Saturday, May 30, 2015
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
WISDOM of IDIOMS
IDIOM: to keep an eagle eye on
"Despite his work, he was keeping an eagle eye on his son." #learnenglish #idioms
https://plus.google.com/+Keepsmilingenglish/posts/FJbBZj2JoAf
"Despite his work, he was keeping an eagle eye on his son." #learnenglish #idioms
Thursday, May 14, 2015
DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING
K-W-L Charts - Assessing What We
Know/What We Still Want to Learn
Rationale
K-W-L charts are graphic
organizers that help students organize information before, during and after a
unit or a lesson. They can be used to engage students in a new topic,
activate prior knowledge, share unit objectives, and monitor learning.
Procedure
Step one: Make
K-W-L charts
Ask students to create three columns on a sheet of paper:
Column 1: What do you Know about the topic?
Column 2: What do you Want to know?
Column 3: What did you Learn?
Or, you can distribute a blank K-W-L chart that you have designed.
Ask students to create three columns on a sheet of paper:
Column 1: What do you Know about the topic?
Column 2: What do you Want to know?
Column 3: What did you Learn?
Or, you can distribute a blank K-W-L chart that you have designed.
Step two:
Complete column 1
Have students respond to the first prompt in Column 1: What do you know about this topic? Students can do this individually or in small groups. Often teachers create a master list of all students’ responses. One question that often emerges for teachers is how to address misconceptions students’ share. Sometimes it is appropriate to correct false information at this point in the process. Other times, you might want to leave the misconceptions so that students can correct them on their own as they learn new material.
Have students respond to the first prompt in Column 1: What do you know about this topic? Students can do this individually or in small groups. Often teachers create a master list of all students’ responses. One question that often emerges for teachers is how to address misconceptions students’ share. Sometimes it is appropriate to correct false information at this point in the process. Other times, you might want to leave the misconceptions so that students can correct them on their own as they learn new material.
Step three: Complete column 2
Have students respond to the prompt in Column 2: What do you want to know about this topic?
Some students may not know where to begin if they don't have much background knowledge on the topic. Therefore, it can be helpful to put the six questions of journalism on the board as prompts (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?). We suggest that students’ questions are used to direct the course of study. As students’ share what they want to learn, this step provides an opportunity for teachers to present what they hope students will learn in the unit.
Have students respond to the prompt in Column 2: What do you want to know about this topic?
Some students may not know where to begin if they don't have much background knowledge on the topic. Therefore, it can be helpful to put the six questions of journalism on the board as prompts (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?). We suggest that students’ questions are used to direct the course of study. As students’ share what they want to learn, this step provides an opportunity for teachers to present what they hope students will learn in the unit.
Step four:
Complete column 3 and review columns 1 and 2
Throughout the unit, students can review their K-W-L charts by adding to column 3: What did you learn? Some teachers have students add to their charts at the end of each lesson, while others have students add to their charts at the end of the week or the end of the unit. As students record what they have learned, they can review the questions in column 2, checking off any questions that the can now answer. They can also add new questions. Students should also review column one so they can identify any misconceptions they may have held before beginning the unit.
Throughout the unit, students can review their K-W-L charts by adding to column 3: What did you learn? Some teachers have students add to their charts at the end of each lesson, while others have students add to their charts at the end of the week or the end of the unit. As students record what they have learned, they can review the questions in column 2, checking off any questions that the can now answer. They can also add new questions. Students should also review column one so they can identify any misconceptions they may have held before beginning the unit.
Variations
You could add other
columns to this chart such as, “Why is this information Important?”, “Where
did I Find this
new information?” or “Something I hope to Remember.”
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Iceberg Diagrams
Rationale
Typically, there are numerous underlying causes that give rise to a
specific event. Often these causes rest “beneath the surface” and can be
difficult for students to “see.” The Iceberg teaching strategy can be
used to help students gain awareness of the multiple factors that give rise to
particular events. The visual image of the iceberg helps students remember the
importance of looking deeper than what is on the surface in order to better
understand events in the past or present. This strategy can be used as a
way for students to organize their notes as they learn about a period in
history, as a way to review material, or as an assessment tool.
Procedure
Step One: Preparation
Select an event students are exploring in class. It can be an event from
literature, history or current events. Students should already be
familiar with this event.
