developing deep understanding:
Step One: Add opportunities for students to process every 15 minutes.
I have tried to incorporate plenty of opportunities for self-reflection, as well as group reflection within my lesson plan. I am trying to follow the warm-up, mini-lesson, independent work time, and then share session (Tovani, 2011). This method seems to build in ways to re-engage students several times. After completing their formative assessment, they work on their own for 15 minutes before being able to seek help from a fellow student or from me. This gives me a chance to walk around the room and observe. Goodwin and Hubbell discuss breaking learning into discrete chunks of time which gives students a chance to process what they are learning. The National Center on Time & Learning also see the benefit of 15 minute processing time. “The short increments of time . . . ensure that students are able to focus on the lesson and remain on task for the entire class period” (National Center on Time & Learning, 2011, pg. 17). During the “Catch & Release” (Tovani, 2011) method that I am using in my lesson, students will be able to take some time to reflect and process what else they might need or address anything that is still confusing or challenging. During the “catch” time I pose questions that will challenge their thinking and help them draw connections between the beginning, middle and end of the story, and how they can use what they have been learning in the story in their everyday lives. I will then “release” them with this new idea to think about or develop on their own and in small groups.
Step Two: Use the Six Essential C’s to assess everything in the lesson or unit to ensure that it has a purpose. (I have also labeled these within my lesson plan.)
I have tried to incorporate plenty of opportunities for self-reflection, as well as group reflection within my lesson plan. I am trying to follow the warm-up, mini-lesson, independent work time, and then share session (Tovani, 2011). This method seems to build in ways to re-engage students several times. After completing their formative assessment, they work on their own for 15 minutes before being able to seek help from a fellow student or from me. This gives me a chance to walk around the room and observe. Goodwin and Hubbell discuss breaking learning into discrete chunks of time which gives students a chance to process what they are learning. The National Center on Time & Learning also see the benefit of 15 minute processing time. “The short increments of time . . . ensure that students are able to focus on the lesson and remain on task for the entire class period” (National Center on Time & Learning, 2011, pg. 17). During the “Catch & Release” (Tovani, 2011) method that I am using in my lesson, students will be able to take some time to reflect and process what else they might need or address anything that is still confusing or challenging. During the “catch” time I pose questions that will challenge their thinking and help them draw connections between the beginning, middle and end of the story, and how they can use what they have been learning in the story in their everyday lives. I will then “release” them with this new idea to think about or develop on their own and in small groups.
Step Two: Use the Six Essential C’s to assess everything in the lesson or unit to ensure that it has a purpose. (I have also labeled these within my lesson plan.)
- CURIOSITY: Students want to learn what they are interested in, good thing is that humans are naturally curious and as teachers we are creative. So, tap into students curiosity to motivate learning
- CONNECTION: Connect new learning to prior knowledge. Help students make the connection between what they learned in the past with what they are currently learning.
- COHERENCE: Sometime students have difficulty recognizing connections, patterns and the larger meaning of what they are learning. As teachers we should be guiding them to find these and sometimes even explicitly spell it out.
- CONCENTRATION: Give students time to process new information, with teachers, peers and even alone. Students could get frustrated and distracted if we don't give them this time.
- COACHING: Learning is mostly trial and error, students need opportunities to practice new skills and retrieve information from their memories. However, left on their own students can actually develop incorrect procedures or misconceptions, therefore guidance from teachers is necessary through feedback and "coaching".
- CONTEXT: If students don't apply their new knowledge then most likely it will fade from memory. However, research shows that if students have opportunities to repeat procedures, apply new learning to novel situations, or find real-world connections for what they're learning, the new knowledge is more likely to stick.
- Formative Assessment: Thumbs-Up, Thumbs-Down (15 Minutes) Coaching
- Pre-Assessment: Little Red Hen Picture Puzzle Activity (30 Minutes) Coherence, Concentration
- Story Vocab Word Scrambles (30 Minutes) Connection, Coherence
- “Catch and Release”/ Little Red Hen Song (5 Minutes) Coherence, Coaching
- Students will work in groups, and will then act out the story in front of the class (45 Minutes) Curiosity, Connection, Concentration
- “Catch and Release” – Favorite Animal Sounds (5 Minutes) Curiosity
- Students will use the pictures from the Picture Puzzle Activity, and will re-arrange them to make their own individual story. (30 Minutes) Curiosity, Connection, Coherence, Concentration
- “Catch and Release” – Essential Questions (5 Minutes) Curiosity, Connection, Coherence, Concentration, Coaching
- Students will go to the library and pick out a storybook to read at home with their family. The next day, they will share that story with the class, explaining the beginning, middle, and end of the story. (Homework Assignment – Estimated time 1 Hour) Curiosity, Connection, Coherence, Concentration, Coaching
- In this particular lesson, interacting with students will be done primarily through questioning and individual questioning/conferencing with students. (Coaching)
- Summative Assessment: Thumbs-Up, Thumbs Down (15 Minutes) Coaching
References
Colorado Department of Education Unit of Academic Standards. (2010). Reading, Writing and Communicating.
Retrieved from http://www2.cde.state.co.us/scripts/allstandards/COStandards.asp?glid=3&stid2=6&glid2=0.
Goodwin, R. & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
National Center on Time and Learning. (2011). Time well spent: Eight powerful practices of successful, expanded time schools. Boston: Author.
Tovani, C. (2011). So what do they really know? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Colorado Department of Education Unit of Academic Standards. (2010). Reading, Writing and Communicating.
Retrieved from http://www2.cde.state.co.us/scripts/allstandards/COStandards.asp?glid=3&stid2=6&glid2=0.
Goodwin, R. & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
National Center on Time and Learning. (2011). Time well spent: Eight powerful practices of successful, expanded time schools. Boston: Author.
Tovani, C. (2011). So what do they really know? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.