EXEMPLAR LESSONS
Student Choice Project, Chunked Direct-Instruction, & Building Capacity for Small-Groups
LITERATURE CIRCLES PROJECT
Student Choice Menu
Based on the TEKS for this unit, students got to choose among three activities to show mastery of skills focusing on author's craft of setting, character development, and multiple themes in a text. Each column offers a low-tech and a high-tech option to allow students to showcase their strengths and interests.
CHUNKED DIRECT INSTRUCTION
Reteaching Concepts through Online Learning
To support students who may need to hear the lesson again later (or as a reteach accommodation), I create narrated Powerpoint Show presentations for students to access and view at their convenience. The visual icons and words on the screen support language learners and students with dyslexia, while the audio helps auditory processors.
PREPARING FOR ONLINE SMALL GROUPS
Kid-Friendly Plans to Build Capacity
To help students take ownership of their own learning, I post the shortened versions of the lesson plans each week providing clear expectations for each of the 3 parts of the lesson: 1) mini-lesson, 2) practice, and 3) check for understanding. Timely, specific, actionable feedback is key along the path toward students being ready to participate in Zoom or Schoology Conferences to discuss their books in the next weeks.
WEVIDEO
Digital Skills in the 21st Century
Students practice cross-curricular application skills by reading graphic novels about historical topics around the theme of "Historical Injustice Across Cultures." As a culminating project, students create a PowerPoint presentation to meet the expectations of the rubric (QR Codes & hyperlinks support students at whichever level of technology skills they find themselves). The last step is to narrate the video using the district-funded WeVideo application through our learning management system, Schoology. The students are often resistant at first, but they are so proud of the product when they're done!