Step Two: Drawing the Iceberg
Ask students to list what they know about icebergs. Or, you can show them a picture of an iceberg. The main idea you want to come out is that what you see above the water is only the tip of the iceberg. The larger foundation rests below the surface. Then, ask students to draw an iceberg on a piece of paper or in their journals, making sure that there is a tip, a water line, and a larger area below the surface. Their drawing should be large enough so that students can take notes within the iceberg. Alternatively, you can create your own iceberg template for students to use.
Ask students to list what they know about icebergs. Or, you can show them a picture of an iceberg. The main idea you want to come out is that what you see above the water is only the tip of the iceberg. The larger foundation rests below the surface. Then, ask students to draw an iceberg on a piece of paper or in their journals, making sure that there is a tip, a water line, and a larger area below the surface. Their drawing should be large enough so that students can take notes within the iceberg. Alternatively, you can create your own iceberg template for students to use.
Step Three: The Tip of the Iceberg
Ask students to list everything they know about the facts of an event in the “tip” area of the iceberg. Questions they should answer include: What happened? What choices were made in this situation? By whom? Who was affected? When did it happen? Where did it happen?
Ask students to list everything they know about the facts of an event in the “tip” area of the iceberg. Questions they should answer include: What happened? What choices were made in this situation? By whom? Who was affected? When did it happen? Where did it happen?
Step Four: Beneath the Surface
Ask students to think about what caused this event. Answers to the question, “What factors influenced the particular choices made by the individuals and groups involved in this event?” should be written in the bottom part of the iceberg (under the water). Factors might include events from the past (i.e. an election, an economic depression, a natural disaster, a war, an invention, etc.) or aspects of human behavior such as fear, obedience to authority, conformity, or opportunism. This step is often best done in groups so that students can brainstorm ideas together.
Step Five: Debrief
Prompts you might use to guide journal writing and/or class discussion include:
Ask students to think about what caused this event. Answers to the question, “What factors influenced the particular choices made by the individuals and groups involved in this event?” should be written in the bottom part of the iceberg (under the water). Factors might include events from the past (i.e. an election, an economic depression, a natural disaster, a war, an invention, etc.) or aspects of human behavior such as fear, obedience to authority, conformity, or opportunism. This step is often best done in groups so that students can brainstorm ideas together.
Step Five: Debrief
Prompts you might use to guide journal writing and/or class discussion include:
·
What did you learn from
completing your iceberg?
·
Of the causes listed in the
bottom part of the iceberg, which one or two do you think were most
significant? Why?
·
What more would you need to
know to better understand why this event took place?
·
What could have happened, if
anything, to prevent this event from happening?
·
What have you learned about
how to prevent similar events from happening in the future?
·
How does the information in
this iceberg help you better understand the world we live in today?
Variations
- An evaluation
tool: As a final test for a unit, you could have students complete
iceberg diagrams for a particular event you have studied. You might have
students write a companion essay explaining the ideas they included in the
bottom part of the iceberg.
- Comparing events:
Have students complete iceberg templates for events you study throughout the
year. Periodically, ask students to compare these templates, recognizing
similarities and differences among the factors that give rise to particular
events. This exercise can help students notice historical patterns, while
also appreciating the particular context that makes each event unique.
- A note-taking
template: Rather than have students complete their iceberg as one
class lesson or homework assignment, you can have students complete their
iceberg as you study a period in history. You can even post a class-version of
the iceberg on the classroom wall. As students learn new information, they can
add it to the iceberg.
- Tree diagram: A
similar strategy helps students analyze events by using a diagram of a tree
instead of an iceberg. In this variation, students record basic
facts about the event in the trunk of the tree (name of event, when it
happened, where). The different people involved in the event (bystanders,
perpetrators, victims and upstanders) are listed in the branches of the tree.
Sometimes teachers have students draw a line connecting each person or group to
a choice he/she/they made related to this event. Finally, the causes of
the event are listed in the “roots” section. For an example of this strategy,
including a graphic organizer, see lesson 13, “Kristallnacht” in the unit Decision-making in Times of Injustice.
- Current events: Use
the iceberg strategy as a way to help students explore current events. Have
them bring in a story from the newspaper or found online. Working in small
groups, students can complete an iceberg diagram for this event - recording
details about what happened and then ideas about what they think caused the
event. Finally, students can present their iceberg diagram to the larger
class.
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