HIGH-YIELD STRATEGIES

3. Teacher Moderation/Collaborative Marking This is a highly effective assessment strategy that involves teachers coming together to look at student work based on pre-determined assessment criteria. By working together, teachers� assessment practices become more aligned, professional dialogue occurs and teachers gain confidence in their own ability to assess student work accurately and fairly to improve student work. Building trust among teachers is essential!

4. Teacher Moderation/Collaborative Marking Some examples of Teacher Moderation include: DRA and CASI assessments (P/J/I) Running Records (P) TLCPs (P/J/I)

5. Uninterrupted Blocks of Literacy & Numeracy Literacy Blocks ~ 100-120 minutes Numeracy Blocks ~ 60-75 minutes BENEFITS Allows teachers to optimize instruction Provides students with sufficient time to learn and to process information Allows teachers to differentiate instruction Allows teachers to implement ongoing instruction, as well as student-based, open-ended activities that encourage higher-order thinking

6. Ongoing Assessment & Feedback The purpose of ongoing feedback is to inform students about their progress and what they can do to move their learning along. Feedback should be timely, explicit/specific and focused on curriculum expectations. Ongoing assessment also helps the teacher inform his/her own teaching practice.

7. Assessment FOR, OF & AS Learning Dr. Lorna Earl�s diagram best illustrates the difference between the three.

9. Diagnostic Assessment ~ the try out or the audition Formative Assessment ~ the practice or the rehearsal Summative Assessment ~ the game or the final performance

10. Every time you carry out an assessment, it is not a decision point, it is a TEACHING POINT! (Dr. Lorna Earl)

11. Points for Discussion What do we, as teachers, need to do to ensure that students get the most out of feedback sessions? What is the student�s role during feedback sessions? What questions should we ask ourselves during the assessment process to ensure that we are meeting the specific needs of every student?

12. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model The teacher models the steps, provides support as the students learn the steps. The teacher gradually shifts responsibility to the students to apply the steps independently.

13. Differentiated Instruction What is DI? Differentiated Instruction is based on the idea that because students differ significantly in their interests, learning styles, and readiness, teaching strategies and decisions involving issues of content, process, and product should vary accordingly. (Tomlinson, Differentiated Instruction Model, 1999)

14. Differentiated Instruction (cont�d) Teachers must provide a variety of ways for ALL students to feel affirmed and challenged. DI is student-centered. Effective DI offers ALL students the opportunity to succeed from their individual points of entry. Teachers must manipulate the program in order to maximize the potential for ALL children to learn.

15. Differentiated Instruction Instruction can be differentiated by� CONTENT PROCESS PRODUCT

16. DI Instructional and Management Strategies ?anchor activities (on-going) ?jigsaw ?interest centers, groups, and surveys ?small-group instruction ?scaffolding ?literature circles ?flexible groupings ?assessment (i.e. EXIT CARDS) ?independent projects and study ?multiple intelligences ?tiered lessons, centers, and products ?adjusting questioning strategies ?�May Dos� and �Must Dos� ?�Points Quiz� ?�Totally 10 Projects� ?�Tic-Tac-Toe� or Menus ?Technology (i.e. WebQuests, SMART Boards, computers)

17. GRAPHIC & VISUAL ORGANIZERS KWL Charts Story Maps/Story Boards Venn Diagram Fishbone/Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Problem-Solution Chart Timeline/Chain of Events Story Pyramid Brainstorming Web Alphaboxes Hamburger RAN Strategy P-M-I Flowchart Placemat Give �em a Hand

18. Accountable Talk Accountable Talk is talk by students and their teacher that responds to and further develops what others in the classroom have said. It is focused, meaningful, and mutually beneficial to speaker and listener. Accountable talk stimulates higher order thinking by requiring students to clarify their thinking, ask questions, test their hypotheses, learn to respect, listen actively and build on the ideas of others, and articulate their views and opinions constructively.

19. Collaborative Learning Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning. A Few Collaborative Learning Techniques� Think-Pair-Share Jigsaw Four Corners Graffiti Round Table / Rally Table The Doughnut / Inside Outside Circle

20. Think-Pair-Share The teacher sets a problem or asks for a response to the reading. The students think alone for a specified time. The students form pairs to discuss the problem or give responses. Some responses may be shared with the class. Jigsaw This activity is characterised by participants within a cooperative group each becoming an expert on different aspects of one topic of study. * SEE HANDOUT Four Corners * SEE HANDOUT Graffiti * SEE HANDOUT

21. Round Table/Rally Table The teacher poses a question that has multiple answers. The first student in each group writes one response on a paper and passes the paper counterclockwise to the next student. Teams with the greatest number of correct answers gain some type of recognition. The Doughnut / Inside Outside Circle Students stand in 2 concentric circles facing each other. Facing each other they take turns sharing information and ideas or ask each other questions. At a given signal from the teacher, the outside circle moves a number of places clockwise. Students now give feedback on what was said between themselves and their previous partner. * SEE HANDOUT

22. Critical Literacies Critical literacy allows children to challenge text in the service of understanding, to become active participants, to ask the questions, to dig deeper for meaning, and to deconstruct texts. Critical literacies give students the tools they need to think deeply about text and to take analytical stances.

23. Professional Learning Communities WHAT IS A PLC? a group of educators whose common goal is to improve student achievement a structured teacher collaboration a group of educators who use data for reflection Components of a PLC include: ensuring learning for ALL students, focus on results, relationships, collaborative inquiry, leadership, alignment

24. Informing Teaching with Data Data should be used to: inform classroom instruction inform student placement decisions inform program and policy decisions meet accountability demands Data should be reviewed and interpreted for the purpose of student achievement. WHAT TYPES OF DATA DOES OUR BOARD COLLECT? WHAT TYPES OF DATA DO YOU COLLECT AT A SCHOOL LEVEL? WHAT DATA DO YOU COLLECT IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?

25. Teaching Non-Fiction Writing According to Fountas and Pinnell, the purpose of NON-FICTION writing is to �inform or persuade�, while the purpose of FICTION is to �entertain and involve readers (or listeners) in stories of life�. (Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6, 2001, p.393) NON-FICTION writing is also called �informational writing�. NON-FICTION writing is the most widely read genre in the world. Research has shown that exposure to NON-FICTION (textbooks, reports, biographies) has increased enthusiasm for recreational reading and is also associated with higher test scores in Reading and Mathematics. NON-FICTION writing helps students think systematically.

26. Non-Fiction Resources WEBCAST: Non-Fiction Writing, April 18, 2008, CSC

27. IN CLOSING . . . It is your responsibility to REACH EVERY STUDENT. Remember to keep your teaching student-centered. Involve them in the entire process: the planning, the teaching and the assessment and evaluation. KEEPING THEM ENGAGED IS KEY!