Classroom Methods Help to Engage Students in the Material “How do you have so much control in your classroom?” “How do you get 100% student participation?” “How do you activate the whole brain when teaching students?” These are some questions that can be answered by Whole Brain Teaching. Whole Brain Teaching is a high energy, highly […]
Tag: Teaching Methods
Differentiated Instruction with the Jedi Academy
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Transitioning Toddlers
Elicited Transitioning Strategies Help Toddlers Throughout the Day When you look at a typical toddler schedule, it might go like this: Drop-off, breakfast, free-play, potty, snack, circle time, outside, potty, lunch, nap, potty, free-play, pick-up. It may seem like a full day but consider this: between each activity the children must transition. Transitioning can be […]
Classroom Economy
Classroom Jobs Teach Students About Economics This best practice was developed to meet the second grade economic standards. It begins by teaching the content and introducing vocabulary words: needs, wants, producers, consumers, goods, services, opportunity cost, save, spend, and donate. After the majority of the content has been addressed the students begin the interview and […]
Co-Teaching
Implementation of a Co-teaching Model Enhances Small Group and Individualized Instruction for Students From 2013-2015 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. Groups are identified through the use of […]
Results with Readers Workshop in First Grade
Reading Workshop Helps Develop Life-Long Passionate Readers Readers Workshop in our classroom is an extended period of time during our Language Arts Block devoted to reading and responding to literature. A mini lesson begins the workshop everyday. Children are then released to their “book nook” to read literary and informational text at their level and […]
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 […]
Have You TITHED?…Taught In The Hallway Every Day?
Math Students More Successful as Teacher Utilizes Instructional Activities During Transitional Times Throughout the School Day My students deserve the best education opportunities they can get. A lot of my students have been in need of more instructional time to practice and master math skills so that they can be successful in the classroom, on state […]
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 […]
Integrating Science into Physical Education
Teaching Students About the Connections Between Physical Education and Science Helps Them to be Actively Engaged I focused on integrating science into our physical education program throughout the year. My goal is for students to be actively engaged in physical activity while learning about science. This year, the students had a chance to learn how […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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). […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]