Active Learning Strategies

1. Active Learning Strategies Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools

2. How did we get here? Active Learning + Unpacking Standards = Today

3. Overview Author’s Craft Activators Acquisition Summarizers Literary Analysis Activators Acquisition Summarizers Vocabulary Activators Acquisition Summarizers Review Close Agenda

4. What it IS Student-centered Student choice or influence Students must analyze, evaluate, and/or create Teacher as facilitator Rubrics used for formative and summative assessment What it is NOT Teacher-centered Teacher mandated or directed Low-level regurgitation of facts Sage on stage Multiple-choice, fill-in-the blank assessment Active Learning

5. Author’s Craft • Diction: the word choice or vocabulary selected by an author • Literary Devices: the figurative language used by an author • Syntax: the grammatical structure used by an author • Voice: the unique cadence or quality of an author’s writing

6. Author’s Craft: Activators • Use a Quote • Listen to or read the passage. • What literary devices do you hear used by the author? • How do these tools of author’s craft help establish the author’s overall voice? • How does the author use literary devices to impact your understanding?

7. Excerpt from Harper Lee’sTo Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.

8. Author’s Craft: Activators • Use a Quote • How does an author use ___ (diction, literary device example, syntax example) to impact my understanding? • Provide a quote or short passage. • Ask students to reflect on the author’s usage of specific aspect of author’s craft in writing. • Ask students to share their responses.

9. Author’s Craft: Activators • Say it Loud • How does an author exhibit a unique voice? • Have students read a quote or passage using different inflection out loud. • Discuss the connotation of the variations.

10. Author’s Craft: Acquisition • Color Coding/Symbols • How does an author use ___ to impact my understanding? • Assign a color or symbol to applicable aspects of author’s craft. • Require students to annotate text accordingly. • Use annotations as foundation for discussion or other assignment.

11. Author’s Craft: Acquisition • Color Coding Example • Read the sample text. • Use the following symbols to annotate author’s craft: • Circle = confusing or unfamiliar diction/word choice • Underline = figurative language (simile, personification, etc.) • Star/* = syntax, unconventional use of grammar or language

12. Excerpt from Harper Lee’sTo Kill a Mockingbird Suddenly I noticed that the men were backing away from Miss Maudie’s house, moving down the street toward us. They were no longer carrying furniture. The fire was well into the second floor and had eaten its way to the roof: window frames were black against a vivid orange center. “Jem, it looks like a pumpkin—“ “Scout, look!” Smoke was rolling off our house and Miss Rachel’s house like fog off a riverbank, and men were pulling hoses toward them. Behind us, the fire truck from Abbottsville screamed around the curve and stopped in front of our house. “That book…” I said. “What?” said Jem. “That Tom Swift book, it ain’t mine, it’s Dill’s…” “Don’t worry, Scout, it ain’t time to worry yet,” said Jem. He pointed. “Looka yonder.” In a group of neighbors, Atticus was standing with his hands in his overcoat pockets. He might have been watching a football game. Miss Maudie was beside him…. Miss Maudie’s tin roof quelled the flames. Roaring, the house collapsed; fire gushed everywhere, followed by a flurry of blankets from men on top of the adjacent houses, beating out sparks and burning chunks of wood.

13. Author’s Craft: Acquisition • Portfolio • How does an author exhibit a unique voice? • Option #1: Students collect several works by the same author. • Option #2: Students create works using aspects of craft to mirror an author. • Students explain the craft characteristics unique to each piece.

14. Author’s Craft: Acquisition • Character Interview: Interview Exclusive! • How does an author use craft to develop a unique style? • Determine which aspects of author’s craft will serve as the focus of the assignment. • Ask students to track an author’s use of those aspects as they pertain to a specific character. • Students script an interview with a character using examples of the aspect of author’s craft. • Students perform the interview before an audience.

