Teaching Strategies Used

Mike

1. Cooperative Learning-Writer’s Workshop https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Ksnmo QelhdzEWDqhcuA88bQCMOf_7PGV9zHDN4NQX0/edit) http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/alpha.html 2. 5 + 1 (Five Plus One) http://www.beesburg.com/edtools/glossary.html 3. Illustrated Talks http://www.beesburg.com/edtools/glossary.html 4. Story Telling and Retelling (STaR) http://www.beesburg.com/edtools/glossary.html 5. Scavenger Hunt. http://www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read- text-k-5.pdf 1.We are currently working on an opinion paper in my classroom. I am going to have students get into groups of 2 and edit their papers. They will need to be aware of our classroom guidelines for group work and will grade themselves with smiley faces based on how many goals they met while working together. This would be a useful strategy, because of students using each other’s feedback to improve their individual writing. 2. This would work best when introducing vocab and spelling patterns. I would have the students use their whiteboards and markers to work with each other towards correct spelling and usage after I had discussed the new concepts. 3. I would use this strategy while completing and art project for mother’s day. The students would only be shown (with pictures) the individual steps for each section of our project while I explained the process. 4. Each week, we use “oral” reading cards with stories that fit our theme. I would read our story, and have students retell it with a group, act it out, and draw the beginning, middle and end of the story by themselves. 5. Students work in small groups collaboratively.I can provide groups with books on the same topic which would be “Space and Planets.” Assign each group a topic and have the team look for words and pictures in the multiple sources that are connected to that topic. Invite groups to share discoveries. Facilitate a discussion around their “I didn’t know that!” discoveries highlighting the similarities and difference in the texts. 1. This worked alright. Self correction and editing is a big topic for students at this age group to swallow and completely understand. Some students are ready for it and some aren't. I would make the process a bit shorter next time. 2. This strategy works well. My kids are used to it because we do a lot of think, pair share in my classroom to get the students moving. I will continue to insert this into my class. 3. As we made our mother’s day cards, I used this strategy. We took baby steps and I only showed my kids what the end project would look like. Most of them were able to make a similar end product based off of pictures and verbal instruction. 4. The students loved this activity. Any chance that they get to act or engage in something in front of the class is special to them. Most are fantastic storytellers. 5. The students spent about 15 minutes, literally, engaged in finding facts about planets and space. All I heard were the murmurs of "ohhs" and "ahhs" from kids finding new information and collaborating on it with another student. I asked them to write down 2 of their most interesting facts at the end.