Issue 77: Feb 08, 2010 Connections Newsletter
Activating Strategy - Anticipation Guide
Brenda Hill
Feb 08, 2010
An Anticipation Guide is sometimes called a Prediction Guide and is used to assess students' thoughts and prior knowledge about a topic. Students complete the Anticipation Guide by answering questions or responding to statements provided to them by the teacher on the topic or subject using their own experiences and background knowledge.
How is the Anticipation Guide used?
The Anticipation Guide is used to activate thinking by asking students to respond to questions or statements on a selected topic prior to teaching the lesson. Students use their own background knowledge and life experiences to answer and respond to these prompts. Time may be provided for students to discuss and justify their answers based upon what they already know about the topic. The use of an Anticipation Guide as an activating strategy provides the teacher with valuable insight into how much students know about a topic or concept. As with the Wordsplash, opportunities are provided during the lesson for students to reflect on their responses for accuracy and make any needed revisions. Using an Anticipation Guide as an activating strategy requires some strategic planning by the teacher before the lesson is taught, but the information gained from the use of the strategy makes that time well spent.
Steps for Getting Started:
• Choose a topic or subject.
• Identify major concepts about the topic.
• Reflect on how these concepts will support or challenge a student's beliefs or experiences
• Create several statements (3-6) to challenge your students' prior knowledge or beliefs. Be sure to include statements that contain misconceptions, controversial ideas, etc.
• Give each students a copy of the Anticipation Guide and have them respond to the questions or statements
• Students then read or listen to information presented about the topic.
• Students revisit original responses and make any needed revisions.
• Partner and classroom discussions occur as a result of new learning
Example of a Social Studies Anticipation Guide - Branches of Government:
Read the following statements. If you agree with the statement put a check in the blank. If you disagree place an X in the blank.
____The legislative branch of government includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.
____There are three branches of government and each branch has a specific role and function.
____The government was designed with three branches of government to establish a system of "checks and balances" between each.
____The Supreme Court and the President make up the executive branch of government.
How to Make Student Learning Maps More Effective Interactive Teaching and Learning Tools
Cindy Riedl
Feb 08, 2010
In many classrooms, teachers and students are becoming overwhelmed by Student Learning Maps because sometimes the manner in which they are posted creates a sensory overload as components are added as instruction occurs or when the components are posted all at once at the beginning of the instruction of a new unit of study.
Some of these maps begin at the ceiling of the classroom and stretch with multiple Lesson Essential Questions trailing to the floor. In the best case scenarios, the Lesson Essential Question related to the lesson being taught is gradually added to the map or uncovered for each new lesson. In other classes, teachers display all the Lesson Essential Questions at once and use an arrow or pointer to indicate to student where their focus should be for the lesson.
By the time teachers get the concepts, vocabulary and Lesson Essential Questions up, it is possible that some at-risk students experience an overload of information has been created, leaving these students without the BIG PICTURE in their minds. For these students, you need to reflect on what is important - what content are you wanting these students to know by memory at the end of the unit?
One thing to consider is that you are not teaching the Lesson Essential Questions. You are actually teaching the ANSWERS to the Lesson Essential Questions. As long as the answers are directly connected to the Concepts, which is what you probably really want students to remember anyway, it is acceptable to not display the Lesson Essential Questions for students as part of the Student Learning Map. Of course, as you working through each lesson, displaying the Lesson Essential Question for each lesson on the board only during the lesson is highly recommended. Now, instead of displaying the Lesson Essential Questions on the Student Learning Map, ask students to tell or write something about the concept (what they learned) in their logs (not to display on the wall), continuing to do this as you progress through the lessons, building on their knowledge. Make sure students learn the vocabulary for each concept with the most effective vocabulary strategies and most importantly, make sure students are able to use the vocabulary words for each concept.
The Student Learning Map that you've created during planning, may not look the same as what you provide to students. The content is the same (except for maybe not having the Lesson Essential Questions), but the "look" may be different. For example, make the Concepts and Vocabulary ‘POP OUT' on the Student Learning Map for students. This can be accomplished by using the components of the Student Learning Map as follows:
• Display the topic of the unit at the top of the posted Student Learning Map.
• Underneath the topic post the Unit Essential Question.
• In BIG LETTERING display the concepts, either one at a time, or preferably, all of them horizontally beneath the Unit Essential Question.
• Under or around each concept display in LARGE VISIBLE LETTERING the vocabulary related to that concept. Visuals that enhance student memory may also be added to each vocabulary word.
• Make the Concept and Vocabulary ‘POP OUT', but make them all in one color or put a colored border around them.
• As a Lesson Essential Question is introduced, you may want to display it beneath the Concept and Vocabulary. Key concepts or words in the Lesson Essential Question are circled or underlined as you elaborate on the meaning of these words as they are related to the Lesson Essential Question.
• After students have responded to the Lesson Essential Question, you can move it to another site in the room to display evidence of student learning.
Other suggestions and possibilities:
1. When grade appropriate, students should be recording the Lesson Essential Question in their notebooks in an area designated for the subject being taught. Have students start a new page on the left hand side in their notebooks and record the Lesson Essential Question for the lesson. On the right side, students add vocabulary as it is taught and create the graphic organizer that will be used during the lesson. The response to the Summarizing Strategy is written, drawn or diagrammed below the Lesson Essential Question.
2. Have blank Student Learning Maps in each student's folder or notebook and as the questions, concepts and vocabulary are introduced during lessons, students record that information on their maps and organize responses to activities, vocabulary and evidence of learning, i.e. writing to learn and writing to inform, in their folders or notebooks as a reflective resource before assignments and tests.