15. Author’s Craft: Acquisition • Poster: Boost those Sales! • How does an author use craft to develop a unique style? • Students collect examples of different aspects of author’s craft. • Students display examples graphically using a poster application. • Students share/present their products and explain impact of examples.

16. Author’s Craft: Summarizers • Give one, Get one • How does an author use ___ to impact my understanding? • Students record an example of an author’s use of craft on one side of a piece of paper. • Students share their example with a partner. • The partner shares their example. • The student records the second example on the other side of the paper. • Students submit both examples as they exit class.

17. Author’s Craft: Summarizers • In my own Words • How does an author use ___ to impact my understanding? • Students identify the aspect of a quote or passage that makes it unique to the author. • Students then re-write the quote or passage making it their own.

18. Author’s Craft: Other Ideas? • Think-Pair-Share • Think: Ponder for a moment other ways to provide direct instruction for author’s craft. • Pair: Share your thoughts with a person near you. Record what ideas your partner has to offer. • Share: Turn to another pair and continue to gain ideas about teaching author’s craft.

19. Reader Text Literary Element Literary Analysis

20. Literary Analysis • Personal Connection: the reader relates to the literary elements/text • Thematic Relationship: literary elements/text connect to a theme or general concept • Contextual Interpretation: passage is analyzed in relation to the whole text

21. Literary Analysis: Activators • In my Opinion • How do I personally connect to the text? • Read the passage provided. • Respond to the prompt. • Share your response with a partner.

22. Excerpt from Harper Lee’sTo Kill a Mockingbird I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.

23. Literary Analysis: Activators • In my Opinion • How do I personally connect to the text? • Provide a specific passage of text. • Ask students to react or connect in writing. • Alternatively, provide a context in which students can respond. • Ask students to share their thoughts.

24. Literary Analysis: Activators • Connect the Dots • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • Provide a specific passage of text. • Identify a theme or ask students to identify a theme. • Ask students to connect the passage and the theme in writing. • Ask students to share their thoughts.

25. Literary Analysis: Activators • What’s it all About? • How does quote/passage connect to the work as a whole? • Provide a specific passage of text. • Ask students to explain in writing the significance of the passage in relation to the text as whole. • Ask students to share their thoughts.

26. Literary Analysis: Acquisition • Collage: Movie Trailer Pitch • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students combine text and graphics to demonstrate connections in collage form.

27. Literary Analysis: Acquisition • Socratic Seminar • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students write questions to begin Socratic discussion. • Conduct Socratic seminar.

28. Literary Analysis: Acquisition • Blog (www.blogspot.com) • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Pose an initial prompt on a class blog. • Allow students to respond to the blog and to one another.

29. Literary Analysis: Acquisition • Social Network Page • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students design a Facebook-type page to conduct literary analysis of a specific character.

30. Literary Analysis: Acquisition • Scrapbook: Keeper of the Memories • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students develop multi-media scrapbook to explore various aspects of literary analysis.

31. Literary Analysis: Summarizers • 3-2-1 • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students respond to various categories of information: • Example(s) • Remaining question(s) • Summary sentence(s) • Personal connection(s) • Visual representation(s)

32. Literary Analysis: Summarizers • On the Fly • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students respond to essential question in writing as though they were running into a student “on the fly” in the hallway and answer the question “What did you learn in class today?” • Ask students to share their responses.

33. Literary Analysis: Summarizers • Save the Last Word • How do I personally connect to the text? • How do literary elements/text connect to the theme? • How does a quote/passage connect to the work as whole? • Students select a quote from the text and respond to it in writing. • Student A shares his/her quote with Student B. • Student B responds to the quote, and Student A records the insights. • Student A then shares his/her insights (saving the last word to be his/hers).

34. Literary Analysis: Other Ideas? • T-Chart • On the left side of the chart, record additional ideas for direct instruction of literary analysis. • On the right side of the chart, record your partner’s ideas. • In the summary box, record your favorite new idea for teaching literary analysis.

