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Dedicated Teacher at Work!

10/20/2014

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Recently, I had the chance to visit a co-taught biology class at a Colorado high school. Many of the students at the school are English Language Learners, and the district is committed to supporting them by having ELL specialists co-teach the major subject area classes. 


When I walked in the room, the ELL specialist turned toward me and this is what I saw. She had a piece of paper clipped to her shirt as she moved around the room. On the paper she had quickly illustrated a language concept (few, some, many and most) that was critical to the biology lesson. I was excited by how simple the idea was, but even more excited by her dedication to doing whatever it takes to help students succeed. What an easy and effective idea. 

Bravo!


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Green Screen Success

10/13/2014

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Over the summer I shared with you my initial attempts at using a green screen and the Green Screen by DoInk iPad app. Now that school is in full swing, we had a chance to have students use it. 
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The 5th graders at Tarver Elementary school produce a daily news announcement that is broadcast in every classroom. It includes the typical school info - weather, lunch menu, special activities and the Pledge of Allegiance. This week students produced their video broadcast using a green screen. Here is their very first effort - I can't wait to see what they are able to do with it as they gain experience!

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Cause Effect Dominoes

10/7/2014

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Cause effect relationships can present as simple or very complex. When we have students grapple with reading and writing more complex texts, it is essential that they can analyze cause effect relationships. 

To activate knowledge we had students watch this amazing video from RIT, showing the domino effect with some unexpected turns. After watching, they used the Stop for Popcorn strategy to jot down what they noticed. We discussed how one cause can lead to multiple effects, and how an effect can become a cause.


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Students were provided with a Cause Effect Graphic Organizer with some scaffolding built in. 
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I modeled how to complete the organizer and then students completed one based on a piece of historical fiction they are writing. For each example of cause and effect, they received a domino. At the end of class, students combined all the dominoes to show cause effect in action. 
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RAFTs

10/2/2014

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R.A.F.T.s are a popular approach to providing students with differentiated assignments. R.A.F.T. stands for Role, Audience, Format and Topic. The teacher determines what topics she wants the students to demonstrate knowledge about, and then chooses creative role plays, audiences and formats for them to share that knowledge.

This summer I was working with elementary and secondary teachers in Muskegon at MAISD and they developed some wonderful RAFTs to assess their students’ knowledge. Here is a sampling of some of the ideas they generated. So creative! These types of projects will definitely keep students engaged!

ROLE

Leaf


Judicial Branch


Denominator

Barn



Rat


Noun


Artist


Corn
AUDIENCE

Tree


Executive Branch


Numerator

TV Audience



Lab Technician


Adjective


General Public


US Congress
FORMAT

Goodbye Letter


Break up Letter


Complaint

Reality TV Promo



Journal


Love Letter


Cartoon


Tweet
TOPIC

Autumn Weather Changes

Roles of Branches of Gov't

Fractions

The true story of life in the barnyard of Charlotte's Web

Medical Advancements

What an adjective brings to a noun

Alternative energy benefits

Global Warming Effects



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    Anne M. Beninghof

    Anne's mission is to improve instruction through collaboration and the sharing of creative, practical ideas for educators.

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