Instructional Strategies and Best Practices Meeting the needs of the Middle School Learner

Think, Write, Share Work in groups to list three “Research-Based” Instructional Strategies you implement List three of your biggest challenges to implementing Best Practices for your students List three things/ideas you would like to know when you leave here today.

Examining our Attitudes Challenging behaviors influence our attitude Ever-changing needs and learning styles of students Have we tried strategies consistently? Success stories

Effective Teachers Differentiate Content Process Product According to students Readiness Interests Learning Profile

RAPID ROBIN The “Dreaded Early Finisher”

“I’m Not Finished” Freddie “It takes him an hour-and-a-half to watch 60 Minutes.”

One premise in a differentiated classroom: “ In this class we are never finished--- Learning is a process that never ends.”

Using Anchor(ing) Activities

The Purpose of an Anchor Activity is to: Provide meaningful work for students when they finish an assignment or project, when they first enter the class or when they are “stumped”. Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction. Free up the classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals.

Anchor Activities êAnchor activities are ongoing assignments that students can work on independently throughout a unit of study or longer.

Some Anchor Activities ê “Brain Busters” ê Learning Packets ê Activity Box ê Learning/Interest Centers ê Vocabulary Work ê Accelerated Reader ê Investigations ê MSPAP or CRT Practice Activities ê Magazine Articles with Generic Questions or Activities ê Listening Stations ê Research Questions or Projects ê Commercial Kits and Materials ê Journals or Learning Logs ê Silent Reading (Content Related?)

Using Anchor Activities to Create Groups Teach the whole class to work independently and quietly on the anchor activity. Half the class works on anchor activity. Other half works on a different activity. Flip-Flop 1/3 works on anchor activity. 1/3 works on a different activity. 1/3 works with teacher---direct instruction

ANCHOR ACTIVITIES Can be: used in any subject whole class assignments small group or individual assignments tiered to meet the needs of different readiness levels Interdisciplinary for use across content areas or teams

ANCHOR ACTIVITIES Work best: êwhen expectations are clear and the tasks are taught and practiced prior to use. êwhen students are held accountable for on task behavior and/or task completion.

Planning for Anchor Activities Subject/Content Area: Name and description of anchor activity: How will activity be introduced to students? - Points- Percentage of Final Grade - Rubric- Portfolio Check - Checklist- Teacher/Student Conference - Random Check- Peer Review - On Task Behaviors- Other _______________ How will the activity be managed and monitored?

Cubing What is Cubing? Cubing is an instructional strategy designed to help students think about a topic or idea from many different angles. A cube includes 6 commands, one on each of its six faces, followed by a prompt that describes the task the students should do related to the command. Cubing can help students think at different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Examples of Cube Activities Lower Question- Describe the desert using as much information as you can, and involve your five senses in the description. Higher Question- Describe how your life would change if you moved to the desert. Use your senses and explain why changes would occur.

Where can I find questions for cubes? Worksheets Textbooks Study Guide Problems Teacher Generated/Student Generated Quizzes

Cubing for a Story Write a letter to Character. Create and perform a puppet show of the story Create a mural or picture to show a scene from the story. Make a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast 2 characters, 2 stories, etc… Develop a story map for Book. Create an art project that illustrates the sequence of events in the book (1 st, 2 nd …) List characteristics of the characters. Write a different ending. Write a letter to the author. Read another book by the same author. Compare and contrast. Read another book about the same topic. Compare and contrast. Choose 4 interesting words from the story. Then, use a thesaurus to find synonyms for each of the words.

Question Cubes Who What When Where Why How Might Can Will Is Should Did

Story Starter Cubes On the moon Caught in a Tornado The Best Vacation The game winning play The new invention Favorite animal The rainforest On the farm Cafeteria Disaster

Other Flexible Groups/ Choices Menus Poetry Studies Reading Journals Partner reading Scavenger hunts Comic books

TIERED Lessons

Tiered Lessons Used to meet the needs of student readiness by providing multiple assignments with the same understandings, but varying degree of difficulty They are the “meat and potatoes” of differentiated instruction

Think, Write, Share Work in groups to list three “Research-Based” Instructional Strategies you implement List three of your biggest challenges to implementing Best Practices for your students List three things/ideas you would like to know when you leave here today.