Students will discuss the question - How do you know if a website
is credible? - watch a video, and complete a checklist to evaluate a
website to determine if it is a good source.
This activity can be used when students are doing research
or a project in which they use the Internet to gather
information, and will help students become more aware of
the importance of evaluating sources. This activity will also
help students determine whether a source is credible and
appropriate for the topic they are researching.
Application: this could be used with
any type of research project to teach
students how to evaluate sources to
determine if they are reliable.
Problem Solving the Decision to End World
War II with the Atomic Bomb
Application: This activity teaches critical
thinking and can be used in many subject
areas to evaluate a problem.
Students will use De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats,
a problem-solving process, to discuss and
evaluate the United States’ decision to use
atomic weapons on Japan during World War II.
This activity will allow students to think
critically about this big decision while looking
at it through many perspectives. By the end of
this activity, the students will come to a
decision as to what they would have done if
they had to make this difficult decision.
The teacher will display a story map and explain
its purpose. The teacher will review the different
elements of a story with the students to ensure
understanding. Students will read the short
story "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros and complete
the story map together as a class. The teacher
will highlight important textual details that are
needed for the story map. Students will then be
able to complete a story map on their own.
https://iowareadingresearch.org/tags/story-map
Application: this can be used to ensure
comprehension of short stories and novels. It is a tool
to help students read and analyze literature.
Writing Portfolio
This would consist of a collection of student writing over a
period of time. It could include several genres, as well student
responses to literature. Students would maintain this portfolio
electronically. Students will be provided a portfolio checklist
for each piece so they can set goals for their writing, and then
reflect on what they have accomplished.
Application: Writing portfolios would be built
into the course syllabus. Pieces to include in the
portfolio could be chosen by the student or
teacher, or they could be selected together.
Student portfolios allow teachers to measure
student growth over time.
Demonstrative Speech
Students will prepare a 3 to 4 minute speech that explains how to do something
that they will present to the class. This is an opportunity for students to share
something they are good at. The teacher will present an outline for the speech.
Before presenting the speech, the students will have an opportunity to practice
presenting in groups of 2. Students will provide each other with feedback.
Application: This is a common type of speech. Because it involves
something the student already knows, it is a good introduction to
giving a speech. This will help students develop their speaking skills.
Listening to Podcasts
Application: these can be used in any area - science, math,
literature. Additionally, they can be as short as 5 minutes,
so they can supplment other activities.
Podcasts help students develop their listening skills. The
teacher will play the selected podcast and students will
complete a podcast response sheet that summarizes key
points, what the student learned, and whether they would
recommend the podcast. The teacher can review these
sheets to determine if the students understood.