M25 Times for 2017-2018

Wednesday1st Grade, 8:30-9:20
​7th and 8th Grades, 9:20-10:20
4th Grade, 11:00-12:00
3rd Grade, 12:00-1:00
Extra M25 for 5th and 6th Grades, 1:35-2:00 (every other week)

Thursday5th Grade, 9:30-10:30
6th Grade, 10:30-11:30
Extra M25 for 1st and 3rd Grades, 12:00-12:45 (every other week)
Extra M25 for 2nd and 4th Grades, 1:15-2:00 (every other week)

Friday2nd Grade, 8:30-9:30

Extra M25 Schedule

Extra M25Time...August-Angel Falls Collages
September-Houses Around the World
October-Japanese Woodblock Prints and Kanji Writing; School Lunches Around the World; Cultural Food Experience
November-Haiku
December-STEM Christmas Activities
January-Stories With Holes
​February-Cinderella Tales from other cultures
March-Cultural Cinderella tales 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th); Archaeological dig boxes (5th and 6th); Stories With Holes
April and May-Charlotte's Web and literature activities

Anchor Activities

The purpose of an Anchor Activity is to provide meaningful work for students when they finish early, are waiting for further directions, are stumped, first enter class, or when the teacher is working with other students. In other words, students are anchored to an activity which is is usually a logical extension of learning during a unit  Students must be well versed in the ground rules of working independently. The teacher must make adequate preparations so students are clear about the task and the instructions for completing it. The teacher should have a plan for monitoring and managing the activity.  

Examples of anchoring activities may include the following:

• Independent reading
• Content-related reading
• Journal Writing
• Creative writing prompts (introduce children to fun poetry forms and then make this a choice)
• On-going independent projects
• Working on a Portfolio
• Working on a Learning Packet or Task Card
• Working at a Learning or Interest Center
• Practicing skills related to content students learned in their small group lessons
• Working on an Extension Menu or Cubing activity
• Word games or puzzles
• Math facts games and practice
• Art projects
• Small group projects

Benefits of an Anchor Activity

1. can be used to differentiate activities on the basis of student readiness, interest or

learning profile

2. allows students time to work on independent research, to work more in depth with a

concept, or enrich their skill development

3. can be used as a management strategy when working with small groups of students
4. can be a vehicle for making the classroom more student centered

Tiered Assignments

Tiered Assignments Defined...

a readiness-based approach designed to help all learners work with the same essential information, ideas, and skills, yet still be challenged at varying levels on which they are individually capable of working

Criteria for Effective Tiering

• All tasks are focused on the same essential information, concepts, and skills
• All tasks require a high level of thinking
• All tasks are equally engaging
• In order to form groups, think in terms of whether students are “lower readiness,” “middle readiness,”  or “higher readiness”  relative to their achievement and ability in the content or skill.
• Optimally, a tiered task is neither too simple so that it leads to boredom nor too difficult so that it results in frustration.

How to Tier an Assignment...

• Decide on the skill or information to be practiced or learned.
• Develop at least three different activities or variations of the same activity.
• Decide on the complexity of the skill for each group. Be sure to promote higher level thinking in each group.
• Divide students into two, three or four groups based on readiness for the material, skills or concepts being taught.
• Assign student groups using colors, shapes, numbers or titles.
• Provide teacher support for each group.

Example...

An Economics Activity Designed for 4th Graders After Studying Supply and Demand

Objective:

TSW apply the concept of supply and demand by creating or analyzing a scenario.

Activity:

Lead a review discussion on supply and demand, asking students to define each. Explain that students will do three different activities today.

Lower Readiness-The news reports that a category 8 hurricane in Florida destroys a lot of oranges. Show in pictures and words what would happen to prices. What other products besides oranges would be affected and how?

Middle Readiness-A new scientific study has determined that 3 servings of donuts will decrease heart disease. Explain in writing what will happen to the price of donuts and why. Describe what other effects could this have. You may use illustrations or diagrams as well.

Higher Readiness-Create a news story that illustrates increase in supply or demand.

Have students come back together and report on their scenarios.

RAFT Method

Files to Download or Print

What is it?

• students assume a Role
• students consider an  Audience
• students communicate in a particular Format
• students consider a given Topic

How is RAFT a differentiation tool?

• They can be based on student readiness, learning style or interest.
• They may even be student created!
• They can provide varying levels of difficulty to accommodate all learners while using the same content.
• They allow for student choice.

How do I do it?

• Select a unit you’ll be teaching shortly.
• Determine the learning goals you want students to achieve. Think "KUD!" What do students need to know/already know? What do they need to understand? What should they be able to do?
• Choose whether to:

• Concentrate on reviewing key information such as people, dates, vocabulary, etc. in the Role and Audience, and then let Format and Topics be based on student interests.

• Concentrate on a skill, and incorporate that skill in either the Format or the Topic. That allows the students to engage by varying the role and audience.
• Concentrate on the big idea, the understanding, in the Topic.

• Try to have some easier and some harder RAFTs and assign them to students to provide appropriate challenge levels.
• Allow students to choose from a list of R’s, A’s, F’s and T’s to give them learning style and interest preferences.
• Develop one or two RAFT strips that would lead students to the understanding you plan for them to accomplish.
• Practice learning "RAFT" by doing one together as a class so that students understand each word in the acronym.
• A RAFT may have 5-8 strips once students have practice with them.

Engaging Learners (Prezi)