3. Use a digital white board to introduce the Lesson Essential Question rather than posting it on the Student Learning Map while students are recording the Concepts, Lesson Essential Questions and vocabulary in their notebooks. The Unit Essential Question, Concepts and Vocabulary are displayed in an area where they are visible and remain a resource when each lesson is over and additional information is added during the lesson.
4. Student Learning Maps should shout "THIS IS WHAT WE ARE LEARNING! THIS IS THE IMPORTANT STUFF!" to all students.
5. The goal is to focus on the content of the lesson - critical steps in a skill, concepts and vocabulary that should be cleanly and clearly displayed in a way that attract student attention. The other goal is to reduce non-essential clutter that distracts from what is truly important. Less is more!
6. Problems with space? Rethink how your room is organized. Even though displaying student work is important to celebrate learning, it should not take precedence over displaying the Concept and Vocabulary on the Student Learning Map. Papering a room with Student Learning Maps behind bookshelves, in an obscure corner or in a cluttered area of the classroom where students or yourself cannot use the displayed information is a waste of time for you and meaningless for students. Going through the motions of just posting the components of the Student Learning Map is not beneficial and often explains why some teachers are not getting the results that other teachers are who use the map as an interactive learning tool with their students.
7. For distributed review during and after a unit, create cooperative learning teams and distribute the Lesson Essential Questions that have been addressed in lessons. Ask students to create a visual, song, rap, demonstration, presentation, etc. that they can use to review the concepts, skills and vocabulary learned to answer that lesson to be shared with the whole class.
8. In math, have students summarize what they learned as they complete the math problems at the bottom of the worksheet or have them provide tips that will help them avoid errors in the future. Have students write the math Lesson Essential Question at the top of the paper and write a short response about what they have learned so far at the bottom of the paper. Another Summarizing Strategy that engages students is to have them collaborate and grade an imaginary student's paper where several problems are incorrect. They not only give the student a grade but offer suggestions about how to avoid the errors in the future.
9. Graphic Organizers should lead to a written summary of the contents or be used to answer related questions. They are not meant to be displayed indepently without some type of related writing. At the least, have students write a summary or reflection on the back of the organizer or foldable.
Misconceptions:
• LEARNING-FOCUSED does not insist that a school must maintain continuity by using designated colored sentence strips for specific components of the Student Learning Map in every classroom. How you display the Lesson Essential Questions is negotiable and should reflect what is best for students. Continuity in using the Student Learning Maps during instruction as a map of what is being learned is essential. Using the Lesson Essential Question to introduce the lesson, referring to it to redirect students during the lesson and requiring that students respond to the Lesson Essential Question during the Summarizing Strategy is very important most of the time.
Remember:
We are not teaching the Lesson Essential Questions! We are teaching the ANSWERS to the Lesson Essential Questions!
Concepts and Vocabulary must POP OUT!
Thoughts on Homework!
Bill Blynt
Feb 08, 2010
Homework has always been a component of our educational system. It has also been one of the most researched and discussed elements of our educational framework. Opinions vary widely as to its effectiveness in increasing student achievement. This research, along with our changing family structure and students' reluctance to complete homework, continues to fuel the debate. This article is not intended to provide conclusive documentation to end the debate, but rather to share general findings regarding the practice of homework (much of the information cited is the result of extensive studies by Dr H. Cooper, Dr R. Marzano and Dr A. Kohn).
Does homework improve student achievement? The research on this topic is extensive; however, the results are far from conclusive. A general finding is that homework can have a positive impact on learning. The impact varies greatly due to a number of factors but some general guidelines have been developed for educators.
The influence of homework on academic achievement varies by grade level. Homework seems to have very little, if any, impact at the primary level. As students move through the grades, the impact of homework on academic achievement increases. This is not to recommend primary students not be asked to read at home or practice their math facts. Practicing any skill (when learned correctly) will increase proficiency. According to research (Cooper 1989, 2006), it is not until around sixth or seventh grade that homework actually impacts learning.
The amount of homework assigned to students should vary by grade level. Research supports the informal ‘ten minute rule' supported by the National Education Association and the Parent Teacher Association. This guideline states that the amount of daily homework assigned to a student for all subjects combined should not exceed the total of their grade level times ten minutes.
Homework has a greater impact on student achievement when it is directly related to what is being taught in the classroom. Homework that is used to check for understanding of what is being taught in the classroom has a greater impact than simply assigning loosely related work. Homework that is not completed has no impact on academic achievement. As a result, teachers must develop homework that is valued by their students. When students receive feedback on their homework, know the purpose of the assignment or have attained the necessary instruction and level of proficiency to complete the homework on their own, the chances it will be completed improves greatly. Students who view homework as a means of punishment often will become defiant and not do any homework or may do it sub-par and not practice what is intended.
Homework can be successfully employed with students as a means of becoming proficient in a particular skill. The old adage ‘practice makes perfect' is correct; however, prior to giving students homework to practice a skill they must be given adequate supervised practice time. Only after students have practiced a skill correctly should they be assigned independent practice as homework (Marzano, 2001).
Homework thoughtfully integrated as part of the entire learning process will have a positive influence on achievement. As teachers develop their lesson plans, homework should be given adequate consideration. Homework can play different roles in the lesson design. The role of homework in the lesson will impact the task designed. The tighter the correlation between the desired learning outcome and the homework task the greater the impact it will have on learning.
Homework has a long standing history in our educational system. Although research and individual attitudes vary widely regarding its effectiveness, homework can, when used thoughtfully, have a positive impact on learning.
