Module 7: PowerPoint Analysis

PowerPoint: Classroom Instruction that Works (9 Best Practices)

In my classroom, we have been doing a lot of comparing and contrasting between texts. Specifically, we have been working on identifying text structures such chronological order, cause and effect, compare and contrast, inferring etc.) When comparing and contrasting two different informational texts, the level of thinking the students exerted was intense and wonderful to see. Students had to think beyond the text, make conclusions about the text, and state what is the same between the two texts and what was different. I really enjoyed the sites that had premade graphic organizers. I love using graphic organizers, as the students are the ones that are ultimately responsible for their learning. I feel that the MIP strategy is very similar to teachers asking students what the main ideas of different passages are.  One strategy that “9 Best Practices” mentions is note taking. I love using this strategy especially with the student’s science and social studies textbooks. Movie watching also works well with note taking. I have found that students have never been taught how to take notes, as some struggle with this a great deal. I have never heard of the 10-2 strategy, but it makes perfect sense. We teach our students so much information in such a small amount of time.

I really like the Effort Rubric. There are so many assignments that students simply work on, but are never graded. What students do not understand is that through these assignments, graded or not, they are learning and applying previously learned knowledge. I find myself constantly saying, “You are getting a grade based on your level of effort and participation.” The Effort Rubric would be a great resource to give the students to refer back to when working on assignments. The Achievement Rubric is also a great resource that scores the students not only on their efforts but on their accuracy as well.  By seeing the graph of a class’s growth when using these two rubrics, really encourages me to try this strategy in my classroom as well.

Effective praise is a huge deal in my classroom. Many of my students have known nothing but negativity through their educational years. Through positive reinforcement, I feel that students are given hope and encouragement to do things that they never dreamed possible. I find this strategy to be extremely effective with behavior challenged students as well.

This PowerPoint lists lots of good strategies like Think Pair Square, similar to Think Pair Share and Ball Share.

PowerPoint: Comprehension Evidence and Strategies

I really liked slide 10 about Best Practices in Comprehension Instruction. I feel that these strategies have such potential to boost comprehension instruction when used correctly. I believe that it is possible to do too much thinking for the child when reading and discussing a passage. By letting the child to think through the reading by them self, allows for deeper understanding. Modeling how to identify key concepts and ideas is important in trying to make sense of text. Students who do not understand a passage due to unfamiliar words and difficult vocabulary tend to shut down, ultimately unable to comprehend a story or passage. Another reading strategy that I believe in and teach about is visualization. Students who are unable to follow a storyline would benefit from this skill, as creating a visual imagine in their head might help create meaning. This will also assist with creating mental imagines, in the end helping students make connections.