I have tried out visual cue […]
Kennedy Assassination: Crime Scene Investigation
Unique Class Assignment Encourages Students to Use Problem Solving and Communication Skills Students travel back in history to 1960 to the presidential election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. We spend a week acquiring biographical information while comparing and contrasting the influence of media then and now. Once students have a good understanding of […]
Learning Centers: Not Just for Elementary Students
Learning Centers Enable Teachers to Cover More Content and Increase Student Participation When secondary teachers struggle to keep students engaged learning decreases. The use of active learning centers increases student engagement, participation, and therefore learning. There are some tangible advantages to including learning centers in the classroom. Experience has shown that students actually tend to be […]
Ultimate Frisbee as Civic Engagement
Playing Ultimate Frisbee Helps Enhance Communication Skills The Ultimate Frisbee Club at Northside Middle School was created after students showed an interest in playing the sport. However, it was selected because many of our students struggle to communicate effectively with peers, as well as adults. They are capable of stating opinions, and willing to argue […]
Student Led Conferences
Student Led Parent-Teacher Conferences Increase Student Confidence Student Led Conferences facilitate student articulation of learning, student-engaged assessment through review and reflection, and parent engagement. As parent-teacher conferences transition to parent-teacher-student conferences, students become a part of the conversation and become involved in the process of reflecting on their progress. After parents and students understand that both […]
Student Led Book Clubs
Book Club Allows Students to Take Ownership for Their Reading Book Club was originally created through collaboration with a third grade teacher(me) and fifth grade teacher who were seeking a way to empower students to have meaningful discussions on complex texts that were being read in class. When Book Club was first created, the whole […]
Intervention for All: Encouraging Growth of Language Arts Mastery
English Enrichment Program Allows Students the Opportunity to Experience in Depth Exploration of Class Standards At Northside Middle School, we knew a key component to achieving success in the mastery of language arts would be to encourage growth from all of our students. While many intervention programs are aimed at only the bottom or top […]
7th Grade Honors Capstone Project
Students are Given a Chance to Make the Community Better An inquiry-based investigation based on the idea, “Any community has the potential to grow, to serve better its members, become safer, or present a more enjoyable environment. How can you make your community better?” The project included the four stages of proposal, research, presentation, and […]
Growing a STEM program with Rube Goldberg Machines
After School Program Allows Students to Excel in an International Event to Promote the STEM Field The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originally began as a competition against Purdue engineering organization. Today, it has grown into an international event that inspires all students to design, build, problem solve, and present. In recent years, Science, Technology, Engineering, […]
Study Buddy Time
Older Students Help Younger Students Succeed in a Dual Credit Math Class This is a technique that we used in a dual credit math class that had 4 eighth grade students. It was used to ensure that the underclassmen enrolled in this Dual credit College Algebra class would succeed. Each eighth grader was assigned to […]
Best “Cs” in the Classroom
Use of the 5 C’s in the Classroom Helps to Engage Students Project Based Learning: In choosing rubric design and criteria to guide students as they research, analyze, and present topics, remembering the best “Cs” in the classroom leads to learning, interesting discussion, and creative and affective product development. The Best “Cs”: Choice; Collaboration; Communication; […]
Engaging At-Risk Students for Complex Learning
Training Staff to Respond to the Mental States of At-Risk Students Leads to Increased Academic Performance At-Risk students have faced challenges in education over time, but with the progression into college and career readiness skills and more complex learning, the challenges are even greater. By training staff to understand and respond to the mental states […]
Using the Spanish Subjunctive Mood in the Real World
Students Get the Opportunity to See the Spanish Subjunctive Mood Applied to the Realities of Their World After a thorough introduction to and MANY practice activities with the uses of the Spanish Subjunctive Mood in Noun Clauses, students then read a cultural unit on Central America and watch a video about the growth of tourism in […]
The Heart of Alternative Education: Understanding the Individualized Service Plan
Ways to Help Students Who Have an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) Options Charter Schools currently run two full-school alternative programs in Hamilton County. In order for our schools to qualify for alternative education funding we must service students that fall under one of the five categories of eligible students: (1) Intend to withdraw or have withdrawn from […]
The Roots of Rap
Students Learn About Slavery and How its Effects are Still Present Today in Rap Music This project is intended to help students draw connections between the history of oppression (slavery) in the American south and contemporary issues that plague the African-American community today. Students begin researching the oppressive nature of colonization and subjugation and then […]
Black History Month Essay Contest
Essay Contest Brings Local Students and Their Community Together Anderson High School actively sought community participation in sponsoring a Black History Month Essay Contest taking place during the month of February. This was a school-wide initiative implemented during our 8-Step Process Success Period. Writing skills are constantly practiced and reinforced across all content areas at […]
Use of Quarter Courses to Increase Curriculum Diversity for High Ability High School Students
Quarter Length Courses Allow Students the Choice Between Multiple Narrowly Focused Subject Matters Throughout the Semester Quarter courses were developed to increase the diversity of courses available to high ability students. Courses last for half a semester and are usually developed in pairs taught by the same instructor. Topics for quarter courses are usually more narrowly […]
The 10 Day Push
Last Minute Review Helps More Students Pass the English 10 ECA Kay Winter, former AHS instructional/ data coach, heard about The 10 Day Push used at another high school with incredible results. They reported that 60% of their students who participated in The Push passed the English 10 ECA. Kay brought the idea to AHS, […]
Cultural Literacy in English Enrichment
Enrichment Course Enhances Students Knowledge of Cultural Experiences The English Enrichment courses at Muncie Community Schools were designed to provide students with extra exposure and practice in key English/Language Arts skills. As an entirely new class, this meant developing a course from nothing. I hired on to teach this course last year, and decided immediately to turn […]
Making Science A Priority In Today’s Classroom
Activities Help Students Learn to Foster an Appreciation for Science Using STEM activities; along with detailed lab manuals, will help you to foster an appreciation for science with your students. Students need the opportunity to manipulate materials, trial and error, and use verbal and written communication to describe how things work. STEM activities are great […]
Community Inclusion: Bringing a Novel to Life
Using Classic Literature to Inspire Student Success Through Inclusion So many great works of literature connect to universal themes experienced by our students. Students in high school with functional reading levels significantly below their peers need assistance in accessing the literature their peers study in general education high school English classes. Finding time to collaborate […]
Hands-On Projects in AP Physics
Students Apply Concepts Learned in Class to a Real World Environment Each project was implemented to provide students opportunities to directly test physics concepts in a real world environment. Egg-Drop Ships – This is a first semester project given to students after a discussion on kinematics and forces. Students are given a specific material list […]
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 […]
Interactive Science Notebooks
Use of Interactive Science Notebooks Enhance Students Organizational Skills A study source to enable you to be a creative, independent thinker and learner! Your Interactive Science Notebook (INB) will increase your understanding of science by: Using writing as a process for discovery and synthesis of inquiry; Modeling many enduring functions of scientists- recording information, data, […]
Directions in Disney World
Creating Disney World Directions in Spanish Helps Students Learn Second year Spanish students have a unit on giving formal commands. Giving directions to a stranger at Disney World makes the exercise more realistic, so I collected maps in Spanish at Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios. I created 4 stations, one for each […]
Article of the Week
News Articles Help Students Develop Reading Skills The Article of the Week is based on a concept developed by educator Kelly Gallagher. Gallagher recognized that the chief reason his students were struggling with reading comprehension was due to their lack of prior knowledge. His solution was “Article of the Week.” Students are assigned a current […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]