Transcript Keeping Your Head Above Water

Power Planning:
Developing Effective Lessons
for ALL Learners
Presented by Heather Sparks, NBCT
2009 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year
Taft Middle School
Let’s Describe a…
Student
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Passive
Bored
Told what to think
Typically unmotivated
Focused on the grade
Learner
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Active
Engaged
An independent thinker
Internally motivated
Focused on the learning
Get Ready…
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Focus on the objective.
Begin with the end in mind.
Consider your learners.
Consult additional resources
– Colleagues
– Professional organizations
– Internet
Get Set…
• Prepare all lesson materials in advance.
• Minimize opportunities for “pitfalls.”
• Incorporate former routines if possible.
Go!
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2.
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7.
Anticipatory set
Objective or purpose
Instructional input
Modeling
Check for understanding
Guided practice
Closure
Check for Understanding
• Signaled responses:
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Thumbs up/thumbs down
Scale of five
White board responses
Quick notes
Ticket out the door
Now What?
• A lesson ends earlier than you expected, so
you…
A.
B.
C.
D.
Give the class “free time”
Assign additional work
Tell the students to put their heads down
Use a sponge to soak up the time
Sponges
• Effective sponges have five characteristics.
They are:
1. Fun,
2. Based on prior learner knowledge,
3. Used by the whole class or individuals,
4. Easily implemented,
5. Capable of being implemented for
varying lengths of time.
Math
• Mental math
>Add the number of months in a year plus
the number of wheels on a tricycle.
• Play Target
>The target is 24. Write an expression:
e.g., 30 – 6 or 3 x 8 or 36/3 x 2
Science
• Play Classify
Give the students a group of objects.
Challenge them to find as many subgroups
as possible.
Flashlight, a penny, and a stapler
Language Arts
• The List Game:
Things that fly
•Who can find something in the room that
has a long a or short a sound?
Social Studies
• Guess the country or state
>I’m thinking of a state that borders Canada
and Lake Superior, and is known for its
10,000 lakes.
Other Sponge Ideas…
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‘I Spy’
Riddles
Mind benders
Word games
Oral alphabetizing
Synonyms, homonyms, vocabulary words
Skip-counting
Flash cards
Take a Deep Breath & Enjoy!
Contact Heather at Taft MS
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.hisparks.com