35. Vocabulary • Introduction: students hear/see words for first time • Acquisition: students interact with words to gain initial understanding • Ownership: students learn to use words • Transference: students adopt words for daily usage

36. Vocabulary: Activators • Word Splash • How do I determine the meanings of unfamiliar words? • Students brainstorm other words associated with the new term. • Ask students to categorize and organize the brainstorm terms, if possible.

37. Vocabulary: Activators • Guess the Meaning • How do I determine the meanings of unfamiliar words? • Ask students to complete the “Guess” column prior to reading. • Students complete other columns during and after reading.

38. Vocabulary: Activators • Visual Representation • How do I determine the meanings of unfamiliar words? • Present students with a visual representation of the words to provide a context for their meaning. • Pictures • Video • Comic strip with cloze passage

39. Vocabulary: Activators • Visual Representation • How do I determine the meanings of unfamiliar words? • View the cartoon strip booklet. • Complete the story using the words provided. • Use context clues to help you decide which words to choose.

40. The Singing Snitch • Acquire: to get or obtain • Croon: to sing sweetly • Eccentricity: oddity or unusual quality • Notoriety: unwanted fame • Persecution: the act of driving away • Purloin: steal • Recluse: a person who lives separate from others • Remorse: feel badly • Savor: enjoy deeply

41. The Singing Snitch Once upon a time there was a _______ named Frank. Frank lived alone because he was afraid of _______ . You see, Frank couldn’t talk; he could only sing. Frank’s _______ meant he didn’t have many friends. One day, while looking out the window, Frank saw someone _______ a television from his neighbor’s house. They _______ several other items as well. Frank did not _______ the idea of calling the police, but he knew his duty. So, he picked up the phone and _______ his story to the dispatcher. The operator had no _______ for telling a reporter about what she had heard. Thus, Frank was forced to deal with the unwelcome _______ of being known as “The Singing Snitch.”

42. The Singing Snitch Once upon a time there was a recluse named Frank. Frank lived alone because he was afraid of persecution. You see, Frank couldn’t talk; he could only sing. Frank’s eccentricity meant he didn’t have many friends. One day, while looking out the window, Frank saw someone purloin a television from his neighbor’s house. They acquired several other items as well. Frank did not savor the idea of calling the police, but he knew his duty. So, he picked up the phone and crooned his story to the dispatcher. The operator had no remorse for telling a reporter about what she had heard. Thus, Frank was forced to deal with the unwelcome notoriety of being known as “The Singing Snitch.”

43. Vocabulary: Acquisition • Photostory • How do I learn and practice the meanings of new words? • Students use Photostory to develop visual representations and audio storybooks using new vocabulary words. • Students present Photostory products to an audience.

44. Vocabulary: Acquisition • Comic Strip • How do I learn and practice the meanings of new words? • Students use online application or paper/markers to develop a comic strip applying new vocabulary words. • Students share comic strip with an audience.

45. Vocabulary: Acquisition • Foldables • How do I learn and practice the meanings of new words? • Students create foldables to record and rehearse words: • Peek-a-boo • Mini-book • Frayer model

46. Vocabulary: Acquisition • Multiple Intelligences (drama, music) • How do I learn and practice the meanings of new words? • Provide opportunities for students to use music and drama to explore new words • Sing a Song • Bring it to Life

47. Vocabulary: Acquisition

48. Vocabulary: Summarizers • Vocabulary Cards • How do I demonstrate understanding of new words? • Teacher assigns word to student. • Student draws vocabulary card from “bowl.” • Student completes task on card to demonstrate knowledge.

49. Vocabulary: Summarizers • Visual Synectics • How do I demonstrate understanding of new words? • Prepare a set of picture cards: photographs of everyday objects cut from magazines and catalogs glued to index cards (laminated would be good). • Distribute cards to groups. • On the board, write the following prompt: “A _____ (word wall word) is like this picture because…” • Allow students time to complete the prompt. • Have students share their responses.

50. Vocabulary: Summarizers